https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Rockwell_OV-10_Bronco
The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is an American turboprop light attack
and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft
for counter-insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a
forward air control (FAC) aircraft. It can carry up to three tons of external
munitions, internal loads such as paratroopers or stretchers, and can loiter for
three or more hours.
The aircraft was initially conceived in the early 1960s through an informal
collaboration between WH Beckett and Colonel KP Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met
at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to
live near each other. The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air
support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the
U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force
was not interested in close air support.
The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads
as runways. Speed was to be from very slow to medium subsonic, with much longer
loiter times than a pure jet. Efficient turboprop engines would give better
performance than piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted on the centerline to
get efficient unranged aiming like the Lockheed P-38 Lightning and North
American F-86 Sabre aircraft. The inventors favored strafing weapons such as
self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with
less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets. The
airframe was to be designed to avoid the back blast.
The OV-10 has a central nacelle containing pilots and cargo, and twin booms
containing twin turboprop engines. The visually distinctive item of the aircraft
is the combination of the twin booms, with the horizontal stabilizer that
connects them.
The aircraft's design supports effective operations from forward bases. The
OV-10 can perform short takeoffs and landings, including on aircraft carriers
and large deck amphibious assault ships without using catapults or arresting
wires. Further, the OV-10 was designed to take off and land on unimproved sites.
Repairs can be made with ordinary tools. No ground equipment is required to
start the engines. And, if necessary, the engines will operate on high-octane
automobile fuel with only a slight loss of power.
Racked armament in the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket
pods with white phosphorus marker rounds or high-explosive rockets, or 5 in (127
mm) four-shot Zuni rocket pods. Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-dropped
unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6 battlefield illumination flares, and other
stores were also carried.
Operational experience showed some weaknesses in the OV-10's design. It is
significantly underpowered. This contributed to crashes in Vietnam in sloping
terrain because the pilots could not climb fast enough. While specifications
state that the aircraft could reach 26,000 feet (7,900 m), in Vietnam, the
aircraft could reach only 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Also, no OV-10 pilot survived
ditching the aircraft.
Role
Light attack and observation aircraft
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
North American Rockwell
First flight
16 July 1965
Introduction
October 1969
Retired
US (1995)
Status
In limited service
Primary users
United States Marine Corps (historical)
United States Air Force(historical)
United States Navy(historical)
Royal Thai Air Force(historical)
Produced
Number built
360
The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, as
well as in the service of a number of other countries. A total of 81 OV-10
Broncos were ultimately lost to all causes during the course of the Vietnam War,
with the Air Force losing 64, the Navy 7 and the Marines 10.
In 2012, $20 million was allocated to activate an experimental unit of two
OV-10s, acquired from NASA and the State Department. Starting in May 2015, these
aircraft were deployed to Iraq on combat missions against ISIS, flying more than
120 combat sorties over 82 days. It is speculated they provided close air
support for Special Forces missions. The experiment ended satisfactorily, but an
Air Force spokesman stated it remains unlikely they will invest in reactivating
the OV-10 on a regular basis because of the overhead cost of operating an
additional aircraft type.
Specifications
OV-10A
Data from Mesko
General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 41 ft 7 in (12.67 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Empty weight: 6,893 lb (3,127 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,444 lb (6,552 kg)
Performance
Maximum speed: 281 mph (452 km/h)
Range: 576 mi (927 km)
Service ceiling: 24,000 ft (7,315 m)
Armament
Hardpoints: 5 fuselage and 2 underwing and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 7- or 19-tube launchers for 2.75" FFARs or 2- or 4-tube launchers for
5" FFARs
Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder (Wing pylons only)
Bombs: up to 500 lb
Other: SUU-11/A or Mk 4 Mod 0 gun pods
OV-10D
Data from Mesko
General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 44 ft 0 in (13.41 m)
Wingspan: 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m)
Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
Empty weight: 6,893 lb (3,127 kg)
Loaded weight: 9,908 lb (4,494 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,444 lb (6,552 kg)
Tailplane Span 14 ft, 7 in (4.45 m)
Performance
Maximum speed: 288 mph (463 km/h)
Range: 1,382 mi (2,224 km)
Service ceiling: 30,000 ft (9,159 m)
Armament
guns (OV-10D/D+)
Hardpoints: 5 fuselage and 2 underwing and provisions to carry combinations of:
Rockets: 7- or 19-tube launchers for 2.75" FFARs/2.75" WAFARs or 2- or 4-tube
launchers for 5" FFARs or WAFARs
Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder on wings only
Bombs: up to 500 lb (227 kg)
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