The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco was a tough, rugged, well-armed aircraft that could take a beating and get the job done.
Conceived in a backyard by two Marine friends as a particular aircraft for counter-insurgency combat, the Bronco could carry up to three tons of ammunition, several high-caliber M60 machine guns, rockets, and even a gun pod to fight off its enemies.
The small twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft may not have looked like a seasoned fighter. Still, US Marine Corps observation squadrons, the Navy’s Black Ponies, and the Air Force Tactical Air Support Squadron all took advantage of its combat versatility during the Vietnam War.
And yet, the legendary OV-10 Broncos had plenty more to offer. Decades after the Vietnam War ended, the unwavering aircraft would get to see more destructive action against the relentless Middle East...
VIDEO HERE (9:54 minutes)
Still alive and well in the CalFire fleet as spotter and lead planes.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.fire.ca.gov/media/kkfd4s40/ov-10-2020-1.pdf
And perfect for the jobs they now do.
I was in the Valley of Death. A Bronco caught a bunch of NVA around five in the evening. The Valley flat as a board. About a click away you could see them running. He would come down and let loose and all of them would go to ground. As soon as he was past they were up and running again. He finally made a pass and pulled up. They got up and ran. I swear he stalled the plane right in the middle of pulling up and did a cartwheel. He stopped dead it appeared. He came back down from behind and must have let loose with everything he had. Once past no one got up and ran and he flew off into the sunset. I'll never forget that. More to that story but that's all I care to say.
ReplyDeleteThese are tactically a dead letter in any MANPADS-rich environment. During the Great Patriotic CAX (aka "Gulf War"), their vulnerability became readily apparent. Maybe a modern design that starts from scratch to defend against MANPAD could work... Hard to make turboprops work in that way though. Still, a very cool plane. One of my instructors took the had off a fleeing Vietcong with a 2.75" rocket while flying a Bronco.
ReplyDeleteSo are any COINS or Light Attack aircraft. Yet the US military spent billions in buying the Super Tucano, a single engine plane for the very same environment. And it isn't as fast as the Bronco, can't carry the same weight, has only one engine, can't maneuver like the Bronco.
DeleteSeriously, the mother company produced the OV-10X, an updated, faster, better, harder hitting, more survivable version and the US military snubbed them.
Couple corrections. First, we did not buy the Tuc for us. We bought them for poor countries that could not afford the A-10 (never mind the fact the A-10s are no longer in production). Second, the Tuc is faster than the Bronco. Max for the Bronco is 250kts (empty but loaded happy to see 220kts) but normal cruise was usually around 210-215Kts. The cruise for the Tuc is about 320kts maxing out about 350 or better clean. That said when working you normally powered back to 160-170kts in either. Combat lifespan in either now days would be measured in seconds. That is what makes the A-10 the best close air support aircraft flying bar none. As far as engines, the Bronco's had 1000hp a side where the Tuc has a 1600hp single. Only 400hp difference and the Bronco is carrying more weight. The engines are reliable as a brick. Until it gets a 12.5mm round through it. Then that spare fan on the Bronco can literally "make your day" and get you someplace safe. The Tuc driver will be a instant paratrooper. When I was young and foolish I loved flying (over 1600 hours) this mission profile. Now... not so intemperate.
DeleteThe answer to MANPADS is build as cheap an a/c as you can, that'll get the job done.
DeleteThe alternative is a flying tank like the Warthog. Which as fantastic as it is (and believe me, we love it), isn't the answer to every problem on the battlefield, because TANSTAAFL. All that flying tankishness requires commensurate maintenance hours, and logistics train.
Every enemy in the world is not the Russians from 1980.
For people with spears and bones through their noses, a guy flying an ultralight with a case of grenades in a musette bag would be sufficient.
The problem is, the Air Farce doesn't want anything that isn't the F-22 or better, and the Army is forced to go with that (which is why the USAF should rightfully be folded back into being the USAAC, and answer to the Army's Chief of Staff, like they did the last time we outright won a war).
The Marines got the Bronco in the first place because they get to come up with what works for them - in particular, to support the grunts on the pointy end - and not listen to the fap-fantasies of the Skycap Air Farce who still think fighter pilots won WWII.
When the Corps remembers this, they'll replace the Bronco properly, instead of settling for the works-for-no-one F-35 Thunderjug II, supposedly to replace the A-4, A-6, AV-8, OV-10, just for the USMC, and God alone knows what else, none of which it can nor will ever do.
Or, they'll lose a lot of guys until the lessons of the need for FAC, COIN, and CAS takes root again, and they get the budget to buy what's needed to accomplish the missions given.
Looks like an early turboprop version of the A10
ReplyDeleteDad was CO of an Engineer Battalion in '69. The Marine aviation unit "next door" flew OV-10s. The Navy wouldn't pave the Marine's runway. Dad made the Marine CO an offer. Short time later Dad's CO, Col. Groves (son of Manhattan Project Gen. Groves) was inspecting a road project. They took incoming fire from the tree line. Dad turned to his senior NCO and said "Sergeant, take care of that." Sergeant got on the MARINE radio in the back of the Jeep and in 5 minutes OV-10s were tearing up the tree line. Col. Groves knew full well you don't get air cover in 5 minutes via "normal channels" and asked "Col. Smith, do I want to know how you managed that?" Dad replied, "No, sir. I don't think you do." And THAT is how Dad lost command of the battalion ... and got promoted to Brigade Staff.
ReplyDeleteFriend of mine flew then with the Black Ponies. Loved it, and the Broncos flying the in the Gulf were fitted with ALE-137 pods to defend themselves from MANPADS.
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen them operated by CalFire too. Very distinctive silhouette.
ReplyDeleteForget the name of the author, but heartily recommend “A lonely kind of War”. The story of a FAC during his time in Vietnam.
Marshall Harrison. Great book.
ReplyDeleteUsed to watch them fly out of Patrick AFB south of Cape Canaveral. Neat planes. Very versatile.
ReplyDeletePlane was underpowered, and the landing gear was WAY overdesigned, and overweight as a result. More than one was lost in SEA flying into rising terrain. It would have been okay as originally designed, but after they got done adding so much crap, and not upgrading the engines (actually, I don't think there was an upgrade hp engine available), it became really marginal.
ReplyDeleteThey were not under powered. They were under winged. With a 40ft wing span, if you lost thrust on either engine (due to engine or prop failure)at a high angle of attack that bitch would roll over faster than a Angeles City hooker during fleet week. The CO of a squadron I taught would rarely pre-flight the aircraft. He got killed when the prop governor failed and he did not catch it before takeoff.
DeleteLong time since I did research on the aircraft, but it has a lot more wing than it started with. The plane got bigger and heavier, but the engines never grew with it. The original design was a LOT smaller, just big enough to carry markers and be fast. The problem with NIH(not invented here) ideas is that everyone wants to treat it as a blank canvas, or to kill it. The designers didn't have the muscle to keep control of it, so it didn't die, but it did balloon in all the typical areas, as they added everything but the kitchen sink.
DeletePilots crash twins on takeoff mostly due to lack of skills to manage engine out scenarios dependent on speed at loss. Of course it rolled on him, mostly because he wasn't quick enough to reduce throttle on the good engine. And that was due to him not planning/expecting to lose an engine. Practice for it, and expect it, so when it happens you react correctly as fast as possible, without being "caught by surprise".
The Broncos used in Vietnam had the ~700hp engines. That is what I refer to as underpowered. Later versions after the war had some upgrades in this area, but were still hp shy for all the crap they had to haul.
Delete"several high-caliber M60 machine guns"
ReplyDeleteYeah! That thing had thirty caliber guns! Seriously, people - *thirty* caliber! That's ridiculous, even for the military!
- Media "firearms expert"
We had one land and tie up at our flight line in Savannah. Somewhere around 1984. I thought the OV/RV-1's I was working on at the time were ugly...these were well uglier sister above that.
ReplyDeleteI worked for a major who had been an OV-10 RO (rear observer). Always said he loved it.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the BATF take over a bunch of items hem back in the 90's comets with hard points still attached. Questions then we're why have a air to mud assault plane owned by a civilian organization with a history of abuses on the law?
ReplyDeleteStarted watching the video and immediately thought of the P61 Black Widow. Tried to look up any information to see if any plans or technical data was used from the Widow. Apparently not...?
ReplyDelete