Grumman YOV-10D

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 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.
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North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco on yhdysvaltalainen potkuriturbiinikäyttöinen sotilaslentokone. Kone kykenee tiedustelun ja maataistelutoiminnan ohella tulenjohtotehtäviin sekä panssarintorjuntaan ja taisteluun helikoptereita vastaan. Pienimuotoiset kuljetustehtävät olivat nekin mahdollisia toteuttaa, sillä konetyypin kuormakapasiteetti on noin 3 000 kg. OV-10 Broncon ensilento tapahtui 16. heinäkuuta 1965.

Yleisimmin saattoi tämä tyyppi käyttää aseistuksenaan maajoukkoja vastaan FFAR-raketteja sekä konekiväärejä, mutta edellisten ohella myös AIM-9 Sidewinder -ilmataisteluohjuksia ja konetykkejä.

Koneen kaksi Garrett AiResearch -potkuriturbiinia tuottivat kumpikin 715 hv tehon. Niiden turvin kone saavutti 452 km/h huippunopeuden, 8 778 m lakikorkeuden ja noin 930 km toimintamatkan.

Konetyyppi tuli tuotantoon vuonna 1966 ja vuonna 1986 päättynyt tuotanto käsitti arviolta 360 koneyksilöä. Alatyypit eli kehitysversiot olivat A—D. OV-10 Bronco osallistui Vietnamin sotaan. 


Palveluskäyttö alkoi tällä konetyypillä elokuussa 1967. OV-10 Bronco on sittemmin poistettu aktiivikäytöstä, Yhdysvalloissa vuonna 1995. Sen käyttäjiä ovat olleet USAF, USMC ja USN. Lisäksi joillakin USA:n liittolaismailla oli näitä tämän tyypin lentokoneita, Euroopassa Saksalla. Konetyypistä on tiettävästi olemassa G-versio -niminen päivitetty muunnos. Sitä käytettäneen edelleen lähinnä terrorismin vastaisessa sodassa.

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General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 12.67 m
Wingspan: 12.19 m
Height: 4.62 m
Wing area: 27.03 m²
Empty weight: 3,127 kg
Max. takeoff weight: 6,552 kg
Powerplant: 2 × Garrett T76-G-410/412 turboprop, 715 hp (533 kW) each
Maximum speed: 452 km/h
Range: 927 km
Service ceiling: 7,315 m
Armament: 4 × 7.62×51mm M60C machine guns
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 250 kg
Other: SUU-11/A or Mk 4 Mod 0 gun pods

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The aircraft has responsive handling and can fly for 5 1/2 hours with external fuel tanks. The cockpit has extremely good visibility for a tandem pilot and co-pilot, provided by a wrap-around "greenhouse" that is wider than the fuselage. With the second seat removed, it can carry 1,500 kg of cargo, five paratroopers or two litter patients and an attendant. Empty weight is 3,200 kg. 
Normal operating fueled weight with two crew is 4,500 kg. Maximum takeoff weight is 6,550 kg.

The bottom of the fuselage contains sponsons or "stub wings" that improve flight performance by decreasing aerodynamic drag underneath the fuselage. The sponsons were mounted horizontally on the prototype. Testing caused them to be redesigned for production aircraft. The downward angle assured that stores carried on the sponsons jettisoned cleanly. Normally four 7.62 mm M60C machine guns were carried on the sponsons with the M60Cs accessed through a large forward-opening hatch on the top of each sponson. The sponsons also had four racks to carry bombs, pods or fuel. The wings outboard of the engines contain two additional racks, one per side.

Racked armament in the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 70 mm rocket pods with white phosphorus marker rounds or high-explosive rockets, or 12,7 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 7,900 m, in Vietnam, the aircraft could reach only 5,500 m. 
Also, no OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.


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.