I buy the STOL capability in and out of "unimproved" fields, but gunship? A REAL gun, like the main armament of the A-10, would likely shake the Caravan apart and/or the recoil would stall it. Compared to the A-10, a real CAS airplane, the Caravan is way too slow and unmaneuverable. That gives the enemy a much better chance to return fire. I'm not even sure a Caravan is as fast as a Skyraider, another great CAS airplane. IMO part of airplane-administered CAS is to be gone before the enemy knows you're coming. I don't think the Caravan is fast enough to do that.
I'd like to read what Those Who Know think of a Caravan in comparison to a helicopter gunship.
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