The M-3 was the armed version of the popular Cardinal, a jet-powered civilian aerobatic aircraft. Initially created as a stopgap by the Venezian militia to alleviate the lack of proper close air support aircraft, two were sold to the Organization of Mamorian Nationalists, and a number of the aircraft were later sold to the Victorian Independent State as it began to build up its military in 2552. On Victoria, the aircraft saw its first combat action against the United Nations Space Command in 2553, and again on Venezia in 2561. While most of the aircraft had been destroyed, by 2610 two had been found, restored, and placed on display in the Museum of Humanity.