https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG9LlHcX8lg&feature=relatedhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaled_Composites_ARESThis little bird did very well in tests, the cannon design kept the nose centered from the gas porting, as well as kept some of the issues the A10 had with gas/etc down to a minimum. It could turn nearly 40 degrees per second, even more, and had a huge fuel fraction and 1200 mile range easy. Very, very simple to maintain and repair, and very cheap to procure.
I wonder with an engine 20 years newer and more powerful, and with modern 25mm ammunition, and some of the great light attack missiles out there like the small diameter bomb, hellfire, and others, how effective this thing could be as a CAS and infantry/army light support aircraft. In an area where air supremacy exists, but there is still ample ground threats (ie Iraq and Afghanistan types of conflicts), something along this line, not exactly like this, but following the overall idea, could be a cheap alternative to using F35s to replace A10s and other CAS mission aircraft.
Some great 25mm strafe footage, and at 4:20 some fantastic maneuverability footage. By all accounts from the couple of webpages I read it did very well in terms of accuracy with it's gun runs and reliability. Sort of like a more maneuverable A4 Skyhawk with a way better gun option and better range.
