The Gundam Sandrock was created at the L4 colony cluster, using the resources of the wealthy Winner family. This powerful, heavily-armored Gundam is designed for hand-to-hand combat, and is particularly well-suited to desert conditions. Its main weapons are the curved, heat-radiating blades of its heat shotels; the Sandrock is strong enough to wield one of these huge blades with a single hand, or strike simultaneously with both. The Sandrock can mount its backpack, shield, and both heat shotels on its forearm to perform a deadly pincer attack called the "cross crusher

The Gundam Sandrock, one of the five Gundams created for Operation Meteor, was designed primarily for ground combat in desert regions. Even after being upgraded for space combat, the remodeled Sandrock Custom remains essentially a close-combat mobile suit, whose only significant weapons are its huge, armor-melting heat shotels. To protect it from long-range attacks, the Sandrock Custom can don a protective set of optional armor, which also appears to shield it from the heat of atmospheric re-entry.