Ov-10G Bronco Back In Action Over Iraq.

[2805662]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/americas-antique-planes-battling-isis/ar-AAgyucu?li=BBnb7Kz

 

Looks like Combat Spear II got some combat time up.

[Simon Tan]

The Ponies are back! Naval Aviators in borrowed OV-10s = VAL-4.

 

See the nose marking. Combat Dragon II. Fuck John McCain......

 

 

 

Edited March 9, 2016 by Simon Tan

[Dark_Falcon]

Don't say that, Simon. Even if McCain was wrong on the OV-10, he's been very right on the A-10 and instrumental in keeping the Warthog in service. And I bet his feelings towards the OV-10 softened when he found out it was the USN flying them.

[2805662]

The Ponies are back! Naval Aviators in borrowed OV-10s = VAL-4.

 

See the nose marking. Combat Dragon II. Fuck John McCain......

 

 

 

Not the first time these trials have used the black pony...

 

[Simon Tan]

I wonder where they are finding these Ponies. The original Pony cadre came from multi engine propeller which is now E2 and C2 drivers.

I remember being told here on TN what a fuktard I was by suggesting that a light attack force forward based a la Ponies would be the much better than fast movers from Kuwait etc.

[Josh]

Actually as much as Simon can be flippant and hard to understand even when he's making a remotely valid point, where do you dig up a Bronco in this day and age? I thought the type had been retired long enough ago even the bone yard wouldn't have any lying around, unless secret squirless just keep them in inventory.

Queue Simon saying something flippant and simultaneously uninformative in three, two, one...

[Simon Tan]

Clearly you did not understand my comment. Pilots sent to VAL-4 were drawn from the S-2 Tracker ASW community as they were propeller, multi-engine. The plankowner Ponies were all desperate men since the Navy had transitioned to all jets in the VA squadrons and there was no pathway for props to get tactical flight time. Some had come from A-1s but had been cascaded into S-2s with the transition.

 

The two OV-10G+ are drawn from the State Dept's private air force which in turn took them over from the DEA. Then you have the 14 OV-10As with CalFire. Given that VAL-4 never had more than 18 airframes in total, it would not be a particular stretch to stand up a VAL.

 

I am however curious as to what they seek to arm it with. APKWS guided Hydra-70s seems like a reasonable choice but the terminal effects of these can be underwhelming. Good for plinking technicals, not so good for defeating fortifications. I guess a blast-frag Helffire will do that.

[Leo Niehorster]

Could it carry a GAU-8/A?

[Simon Tan]

Yes. But dont expect it to take off.

 

The OV-10 is not pressurized and it is hot inside. I do not know if they will address these issues in the OV-10X.

 

Marsh Aviation are the go to people for the OV-10 now.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Simon Tan

[Panzermann]

Actually as much as Simon can be flippant and hard to understand even when he's making a remotely valid point, where do you dig up a Bronco in this day and age? I thought the type had been retired long enough ago even the bone yard wouldn't have any lying around, unless secret squirless just keep them in inventory.

NASA has had some in use in recent years, iirc. And there is always KDMA for parked aeroplanes.

[Panzermann]

Clearly you did not understand my comment. Pilots sent to VAL-4 were drawn from the S-2 Tracker ASW community as they were propeller, multi-engine. The plankowner Ponies were all desperate men since the Navy had transitioned to all jets in the VA squadrons and there was no pathway for props to get tactical flight time. Some had come from A-1s but had been cascaded into S-2s with the transition.

 

The two OV-10G+ are drawn from the State Dept's private air force which in turn took them over from the DEA. Then you have the 14 OV-10As with CalFire. Given that VAL-4 never had more than 18 airframes in total, it would not be a particular stretch to stand up a VAL.

 

I am however curious as to what they seek to arm it with. APKWS guided Hydra-70s seems like a reasonable choice but the terminal effects of these can be underwhelming. Good for plinking technicals, not so good for defeating fortifications. I guess a blast-frag Helffire will do that.

the G+ can carry hellfires. And as back in the day they can mark targets with 70 mm rockets so that the zoomies know where to drop bombs.

 

I guess they can also deploy LGB?

[Simon Tan]

I guess they must have done a digital cockpit to be able to have a FLIR feed and support guided munitions. OV-10D did not have this. It would mean DoD would own the G+ TDP which may well create interesting issues if Boeing realizes its own OV-10 program.

 

I have no idea who supports those ejection seats for example.

[Calvinb1nav]

Saw these sitting on the ramp of MacDill AFB a years ago when I was there for a conference. It was quite a surprise to see them and even more of a surprise seeing a couple of Marine O-5 pilots at the conference wearing Bronco patches.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Calvinb1nav

[seahawk]

Rumours say they performed very well.

[Burncycle360]

Saw one flying near the base last year, I grabbed my binoculars because I wasn't sure if I could believe it lol

[Dawes]

5 inch Zuni rockets would pack a considerable punch, and there is a laser guidance kit available (not sure if it's fielded, though).

 

So, which would be superior in the Light Attack/Armed Recon role - Bronco or Super Tucano?

[Panzermann]

Saw these sitting on the ramp of MacDill AFB a years ago when I was there for a conference. It was quite a surprise to see them and even more of a surprise seeing a couple of Marine O-5 pilots at the conference wearing Bronco patches.

The LTCs trying to snatch some combat flight hours for their careers?

[BansheeOne]

Could it carry a GAU-8/A?

 

There is the lighter four-barrel derivative GAU-13/A, used in the GPU-5/A gunpod. However, that's still three times the weight of the GPU-2/A with the 20 mm M197 that has been mounted on the Bronco, and moreover it exhibited very poor accuracy when used on some F-16s in 1991 due to pylon flexing. Supposedly that would make hanging them off Cobra gunships as I saw depicted as an armament option in an 80s aviation magazine a questionable proposition, too.

 

Apparently the Marines did in fact take over all the USAF's GPU-5/As, but with the idea to mount them in standard shipping containers and turn LCACs into air cushion gunboats.

 

In Fall 1995, the U.S. Marine Corps conducted a trial of the GPU-5 on the LCAC-66, as a potential weapon to provide suppressive fire for landing forces. The pod was mounted on a standard MAU-12 bomb rack, itself mounted in a standard cargo container. It was believed that four such containers could then be carried on the LCAC. The resulting combination was referenced as the Gun Platform Air Cushion (GPAC). By 1997, the Marines had reportedly acquired the USAF's entire stock of GAU-13/A cannons and GPU-5 pods as surplus. Besides the GPAC, the GAU-13/A was also touted as possible armament on ships and ground vehicles such as the LAV-25.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAU-13

[2805662]

The original OV-10X proposal involved new-build aircraft. Interesting that the US now produces four light-attack aircraft, albeit mainly to foreign customers using foreign designs under licence.

 

AT-6B

A-29B

AT-802

Archangel.

[JW Collins]

 

Could it carry a GAU-8/A?

 

There is the lighter four-barrel derivative GAU-13/A, used in the GPU-5/A gunpod. However, that's still three times the weight of the GPU-2/A with the 20 mm M197 that has been mounted on the Bronco, and moreover it exhibited very poor accuracy when used on some F-16s in 1991 due to pylon flexing. Supposedly that would make hanging them off Cobra gunships as I saw depicted as an armament option in an 80s aviation magazine a questionable proposition, too.

 

Apparently the Marines did in fact take over all the USAF's GPU-5/As, but with the idea to mount them in standard shipping containers and turn LCACs into air cushion gunboats.

 

In Fall 1995, the U.S. Marine Corps conducted a trial of the GPU-5 on the LCAC-66, as a potential weapon to provide suppressive fire for landing forces. The pod was mounted on a standard MAU-12 bomb rack, itself mounted in a standard cargo container. It was believed that four such containers could then be carried on the LCAC. The resulting combination was referenced as the Gun Platform Air Cushion (GPAC). By 1997, the Marines had reportedly acquired the USAF's entire stock of GAU-13/A cannons and GPU-5 pods as surplus. Besides the GPAC, the GAU-13/A was also touted as possible armament on ships and ground vehicles such as the LAV-25.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GAU-13

 

 

I've heard of this idea but I've never seen any photos or drawings of it or anything. How the hell would you aim it?

[Talyn]

Good to see the OV-10 is still being used and doing a good job.

 

But because of its vulnerability a 20mm gun on it really isn't as useful as in the past especially when chasing down ragheads in Toyata Hi-Luxs.

 

Better to use the APKWS-I/II and AGM-176 Blk2 A/B since both are cheaper than Hellires, and give the Bronco a much better stand-off range and a higher weapons load.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Talyn

[Chris Werb]

Simon, I'm not sure if that "fucktard" comment was aimed at me, but I actually thought your forward basing turboprop aircraft armed with APKWS or similar idea was very good and said so at the time. I wouldn't argue against re-starting OV-10 production if order numbers warranted it. It was the Su-25 FAC idea I thought was pretty pointless and backward.

 

The OV-10G+ in the picture doesn't appear to have sponson guns reinstated and does have an off the shelf sensor turret. I'd be surprised if guided 70mm rockets hadn't taken the place of direct attack with M60s and unguided rockets etc.

[Simon Tan]

Sponson MGs were ditched on the Ds. APKWS is probably the weapon of choice along with Hellfire. VAL 4 used Zunis in the main because they offered much more hitting power than the FFAR and they had the entire fleet stock after the Forrestal incident.

[Mr King]

If it is Marines operating them, and they utilize the Griffin missile on their KC-130J's, I wonder if they will find their way onto the OV-10's.

[Simon Tan]

It won't come under the USMC. The Black Pony on the nose and naval aviators tells you they are drawing their lineage from VAL-4 which was stood up as part of Operation Market Time led by Adm Elmo Zumwalt. I expect they will form it as a VAL but under USSOCOM and very likely becoming the STOL thugs for the 160th SOAR, much like the Ponies did for the Seawolves.

 

The big difference from other SOCOM air is that it will be forward deployed from austere strips like Rumeilan in Syria.