After Beechcraft sold Scaled Composites back to Rutan, he chose to complete the project with company funds. This aircraft was renamed ARES, and first flew on February 19, 1990, piloted by Scaled Composites test pilot Doug Shane. Since then it has flown more than 250 hours, and met its original design specifications for performance and range. In 1991 under US Air Force contract, the ARES 25 mm cannon was installed and during testing the cannon performed well but the ARES remains a private project.