&gt; Actually the Apache has a reasonably effective 30mm cannon that works well in many CAS situations.<p>The cannon on the Apache is secondary, the Hellfire II system is the primary weapon of the Apache Longbow.<p>&gt; As far as guided weapons go, the GPS guided bombs are the preferred CAS solution.<p>I would say that any fire and forget system is preferred, which includes smart bombs but also the Hellfire II system utilized by Apache Longbows and drones.<p>&gt; The use of GPS guided bombs means that CAS aircraft can loiter at fairly high altitudes (&gt; 5000 ft)<p>I&#x27;m not disagreeing with you but the Hellfire II system is fire-and-forget, has an 8km range, and is utilized heavily on drone platforms operating at high altitudes.