Boeing proposing updated OV-10 Bronco for new USAF requirement

[Rob Silliman]

Posted on AviationWeek's Ares blog;

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news/OV10092309.xml

"The company is offering an updated OV-10 Bronco to meet the Air Force's Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) specification, and believes the design could perform some of the companion Light Mobility Aircraft's (LiMA) requirements."


(this should warm Joe C's heart)

[jslugman]

I was kind of hoping to see the AC-27 version of the Spartan but an OV-10(x) would appease me somewhat. ;-)

[Joe Copalman]

I've been following this ever since rumors that Boeing was seriously looking into this surfaced last year.  I'd love to see a new variant of the Bronco back in production, but I'm not getting my hopes up.  My hunch is that Raytheon gets the contract for their AT-6 variant.  While it might not be as capable or well-suited for the COIN mission as the Bronco, you've got an up-and-running T-6 production line, existing foreign customers, and very minimal type conversion training for pilots just coming out of T-6 curricula.  Makes a lot of sense. 

What's awesome about the OV-10 is that you have the FLIR/Sensor turret in the nose, five hardpoints close to the centerline, four .50 cal MGs, and two hardpoints outboard of the engines (typically used for fuel tanks on the OV-10Ds and depicted on the OV-10X).  That's a lot of potential firepower, and most of it is clustered toward the centerline.