All true - I posted Skyraiders because another poster commented that CAS birds are getting lighter and smaller - A-1 max takeoff 25,000 lb vs 6,500 lb for the AT-6 with less than half as many hardpoints.
cant private reply, so here goes.
Agreed your post on Sky Raiders is on point. The primary problem with Sky Raider or anything in that weight/performance range is the per hour cost of flight.
One of the reasons for drones is the low cost per hour on station. Something like a OV-10 or AT-6 give a nice middle ground between a “Strike” aircraft and the Predator or Reaper.
The extra set of eyes of also help in many COIN operations I would think.