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      • Dave Lovelady
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    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
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The OV-10 Bronco (Jul 1968)

The O-1 and O-2 had performed sterling work as FAC aircraft but neither was designed specifically for the role and both had limited performance, especially in terms of speed, range and weapons-carrying capability. From the outset the North American OV-10 Bronco was designed as a counter-insurgency aircraft with the secondary role of forward air control. Originating as a Marine Corps requirement, the OV-10 was eventually used by the Marines, the Air Force and the Navy in the reconnaissance and FAC roles. The aircraft’s performance was significantly better than the types it replaced and, even more important from the crew’s point of view, its huge cockpit canopy and high seating position gave it excellent visibility and the inclusion of ejection seats greatly increased crew confidence and survivability. The OV-10’s major deficiency was the loud and distinctive noise produced by its turboprop engines and high-speed propellers, which tended to give its position away to the enemy. The Marines were the first to introduce the Bronco to Southeast Asia with the arrival of the first six aircraft at Marble Mountain on 6 July. VMO-2 flew the first combat mission with the OV-10A within four hours of the first aircraft arriving on the 6th. By the end of the year a total of 26 Broncos had arrived in South Vietnam and VMO-2 and VMO-6 racked up around 3,000 sorties during 1968. The USAF received its first OV-10 on 23 February 1968 and the first Air Force aircraft arrived in South Vietnam on 31 July. Within a few months the five USAF tactical air support squadrons started to receive OV-10s to supplement their O-1s and O-2s. The third operator of the Bronco in Southeast Asia was the US Navy, which equipped a single squadron in support of riverine operations in the Mekong Delta.

 

 

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© Chris Hobson and David Lovelady. All Rights Reserved.
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
      • Chris Hobson
      • Dave Lovelady
    • About the Book
    • About the Data
    • About this Site
  • Sidelines
    • Background to the Wars in Southeast Asia
    • 1961 to 1964: Civil War in Laos/Early Operations in South Vietnam
    • 1965: Escalation of the War/Start of Rolling Thunder
    • 1966: Rolling Thunder Gets into its Stride
    • 1967: Rolling Thunder - The Peak Year
    • 1968: Tet, Khe Sanh, and the End of Rolling Thunder
    • 1969: Interdiction on the Ho Chi Minh Trail
    • 1970: The Year of Withdrawal
    • 1971: A Much Reduced Presence
    • 1972: The Spring Invasion/Linebacker Campaigns
    • 1973: Winding Up the War
  • Statistics
    • Loss Statistics
    • Losses Due to Air Base Attacks
    • Losses Due to Accidents on the Ground or Aboard Ship
    • US Air Force Loss Statistics
    • US Navy Loss Statistics
    • US Marine Corps Loss Statistics
  • Details
    • Order of Battle
    • Index of Names
    • Abbreviations and Glossary of Operations, Code Names, and Projects
    • Bibliography
  • Searching the Database
    • Hints on How to Search
    • Notes and Caveats
    • Searching for Call Signs
    • Search Forms
  • Photo Gallery
  • Contact Us
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