Old School A-10 , ive loved this aircraft since i was a kid . I met an old Vet fishing once...super cool retired Warrant officer . He told me how in Vietnam , they would gain altitude , cut the engines , and dive down silently to the target . They would fire off the rockets , or drop the bombs , and start the motors and GTFO . By the time the enemy heard the aircraft , it was too late . Much respect to these pilots . This was an old Black man who was a Staff Sgt , and got picked up for flight school , and promoted to W.O....Super cool guy , who saved alot of ground pounders . To all of you , Thank You
Bronco requires CSAR and meat in the seat is obsolete for many missions. Bronco is not expendable, and while it has long loiter time drones can loiter for 24 hours and more. No Bronco crew could do that safely. I enjoyed working on Bronco but the past is ancient history and there is no role for it in the USAF or USMC any more. Humans are a bug not a feature. Syria was Bronco's last hurrah and only a few were converted for that mission which can now be done in other safer ways.
My grandfather flew this plane for the 20th TASS in 1972. He’s one of the pilots who attempted a ditching, due to unfortunate circumstances. Luckily, partially due to his flying and partially due to the design, his backseater (Mike Brown) survived. To this day Mike is the only man on earth who’s survived a ditching in a Bronco.
I recall a captured USMC OV-10 pilot - an older guy - being displayed by the Iraqis at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. I was surprised they were able to take him alive. I was also surprised he had been using that airframe at that time, must have been a forward spotter or something like that. Dangerous work for one tough old bird.
I was a light infantry company commander in First Air Cavalry Division in War Zone C on the Cambodian border in Vietnam in 1959. Our forward air controllers (FACs) flew the OV-10. It was a terrific aircraft; they and their OV-10s were truly “masters of the air”.
I remember one of these coming up next to us in the plane I was flying. They gave us the "once over"...then quickly rolled over into a deep dive. Amazing plane for the time.
Arguably, one of the most versatile aircraft ever made. The adaptability of this platform is truly legendary. Military brass always seems to resist the development and use of close air support planes. They even wanted to delete the a10 without a viable solution to replace it. The very fact that two former military people had to develop this platform tells me that the brass is disassociated with the needs of its personnel. I had to say the obvious. Why are they so aloof to the demands of the troops? Even now, this aircraft can continue to serve a role and they refuse to have anything to do with it.
@@karlanthonymargate7362 Yes, here in the Philippines. The Bronco's death sentence was the fun fact that no crew ever survived ditching one. They upgraded to ejector seats, but the added 1,600 pounds proved to be too much.
It's the Air Force's cultural mentality that ICBM's and nuclear bombers are what will win future wars. Always has been, since 1949. God forbid that any of their budget goes to support role aircraft, for other services! Pilots, command pilots, who become generals, bring their inflated egos along as baggage, and this is what you get.
Maybe because of the shift to near-peer adversary preparations. The A-10 is awesome but its mission set can be adequately filled by other platforms such as UCAVs, Multi-role fighters, Attack helicopters and much cheaper to operate and maintain turboprop attack aircraft. It's the pinnacle of awesome but impractical
I enjoyed seeing R.A. "Bob" Hoover climbing into the front seat! The AF tried to avoid buying prop airplanes and only gave the B-26s a brief mention in Korean War press reports, after crediting specific jet fighter-bombers. An OV-10 landed at Reno-Stead in the winter 2004 while I was training, and we later taxied behind it for takeoff. I told my IP that we wouldn't be waiting long for our T.O., and it was great to watch his steep chandelle on departure before throttling up Decathlon N4060J and heading for our training area. Skip Polak, the airport manager told me he enjoyed his ride in one, and riding it to the ground. Nobody is thrilled about having to eject through a canopy, even with a prima cord system that should break open the plexiglass first.
I remember taking 10-12 of them to England on the USS Nassau in late 1982. They were able to take off from the deck of an LHA, about 850 feet. They were craned aboard so I don't know if they could have landed on it. We had to carry fewer helos on that cruise to make space.
One of the most unique war birds ever created. Slow but deadly in the hands of a skilled pilot in the armed version of this aircraft. The maneuverability is some of the best of any airplane and could do aerobatic maneuvers allowing the pilot to turn the plane on a dime, pull up rapidly, dive, and rapidly go in different directions to avoid being hit by either ground fire or other, more advanced aircraft. The aircraft is slow making it susceptible to both ground fire and air to air attacks from other, more advanced enemy aircraft. It had a very unique electric gatling gun that could come out of the aircraft on an extendable arm and be controlled by either the pilot or back seater and would swivel in any direction. These electrically powered mini guns could fire thousands of rounds of armor piercing bullets per minute and could engage ground targets like no other aircraft. They could also be armed with rockets, missiles, underwing mounted mini-guns, and cannons. The OV-10 could carry almost any ordinance in the US inventory and the concept of the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" most likely was heavily influenced by the success of the OV-10 in Vietnam. Most OV-10's operated by the Army were de-armed after Vietnam due to restrictions put on the Army airplanes due to concerns by the Air Force that the Army was doing their job with armed airplanes. This restriction did not include helicopters, which eventually became the mainstay of the U.S. Army Aircraft Program and continue to be a very valuable and highly effective resource in combat, including attack capabilities, rescue, transport, and equipment delivery. It's most effective role was in electronic surveillance, photography of the enemy areas, and electronic jamming and countermeasures. This multi-role aircraft was much less expensive to produce than fighter jets, and performed with distinction even up to the present day in certain missions in the middle eastern conflicts. A few OV-10's are still operating in combat in limited role missions. Old aircraft were pulled out of the mothballs, upgraded with more modern equipment and systems and had pilots and electronic warfare officers trained and then sent on missions throughout various locations in the middle east for special missions. Most pilots who flew these machines, absolutely loved them. The visibility is unlike any other airplane as the windows in the canopy "bow" outward almost like "bug eyes" so both the pilot and rear seat electronic warfare specialist can look over the sides of the aircraft and easily see down to the ground. The top is also a clear "bubble" top so the view and visibility in the airplane is better than most any aircraft ever made. The predecessor to this aircraft was the OV-1 "Mohawk" which also had a similarly designed bug eye canopy offering the same excellent visibility, although in that aircraft the pilot and tactical flight officer sat side by side so the cockpit was wider. The OV-10 used a similar design to the cobra attack helicopter with a front/rear tandem seat design instead of the side by side seating arrangement making the cockpit much narrower. Both aircraft have noticeable similarities and North American Aviation probably took what they learned from the OV-1 and put all that knowledge into the OV-10. Another unique feature was the incredibly short landing and take off areas needed to operate the OV-10 which could take off in conditions that almost any other plane could not due to the unique undercarriage that allowed the aircraft to "glide" over rough terrain without making the fuselage buckle, shake, and bounce badly upon attempting a landing or take off in a rough terrain area. Video's exist showing the Bronco going over many different terrains with ease. There is a video of Robert A. "Bob" Hoover flying an OV-10 in an incredible display of aerobatics in the early 1970's. Hoover was a test pilot for North American Aviation during the development of the OV-10, who was a WWII combat veteran and a legend in the flying world, especially in aerobatic flying. Hoover is considered one of the greatest pilot's who ever lived. Bob Hoover flying the OV-10 in a demonstration: ua-cam.com/video/x8lvyiNbHtU/v-deo.html&ab_channel=AVhistorybuff
3/3/2024 Something the narrator over looked about the OV-10 was that every part of this aircraft was interchangeable (could be used on either side of the thing) except the main landing gear, the prop reduction gears (the 10 had counter rotating props) and the obvious. So if you had a hanger queen you could swipe its left wing and put on the right side of another OV-10. I was assigned to VS-41 (in San Diego) when VAL -4 was undergoing initial training. I just loved the 10's. There is an OV-10 at the Naval Air museum in Pensacola, Fla, (air frame 155472) I actually worked on that bird, there just might be a hand print of mine hiding on it, somewhere. ;-)
The last still image is of a US Navy OV-10A in Vietnam serving with VAL-4 "The Black Ponies" - don't forget this awesome group of Naval aviators and personnel serving in Vietnam supporting the "Brown Water Navy" and other forces.
Our pilots were so well regarded that once when they answered a call for support from a beleaguered firebase to our south the commander on the ground authorized them to make strikes next to the walls within the kill radius of the ordnance to prevent them from being overrun. It worked and no Army personnel were injured by friendly fire.
Cal Fire uses the Bronco as their main spotter plane during the summer wildfire season here in California. It has a distinct sound as it climbs through the sky toward it's target area.
California Division of Forestry used OV-10s as spotter and director aircraft for fire tanker bombers. Don't know if they still do, but was nice to see them fly.
One of these with an Apache style chaingun slaved to the pilot’s helmet would be a good CAS platform to augment the A10 for low intensity or COIN combat
According to "Grandpa Pettibone" in Naval Aviation News, two Marines ejected from a perfectly good OV-10. On a routine training flight, the aircraft began experiencing wing icing. The pilot decided to climb to see if conditions would improve at higher altitude. Meanwhile, the back seater was getting nervous and put his hands on the lower ejection handle. The pilot changed his mind and enter a decent. The negative G caused the back seater to accidently pull the handle and punch out. The pilot, figuring his crewman knew something he didn't and also ejected.
I don’t think you mentioned the Black Ponies, VAL-4. They were a Navy unit that flew the OV-10 in Vietnam with considerable success supporting rivereen operations.
The 20TASS in Vietnam had two pilots get shot down twice in one month in the same place. In the mountains they found a valley and had one engine shot out. They couldn't climb out on one engine and had to eject. Once returned to flight status they returned to the same valley and had a repeat performance. They proved that the OV-10 couldn't climb very well on one engine and wearing your .38 low on the hip gunfighter style wasn't a good idea.
Nice video and aerial scenes were interesting, but the Bronco in practice did very little of what you described. In USAF duty it was a capable forward air controller but rarely if ever did CAS or deployed paratroopers or med-evac'ed wounded. Pretty sure the only time it carried AIM--9s was in certification. The 7.62mm was largely ineffective against ground targets, it would have made more sense to have replaced them with a single 0.50 cal. Not diss'ing the aircraft as it mostly filled the FAC role as designed . . . but the versatility you describe was seldom used.
I loved working on and flying in the BRONCO. It's days have passed. With the new man held SAMs flying under 10,000 feet would be suicidal. The forward air control is now done on the ground, and drones have replaced it on many missions. The modern battle field has left the OV-10 and the A-10 behind. Even with total air superiority they are very limited in the ability to survive except in a few situations.
@@WALTERBROADDUS it’s a poor CAS/FAC aircraft though. Low wing, small payload (compared to the bronco) and relies too much on tech as opposed to visibility due to canopy again like the Bronco
The two engine pylons were interchangeable between right and left. It was purposely designed that each engine pylon was symmetrical for expedient in the field replacement. So was the rudder main landing gear interchangeable between right and left.
The fact that you don’t mention Venezuela as one of the countries using Broncos is unforgivable, as it shows lack of research. During the 1992 coup-de-etat, A Venezuelan Bronco was engaged by an F16 and, despite the low speed and agility of the Bronco, it was shot down by the F16 using its internal cannon (a rarity in aerial combat by this point)
The USAF still think you could use an F-35 for close air support, utter madness. Anyone who has been on the ground know that the OV-10 and the A-10 are still what is needed for CAS.
Too bad there wasn’t more info on the gun ship variant, there was a couple of seconds of video of it. A remote operated gun under the fuselage similar to the cobra gunship, with infra red optics.
Why re-invent the wheel? Resurrect the Bronco for close air support. Imagine what it can do fitted with latest electronics, fire power, crew protection and maybe new engines.
Can’t wait to see the modern iteration of this aircraft being developed by a Canadian company, Icarus Aerospace. With more powerful engines, advanced avionics, 11 hard points for 8.000lbs of ordnance, it would be a more capable aircraft than the Bronco.
Can you imagine what this aircraft could do with the laser guided missiles of today. I mean look at the devastation that they did with unguided back then.
The OV-10B Bronco did actually have one variant equipped with a turbojet engine: the OV-10B(Z). It mounted a General Electric J-85-GE-4 engine above the wing on struts, effectively giving it a hybrid turboprop-jet configuration.
The OV-10B Z variant with turbojet was developed as a target towing aircraft for the Luftwaffe (1970-1990). They were converted back to basic OV-10 standard after a few years because of high fuel consumption and minimal performance improvement when towing targets although the 'clean' aircraft could fly 100 mph faster, had triple the rate of climb, and had half the takeoff roll.
Maganda talaga itong Bronco, why not magpagawa or gumawa Tayo Ng bagong Bronco. With a bullet proof capability, using new and silent engines rather than Tucano. Put some night vision capability and modify gun sights. Fully automated, made in RP. Mas ok to, malakas at practical. Eto Ang trainer defender Ng PAF at MRF. Nakamura na, subok pa.
The most famous instance of F-16s being used in combat within Venezuela actually occurred during the 1992 coup attempt. During this event, loyalist F-16s engaged in aerial combat with rebel OV-10 Broncos, resulting in the shooting down of one Bronco.
The Air Force has never wanted or put much stock in the CAS mission. They really need to cede it to the army and marines. Their lives, their mission. Trying to make the F-16 and F-35 into CAS birds has been a total failure. In both gulf wars, F-16s would fly right over a target and not even notice it while an A-10 would see it and attack it instantly. The F-35 is also a failure in this regard. The Air Force is only interested in air to air combat and strategic bombing. CAS is dead last on their list of priorities. If they don’t want it, give it to someone who does want it and will do it right.
Unfortunately, the US Army can not operate armed fixed-wing aircraft. IIRC, it is set down in the National Security Act of 1947. That law has to be amended first.
@Tubesmaney The US Air Force was originally the US Army Air Corps and only gained independence as a separate armed service in 1947 with the National Security Act. There were a lot of political fights about different services leading up to the Act. Some wanted to roll the USMC into the Army, even.
Don't tell the AF CAS is dead. They just spent millions updating the A10 and the Ac130. Also, the F16 is not a CAS platform, but it does ground attack, not the same mission. The AF Special Operations just got a new CAS, the Sky warden. The AF takes CAS very seriously!
Sigh... these AI-voiced channels test my patience, they really do. It would be better for the non-native speakers who create them just to voice it themselves, AFTER getting someone to check their scripts! Annoying errors like pluralizing "inch" when speaking of the rockets is just grating, and that's the least of the "offenses" of these videos
Thank you I thought I was the only one annoyed by the incorrect pronunciation or incorrect information a computerized voice box spits out. We say 1986. Not one thousand ninehundred eighty six. A young man asked for a three five seven. My friend said we don't play video games here. Just like computers everything has proper terminology so you can get exactly what you're for.
I was all game until he went over the weight of the aircraft, 6 thousand pounds dry is nuts because my suburban weighs 8 thousand . Strap some wings to it and a ballistics computer I think a Chevy would make a great counter insurgency ):
Never heard of it 👍👍👍 Thanks
Old School A-10 , ive loved this aircraft since i was a kid . I met an old Vet fishing once...super cool retired Warrant officer . He told me how in Vietnam , they would gain altitude , cut the engines , and dive down silently to the target . They would fire off the rockets , or drop the bombs , and start the motors and GTFO . By the time the enemy heard the aircraft , it was too late . Much respect to these pilots . This was an old Black man who was a Staff Sgt , and got picked up for flight school , and promoted to W.O....Super cool guy , who saved alot of ground pounders . To all of you , Thank You
ДА
ТАКЖЕ
ДЕЛАЛИ
СОВЕТСКИЕ
ЛЁТЧИКИ
НА. ПО-2
ВО ВТОРУЮ
МИРОВУЮ
This bird helped to save my life in Vietnam.
Excellent! Glad you're here to say so. Thanks.
Thank You for Your Service, Warrior & Hero ❤🙌🏽🙏🏽
Thank you for your service!!
How ? You should write a book about it
Welcome home
The Bronco was an prime example where simplicity meant strength, it´s reliability and flexibility were amazing.
And it looks nice too!
True
Can't believe they stopped making it, I can think of a dozen roles it could fill today.
Aircraft like the A-29 kind of fill that role.
Bronco requires CSAR and meat in the seat is obsolete for many missions. Bronco is not expendable, and while it has long loiter time drones can loiter for 24 hours and more. No Bronco crew could do that safely. I enjoyed working on Bronco but the past is ancient history and there is no role for it in the USAF or USMC any more. Humans are a bug not a feature. Syria was Bronco's last hurrah and only a few were converted for that mission which can now be done in other safer ways.
As a door gunner in V.N.1st. AV.bde.'66-'68 at Can Tho air base ,I was always amazed at the AV 10s how fast they would get into the air.
This thing looks like the P38 had a lovechild with an A10....
I love it.
My grandfather flew this plane for the 20th TASS in 1972. He’s one of the pilots who attempted a ditching, due to unfortunate circumstances. Luckily, partially due to his flying and partially due to the design, his backseater (Mike Brown) survived. To this day Mike is the only man on earth who’s survived a ditching in a Bronco.
Lucky man
@@Brightsideofmilitary very. He lives local to us so we get to see him often still. Very good man.
Good to hear that,apeiciate your comment
@@Brightsideofmilitary if you wanna read on it look under my grandad, Capt Steven L Bennett
H&MS 36 flight section
I recall a captured USMC OV-10 pilot - an older guy - being displayed by the Iraqis at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm. I was surprised they were able to take him alive. I was also surprised he had been using that airframe at that time, must have been a forward spotter or something like that. Dangerous work for one tough old bird.
I was a light infantry company commander in First Air Cavalry Division in War Zone C on the Cambodian border in Vietnam in 1959. Our forward air controllers (FACs) flew the OV-10. It was a terrific aircraft; they and their OV-10s were truly “masters of the air”.
❤️
Correction: 1969.
I remember one of these coming up next to us in the plane I was flying. They gave us the "once over"...then quickly rolled over into a deep dive. Amazing plane for the time.
Arguably, one of the most versatile aircraft ever made. The adaptability of this platform is truly legendary. Military brass always seems to resist the development and use of close air support planes. They even wanted to delete the a10 without a viable solution to replace it. The very fact that two former military people had to develop this platform tells me that the brass is disassociated with the needs of its personnel. I had to say the obvious. Why are they so aloof to the demands of the troops? Even now, this aircraft can continue to serve a role and they refuse to have anything to do with it.
Isn't the sky warden and the super tucano the replacement
@@karlanthonymargate7362 Yes, here in the Philippines. The Bronco's death sentence was the fun fact that no crew ever survived ditching one. They upgraded to ejector seats, but the added 1,600 pounds proved to be too much.
It's the Air Force's cultural mentality that ICBM's and nuclear bombers are what will win future wars. Always has been, since 1949. God forbid that any of their budget goes to support role aircraft, for other services! Pilots, command pilots, who become generals, bring their inflated egos along as baggage, and this is what you get.
Maybe because of the shift to near-peer adversary preparations.
The A-10 is awesome but its mission set can be adequately filled by other platforms such as UCAVs, Multi-role fighters, Attack helicopters and much cheaper to operate and maintain turboprop attack aircraft.
It's the pinnacle of awesome but impractical
Saw Bob Hoover fly one at transpo 72 in D.C. when I was about 13. Great pilot and great plane!
I worked on the Avionics equipment in these during the early 90's. Very interesting airframe.
I enjoyed seeing R.A. "Bob" Hoover climbing into the front seat! The AF tried to avoid buying prop airplanes and only gave the B-26s a brief mention in Korean War press reports, after crediting specific jet fighter-bombers. An OV-10 landed at Reno-Stead in the winter 2004 while I was training, and we later taxied behind it for takeoff. I told my IP that we wouldn't be waiting long for our T.O., and it was great to watch his steep chandelle on departure before throttling up Decathlon N4060J and heading for our training area. Skip Polak, the airport manager told me he enjoyed his ride in one, and riding it to the ground. Nobody is thrilled about having to eject through a canopy, even with a prima cord system that should break open the plexiglass first.
There was an OV-10 Squadron at Wheeler AFB on the island Oahu years back. It was nice to see these planes flying over my neighborhood.
I remember taking 10-12 of them to England on the USS Nassau in late 1982. They were able to take off from the deck of an LHA, about 850 feet. They were craned aboard so I don't know if they could have landed on it. We had to carry fewer helos on that cruise to make space.
One of the most unique war birds ever created. Slow but deadly in the hands of a skilled pilot in the armed version of this aircraft. The maneuverability is some of the best of any airplane and could do aerobatic maneuvers allowing the pilot to turn the plane on a dime, pull up rapidly, dive, and rapidly go in different directions to avoid being hit by either ground fire or other, more advanced aircraft. The aircraft is slow making it susceptible to both ground fire and air to air attacks from other, more advanced enemy aircraft. It had a very unique electric gatling gun that could come out of the aircraft on an extendable arm and be controlled by either the pilot or back seater and would swivel in any direction. These electrically powered mini guns could fire thousands of rounds of armor piercing bullets per minute and could engage ground targets like no other aircraft. They could also be armed with rockets, missiles, underwing mounted mini-guns, and cannons. The OV-10 could carry almost any ordinance in the US inventory and the concept of the A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog" most likely was heavily influenced by the success of the OV-10 in Vietnam. Most OV-10's operated by the Army were de-armed after Vietnam due to restrictions put on the Army airplanes due to concerns by the Air Force that the Army was doing their job with armed airplanes. This restriction did not include helicopters, which eventually became the mainstay of the U.S. Army Aircraft Program and continue to be a very valuable and highly effective resource in combat, including attack capabilities, rescue, transport, and equipment delivery. It's most effective role was in electronic surveillance, photography of the enemy areas, and electronic jamming and countermeasures. This multi-role aircraft was much less expensive to produce than fighter jets, and performed with distinction even up to the present day in certain missions in the middle eastern conflicts. A few OV-10's are still operating in combat in limited role missions. Old aircraft were pulled out of the mothballs, upgraded with more modern equipment and systems and had pilots and electronic warfare officers trained and then sent on missions throughout various locations in the middle east for special missions. Most pilots who flew these machines, absolutely loved them. The visibility is unlike any other airplane as the windows in the canopy "bow" outward almost like "bug eyes" so both the pilot and rear seat electronic warfare specialist can look over the sides of the aircraft and easily see down to the ground. The top is also a clear "bubble" top so the view and visibility in the airplane is better than most any aircraft ever made. The predecessor to this aircraft was the OV-1 "Mohawk" which also had a similarly designed bug eye canopy offering the same excellent visibility, although in that aircraft the pilot and tactical flight officer sat side by side so the cockpit was wider. The OV-10 used a similar design to the cobra attack helicopter with a front/rear tandem seat design instead of the side by side seating arrangement making the cockpit much narrower. Both aircraft have noticeable similarities and North American Aviation probably took what they learned from the OV-1 and put all that knowledge into the OV-10. Another unique feature was the incredibly short landing and take off areas needed to operate the OV-10 which could take off in conditions that almost any other plane could not due to the unique undercarriage that allowed the aircraft to "glide" over rough terrain without making the fuselage buckle, shake, and bounce badly upon attempting a landing or take off in a rough terrain area. Video's exist showing the Bronco going over many different terrains with ease. There is a video of Robert A. "Bob" Hoover flying an OV-10 in an incredible display of aerobatics in the early 1970's. Hoover was a test pilot for North American Aviation during the development of the OV-10, who was a WWII combat veteran and a legend in the flying world, especially in aerobatic flying. Hoover is considered one of the greatest pilot's who ever lived. Bob Hoover flying the OV-10 in a demonstration: ua-cam.com/video/x8lvyiNbHtU/v-deo.html&ab_channel=AVhistorybuff
3/3/2024
Something the narrator over looked about the OV-10 was that every part of this aircraft was interchangeable (could be used on either side of the thing) except the main landing gear, the prop reduction gears (the 10 had counter rotating props) and the obvious. So if you had a hanger queen you could swipe its left wing and put on the right side of another OV-10.
I was assigned to VS-41 (in San Diego) when VAL -4 was undergoing initial training. I just loved the 10's.
There is an OV-10 at the Naval Air museum in Pensacola, Fla, (air frame 155472) I actually worked on that bird, there just might be a hand print of mine hiding on it, somewhere. ;-)
Thanks for your support!
The last still image is of a US Navy OV-10A in Vietnam serving with VAL-4 "The Black Ponies" - don't forget this awesome group of Naval aviators and personnel serving in Vietnam supporting the "Brown Water Navy" and other forces.
Our pilots were so well regarded that once when they answered a call for support from a beleaguered firebase to our south the commander on the ground authorized them to make strikes next to the walls within the kill radius of the ordnance to prevent them from being overrun. It worked and no Army personnel were injured by friendly fire.
Respect
Great information.
Don't think I saw any of these in Nam but I wasn't in the boonies much. Looks like a great plane.
As a Recon Marine these were sweet for small airborne insertion
Beautiful!
Semper Fi old buddy 🙏
The short wing version is crazy looking!
Cal Fire uses the Bronco as their main spotter plane during the summer wildfire season here in California. It has a distinct sound as it climbs through the sky toward it's target area.
Yep, there is usually one at Hemet Airport. It has either been nicely maintained or re-furnished as it looks relatively new
Looks like a blast to fly. I like it.
California Division of Forestry used OV-10s as spotter and director aircraft for fire tanker bombers. Don't know if they still do, but was nice to see them fly.
Cost effective
Mesmo não sendo um jato o Bronco é fascinante ! Reconhecimento e ataques leves em aéreas desguarnecidas ! 🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷
They are our fire bomber spotters up here in the mountains of California, when you hear it, you better be on your toes.
We need an updated version of this for the upcoming island hopping campaign in the Pacific...
We already have a more advanced aircraft in the A-29. The Afghan Air Force made pretty good use of them. The Philippines are buying them also.
the legend of aircraft
Bravo Men
Beautiful...the Philippines still uses them
I saw quite a lot of this bird while I was in Viet Nam. It was really impressive.
Amazing aircraft 😊
One of these with an Apache style chaingun slaved to the pilot’s helmet would be a good CAS platform to augment the A10 for low intensity or COIN combat
According to "Grandpa Pettibone" in Naval Aviation News, two Marines ejected from a perfectly good OV-10. On a routine training flight, the aircraft began experiencing wing icing. The pilot decided to climb to see if conditions would improve at higher altitude. Meanwhile, the back seater was getting nervous and put his hands on the lower ejection handle. The pilot changed his mind and enter a decent. The negative G caused the back seater to accidently pull the handle and punch out. The pilot, figuring his crewman knew something he didn't and also ejected.
Never Heard that
Thanks for comment
I don’t think you mentioned the Black Ponies, VAL-4. They were a Navy unit that flew the OV-10 in Vietnam with considerable success supporting rivereen operations.
Loved that plane while in the marines
Served with VAL-4 based at Binh Thuy in '71-'72. Damned good airplane.
The 20TASS in Vietnam had two pilots get shot down twice in one month in the same place. In the mountains they found a valley and had one engine shot out. They couldn't climb out on one engine and had to eject. Once returned to flight status they returned to the same valley and had a repeat performance. They proved that the OV-10 couldn't climb very well on one engine and wearing your .38 low on the hip gunfighter style wasn't a good idea.
3:44 Famous Test pilot Bob Hoover is seen testing the Bronco. If he said the plane is good, it passes the test.
Great person
Nice video and aerial scenes were interesting, but the Bronco in practice did very little of what you described. In USAF duty it was a capable forward air controller but rarely if ever did CAS or deployed paratroopers or med-evac'ed wounded. Pretty sure the only time it carried AIM--9s was in certification. The 7.62mm was largely ineffective against ground targets, it would have made more sense to have replaced them with a single 0.50 cal. Not diss'ing the aircraft as it mostly filled the FAC role as designed . . . but the versatility you describe was seldom used.
Serving 1st Marine Air Wing Futenma Air Base 73-74. While on guard duty had the opportunity to look at these aircraft close up.
Great opportunity
I was in Futenma at around the same time and spent a lot of time working with VMO-2. Bronco was a great little plane.
Broncos played big role in the Philippines and the Malawi conflict.
Spent 8 years working on these in the USMC
❤️
Question: This looks like a platform that was succeeded by the A-10 on many of tasks required. Would you say that's correct?
Yes
It is almost the whole wikipedia article on the bronco, word for word.
Appreciate your comment sir,
I will do my best in future.
I loved working on and flying in the BRONCO. It's days have passed. With the new man held SAMs flying under 10,000 feet would be suicidal. The forward air control is now done on the ground, and drones have replaced it on many missions. The modern battle field has left the OV-10 and the A-10 behind. Even with total air superiority they are very limited in the ability to survive except in a few situations.
Not exactly. The A-29 saw significant use in Afghanistan. And the Super Tucano id still a pretty popular aircraft worldwide.
Would be interesting to see, how much more one could
coax out of that Design with modern materials, engines,
props & wing-shaping.
Look up the OV-10 G+
The Super Tucano has pretty much replaced it in that role.
@@WALTERBROADDUS and I hate it lol
@@jakeb7087 Why?🤔 it's a good airplane with a fine record in many countries. And served the Afghans well till they fell.
@@WALTERBROADDUS it’s a poor CAS/FAC aircraft though. Low wing, small payload (compared to the bronco) and relies too much on tech as opposed to visibility due to canopy again like the Bronco
The two engine pylons were interchangeable between right and left. It was purposely designed that each engine pylon was symmetrical for expedient in the field replacement. So was the rudder main landing gear interchangeable between right and left.
Beauty.
Very very LOUD plane!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm convinced this was a very early A10 Warthog. This had to be the design that gave someone the idea....
One can see the influence of the OV-10 in the Osprey.
OV10’s are still in service, particularly with CAL FIRE, as Air Attack’s on fires.
The fact that you don’t mention Venezuela as one of the countries using Broncos is unforgivable, as it shows lack of research.
During the 1992 coup-de-etat, A Venezuelan Bronco was engaged by an F16 and, despite the low speed and agility of the Bronco, it was shot down by the F16 using its internal cannon (a rarity in aerial combat by this point)
Appreciate your comment
Rumor has it that they want it back.
The USAF still think you could use an F-35 for close air support, utter madness.
Anyone who has been on the ground know that the OV-10 and the A-10 are still what is needed for CAS.
Beautiful looking plane. Only thing I find funny is the stubby wings.
Met a Luftwaffe - Pilot who flew this aircraft in Lübeck, Germany in the seventies and loved it so much
Am I right in guessing the OV-10 was the starting design point for the iconic A-10 worthog.
That is a bad ass little plane. Where can I buy one?
Amazon
No...Hobby Lobby
There are videos of Broncos doing bombing runs during the seige of Marawi in the southern Philippines in 2017.
VMO-2 MCAF/MCAS Camp Pendleton 84-87
The damn wings reminds of ww1. I was at lz bronco, i wonder if this was named for this gem
Automobile fuel? Are you talking about highway diesel??
Yse same as SU-25
"to deliver accurate firepower to it's targets" is a very gentle and technical way of saying " to kill people"
We should have updated the ov 10 bronco for current use instead of using that death trap osbrey
So cute…. A baby-A10
Take your pick American standard or metric.
Bring that bad boy back!
Too bad there wasn’t more info on the gun ship variant, there was a couple of seconds of video of it. A remote operated gun under the fuselage similar to the cobra gunship, with infra red optics.
Sorry for that
No apologies needed, awesome video, always appreciate your videos
Why re-invent the wheel? Resurrect the Bronco for close air support. Imagine what it can do fitted with latest electronics, fire power, crew protection and maybe new engines.
The Philippine Air Force still use the OV-10 Bronco for COIN operations.
I believe they're being replaced by the A-29 now.
"Злюка" ...🏆!
whats a metre ?
so a meter is like a yard...imagine measuring lengths in yards lol it's so bizarre
Can’t wait to see the modern iteration of this aircraft being developed by a Canadian company, Icarus Aerospace. With more powerful engines, advanced avionics, 11 hard points for 8.000lbs of ordnance, it would be a more capable aircraft than the Bronco.
The market segment is already filled by Embraer and their Super Tucano.
Can you imagine what this aircraft could do with the laser guided missiles of today. I mean look at the devastation that they did with unguided back then.
Is still a decent anti-insurgent figh, modern designs like the supertucano are better but only because they haye better engines and electronics.
At 2:41 is that a jet engine??
The OV-10B Bronco did actually have one variant equipped with a turbojet engine: the OV-10B(Z). It mounted a General Electric J-85-GE-4 engine above the wing on struts, effectively giving it a hybrid turboprop-jet configuration.
The OV-10B Z variant with turbojet was developed as a target towing aircraft for the Luftwaffe (1970-1990). They were converted back to basic OV-10 standard after a few years because of high fuel consumption and minimal performance improvement when towing targets although the 'clean' aircraft could fly 100 mph faster, had triple the rate of climb, and had half the takeoff roll.
I HAVE SIMMULATOR FLY THIS AIRCRAFT, I LOVE FLY THIS AIRCRAFT FUN TO FLY, REAL TO FLY..
I look at it and straightaway think 'Warthog'.
60s a10 warthog
John Bikle. My partner.
Bronco Driver
Bob Hover could make that plane dance.
OV10 a fine piece of machinery...made in the USA.
One of the best
Maganda talaga itong Bronco, why not magpagawa or gumawa Tayo Ng bagong Bronco. With a bullet proof capability, using new and silent engines rather than Tucano. Put some night vision capability and modify gun sights. Fully automated, made in RP. Mas ok to, malakas at practical. Eto Ang trainer defender Ng PAF at MRF. Nakamura na, subok pa.
Like the P-38 in WW2.
The precursor to the A-10 Warthog 😂
Actually the Philippines is the only country that still use this plane.
I think some South American air forces still use it
They bought recently A-29's to replace them.
I think Walter here is trying to sell the A29
@@bobrivett7645 Well, if Embraer will have me?🤔 Sorry, not a sale rep for the company. Bit late for a career change. 🛩
This is the one that shot down by F16 during dog fight in Venezuela?
The most famous instance of F-16s being used in combat within Venezuela actually occurred during the 1992 coup attempt. During this event, loyalist F-16s engaged in aerial combat with rebel OV-10 Broncos, resulting in the shooting down of one Bronco.
American answer to the stuka?
Bit same
Different Mission role actually.
Nope. It was more like A-1 Skyraider v2.0, which was inspired by Russian Il-2 / Il-10 Sturmovik.
@@marekstanek112 I would actually say the A4 Skyhawk is more of a direct replacement for the A-1 Skyraider.
@@WALTERBROADDUS A-4 was more like high-end replacement, while the OV-10 more budget-aware (sans the carrier and jet engines).
64 lost in Vietnam? That's a lot since US forces had fewer then 30 around at one time
The Air Force has never wanted or put much stock in the CAS mission. They really need to cede it to the army and marines. Their lives, their mission. Trying to make the F-16 and F-35 into CAS birds has been a total failure. In both gulf wars, F-16s would fly right over a target and not even notice it while an A-10 would see it and attack it instantly. The F-35 is also a failure in this regard. The Air Force is only interested in air to air combat and strategic bombing. CAS is dead last on their list of priorities. If they don’t want it, give it to someone who does want it and will do it right.
Unfortunately, the US Army can not operate armed fixed-wing aircraft. IIRC, it is set down in the National Security Act of 1947. That law has to be amended first.
@@Zajuts149which is crazy because they’re the only ones who can’t
@@Zajuts149wow! Really? So it's actually law? Why would they do that?
@Tubesmaney The US Air Force was originally the US Army Air Corps and only gained independence as a separate armed service in 1947 with the National Security Act. There were a lot of political fights about different services leading up to the Act. Some wanted to roll the USMC into the Army, even.
Don't tell the AF CAS is dead. They just spent millions updating the A10 and the Ac130. Also, the F16 is not a CAS platform, but it does ground attack, not the same mission. The AF Special Operations just got a new CAS, the Sky warden. The AF takes CAS very seriously!
VMO 2, VMO 6… I turned a lot of wrenches on those birds. Nice to find that documentary
BAT21!!!!! OV-10 still much much better than the osprey
Different Mission and performance envelope.
Sigh... these AI-voiced channels test my patience, they really do. It would be better for the non-native speakers who create them just to voice it themselves, AFTER getting someone to check their scripts! Annoying errors like pluralizing "inch" when speaking of the rockets is just grating, and that's the least of the "offenses" of these videos
Thank for your comment, appreciate your support.
Thank you I thought I was the only one annoyed by the incorrect pronunciation or incorrect information a computerized voice box spits out. We say 1986. Not one thousand ninehundred eighty six. A young man asked for a three five seven. My friend said we don't play video games here. Just like computers everything has proper terminology so you can get exactly what you're for.
@@Brightsideofmilitary But will you change it?
I'm making an effort to use my voice in a way that feels genuine. I appreciate your backing.
I was all game until he went over the weight of the aircraft, 6 thousand pounds dry is nuts because my suburban weighs 8 thousand . Strap some wings to it and a ballistics computer I think a Chevy would make a great counter insurgency ):