DoD has been looking at prop aircraft for the CAS role off and on for a little over a decade now. The Super Tacano was one of the first they were looking at, I think FOX news did a story on it about eight or nine years ago. Think about it like light and heavy CAS (my words). They want something that is one step up from a drone; has high loitering time and good weapons payload. However, this would have an "on site" pilot who is not looking at the battlefield through a "soda straw" (camera) and has the situational awareness to make snap decisions. Additionally, it is cheap to purchase, maintain, and operate. It is not meant to replace the A10, but augment The CAS capabilities of a force in a COIN environment, of which the A10 is a part of. These were never meant to be used outside of COIN.
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