The Fairchild Republic A-11 Thunderbolt III is the answer to the UESAF (United Eastern States Air Force) requirement for a modern, high-performance close air support aircraft to replace the A-10F Thunderbolt II and F-35A’s in the ground attack and strike role. The new aircraft had to have twin engine reliability, as well as heavy armor protection. All this had to be crammed into an aircraft slightly larger than that of the A-10C. Oh, and there had to be a variant for carrier usage as well, with zero performance differences. Only two companies submitted designs, Lockheed International and Fairchild Republic. Lockheed, with their CEO still seeing use out of the aeging F-35’s, decided to put that design up again. This time with a 30mm cannon pod. The same cannon used on the A-10C. The recoil during a flight test firing caused the 500mph F-35 to stall after 3 seconds of constant fire. The muzzle gasses also caused engine flameout. To say the least, Lockheed wasnt going to be an issue. The A-11 can carry more weapons, take more damage, and increased the number of guns over the A-10 by adding twin 50mm autocannons each with 200 rounds.