If you look at the history of most small aircaft you can find military involvement at the beginning, usually wanting an aircraft for training or spotting. Mili

If you look at the history of most small aircaft you can find military involvement at the beginning, usually wanting an aircraft for training or spotting. Militaries with big budgets don't have much reason to buy small fixed-wing piston aircraft anymore, or at least they lack the incentive to invest in new clean-slate designs. And if you don't have that startup customer willing to make a big purchase and maybe even fund R&D it becomes impossible to justify a new type.