  The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is armed with a GAU-22/A, a four-barrel version of the GAU-12 Equalizer 25 mm caliber cannon that weighs 560 kg (1,230 lb) fully loaded. Rate of fire: 3,300 rounds per minute Muzzle velocity: 1,000 m/s (3,280 ft/s)  Projectile weight: 215 grams (7.6 oz) Carries 180 rounds.  The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is armed with a GAU-8/A Avenger 30 mm caliber cannon that weighs 1,828 kg (4,029 lb) fully loaded. Rate of fire: 4,200 rounds per minute Muzzle velocity 1,070 m/s (3,500 ft/s) Projectile weight: 425 grams (15.0 oz). Carries 1,174 rounds.  While the F-35B, being a STOVL aircraft can hover, it uses a lot of fuel to do so. and it cannot perform the maneuver that the A10 was designed for: the steep dive firing down at a tank's thinner top armor. Because of the wide wings and the Decelerons, it can dive with minimal acceleration.   