OV-10 In Perspective

you the ov-10 Bronco produced by the Columbus aircraft division of Rockwell International has successfully demonstrated its versatility and reliability under combat conditions this small turboprop aircraft is slower but more maneuverable than Jets faster and more versatile than helicopters Bronco can perform close in tactical support missions not possible either of these types of aircraft during the Vietnam conflict this rugged aircraft was used in combat operations daily by the Air Force Marine Corps and Navy Bronco entered the conflict in 1968 and very quickly established its reputation for dependability after flying 900 miles from the Philippines the first detachment of marine corps OB ten's was flying combat missions less than three hours after arrival the marine corps successfully used bronco for tactical air control operations airborne day and night these aircraft were armed typically with machine guns and rockets or target marking and close air support Air Force Broncos began to arrive in Vietnam less than a month after the Marine Corps detachment the first six aircraft were disassembled and airlifted into the country and were in combat within a week the Air Force primarily used the ov-10 to perform forward air control duties or both close air support and supply route interdiction missions the tactical versatility of the ov-10 was further dramatized by navy light attack operations in the mekong delta in support of troop and waterways patrol a squadron of OB tens nicknamed black ponies provided the Quick Reaction and firepower necessary for two years of highly successful day and night riverine operations under the most severe tropical and other environmental combat conditions Ronco has proven to be extremely rugged and reliable the success of the ov-10 in combat is a reflection of the design characteristics of the aircraft to t 76 turboprop engines rated at 715 horsepower are the heart of the reliable propulsion system the aluminum propellers are fully reversible and are counter rotating to reduce torque effects the engine propeller installation in combination with unique landing gear system provides the capability for very short takeoff and landings remote forward area operations are practical since the engines can be replaced in a short period of time by common hand tools when necessary the engines can also operate on standard automotive fuels generally available in the field crew survivability is enhanced by five self-sealing fuel tanks filled with explosion resistant foam in combat the fuel tanks have absorbed numerous small arms hits an all mechanical dual flight control system from both cockpits provides reduced vulnerability and the ability to perform violent evasive manoeuvres 325 pounds of armour plating and a bullet resistant front windshield provide further crew protection a zero speed zero altitude ejection seat system has saved the lives of a number of crewmen and has performed successfully during each ejection within the design envelope bronco underwent many severe tests to verify as rugged design features including vertical sync rates up to 20 feet per second during development testing the Obi 10 was landed against 4-inch curbs and on a specially designed washboard runway to test the trailing arm tight landing gear although extremely uncomfortable for the test pilots the landings presented no problem for the aircraft the rugged design features of the ov-10 assure an excellent rough field landing capability while it's oversized tires permit operation in soft ground by design bronco has proven to be well-suited to a number of combat roles it's capable of performing strike support missions by delivering a variety of target marking and light attack ordnance on target the aircraft sponsons contain four 7.62 millimeter machine guns with 2,000 rounds internal capacity seven stores stations can accommodate a wide selection of conventional ordnance the centreline station can carry a 20 millimeter gun pod or stores up to 1,200 pounds at 8 G's it can also carry external fuel tanks of 150 to 300 gallons capacity a variety of ordnance can be delivered from four sponson stations each having an 8 g capacity of 600 pounds 2 outboard wing stations are equipped to carry 5-inch Zuni rockets and Sidewinder missiles other stores up to 600 pounds of 8 G's may be carried by using another type of wing pylon with a standard bomb shackle bronco can deliver flares to illuminate enemy night movements for ground support and can attack under its own flare drop in a strike environment the ov-10 is capable of delivering freefall stores such as CBU napalm and bombs on enemy positions the ability to deliver mixed ordnance loads accurately plus tandem cockpit seating featuring panoramic visibility and the full set of air-to-ground communications and homing make the Bronco particularly well-suited for visual observation tactical air control and light attack roles the ov-10 can also escort helicopters and route or range ahead to scout terrain or marked landing spots ground convoy escort is another role the aircraft can fulfill observation and protection could be performed effectively at night with an appropriate sensor and gun system armed reconnaissance surveillance and damage assessment are other military missions within the capability of the aircraft a dual mode version of the m-19 t7 20 millimeter gun was developed and successfully demonstrated on an Obi 10 gunship in 1972 the gun is mounted in the aircraft's utility Bay and is capable of either fixed forward or fixed side fire at a rate of 750 to 1,500 rounds per minute the firing mode is selectable in the air using a basic side mounted fixed sight the pilot simply flies the crosshairs on the target testing is proven that very accurate sustained fire can be directed at both ground and airborne targets from this versatile gunship tracking tests were conducted against helicopters in the NuvaRing flight from hover up to 110 knots speed helicopter manoeuvring had little effect on the ability of the ov-10 to maintain air-to-air orbital track in a side firing mode Broncos versatility is further demonstrated by the variety of potential military and civil uses of its utility Bay five paratroopers or six Combat Infantryman can be transported readily to remote areas if supplies must be moved from point to point the Obi 10 can carry up to 3,200 pounds airdrop of resupply loads has been demonstrated medical evacuation is another capability provided by bronco to litter patients an emetic can be accommodated in the utility bay a wide variety of OB 10 missions is possible because of the aircraft's 8g performance characteristics at speeds up to 350 knots Bob Hoover one of America's foremost precision stunt pilots has demonstrated Broncos range of flight capabilities at air shows because of Broncos outstanding performance and it's demonstrated mission versatility in combat several other countries have purchased the aircraft to satisfy their specific requirements the Federal Republic of Germany is using a specially designed jet engine pod version of the Obi ten to tow targets and to simulate a close support aircraft for radar tracking Thailand has been successfully using the Bronco for several years in the counterinsurgency role the Venezuelan Air Force acquired the aircraft in early 1973 for light attack operations Rockwell internationals OB tan Bronco has proven to be a rugged versatile reliable and effective aircraft in a combat environment United States operations in Vietnam have demonstrated impressive maintenance and reliability with three point three maintenance man-hours per flight hour an operational readiness close to 90% some aircraft were flown as much as 180 hours in one month at the end of the Vietnam conflict in early 1973 OB tents had flown over 600,000 hours in support of United States military operations the same flexible design characteristics that were responsible for its success in combat allow for a variety of utility missions and future modular equipment packages because the ov-10 fills the gap between the mission spectrum of jets and helicopters it is ideally suited for numerous military and civil light aircraft support roles with it's better than 15,000 hours service life the Bronco will be supporting its users for some time to come you

Channel: AVhistorybuff

Views: 260,754

Rating: 4.9299474 out of 5

Keywords: OV-10, Bronco, Viet Nam

Id: lfC3ChIjCcQ

Length: 11min 2sec (662 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 01 2013

Reddit Comments

[u/CogentNabob]

Badass airplane

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