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Posted: 6/13/2013 6:53:42 PM EDT
http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/combat-dragon-ii-demonstrates-ov-10g-bronco-capabilities/
Combat Dragon II Demonstrates OV-10G+ Bronco Capabilities Written by: Robert F. Dorr on June 13, 2013 
The Broncos are distinguished by their four-bladed props, electro-optical sensor pods, and other updates and modifications undertaken originally for the Colombian air force, and reportedly came from the State Department via NASA. Photo by Gary Schenauer/High Sierra Spotters In recent months, the U.S. special operations community has been quietly evaluating two North American OV-10G+ Bronco light combat aircraft at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., and at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The Combat Dragon II program is aimed at demonstrating that a small, turboprop-powered warplane can be effective in high end/special aviation missions of the kind encountered in Afghanistan. The program is a follow-on to an earlier demonstration program called Imminent Fury, which used a leased A-29B Super Tucano. The current effort is also called Phase Two of Imminent Fury. http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_1_5/1461458_The_OV_10_Bronco_is_back_in_Naval_Service__for_a_little_while_.html&light=OV-10 From earlier this year |
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Posted: 6/13/2013 8:01:51 PM EDT
[#1]
This makes me happy. Down there. In my danger zone.
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Posted: 6/13/2013 9:10:06 PM EDT
[#2]
US military need to buy a shitload of these asap. Need to make more A10s too
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Posted: 6/13/2013 9:12:24 PM EDT
[#3]
Wonder if the ATF will get theirs back from Customs
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Posted: 6/13/2013 9:50:05 PM EDT
[#4]
They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 12:16:52 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted: Also, hard points capable of mounting parachute-equipped attack dogs, with bees in their mouths.They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 12:41:40 AM EDT
[#6]
its so ugly its awesome
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Posted: 6/14/2013 1:46:24 AM EDT
[#7]
I read the article...mostly....
I got these two things out of it. I love the OV-10. I want one. and. FUCK JOHN McCAIN WITH A RUSTY AXE. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 2:46:08 AM EDT
[#8]
Quoted:
I read the article...mostly.... I got these two things out of it. I love the OV-10. I want one. and. FUCK JOHN McCAIN WITH A RUSTY AXE. With all the respect due to a former serviceman and POW, can't he just fucking retire or die already? I mean COME ON? |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 2:58:34 AM EDT
[#9]
Super Tucanos and Mohawks are where its at. 
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:04:37 AM EDT
[#10]
Thinking about throughly "weaponized" OV-10s makes me happy in my panties.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:12:29 AM EDT
[#11]
The need for this is so readily obvious, the fact that this program is being driven by SOCOM, and that these aircraft are not already a main part of the Convention Air Force fleet, is maddening.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:15:45 AM EDT
[#12]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Also, hard points capable of mounting parachute-equipped attack dogs, with bees in their mouths.
They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point. Lmfao 
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:33:32 AM EDT
[#13]
My dad flew OV-10's in Viet Nam. Great A/C.
A few years ago I was out at Camp Pen on a DFT with a skid squadron and one of the Tech Reps whispered that the OV-10 might make a come back due to the altitudes in AFG. Basically the Bronco is a fixed wing Cobra. This was sometime in 2009. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:44:24 AM EDT
[#14]
I've got a friend who flew the OV-10s in the 80s... when they retired them, the USAF sent him on a foreign military sales assignment for three years. What great flying! He had some amazing stories.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:51:31 AM EDT
[#15]
Quoted: US military need to buy a shitload of these asap. Need to make more A10s too Agreed. Don't fix it if it ain't broke, right? Long live the OV-10. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 3:51:32 AM EDT
[#16]
Bob Hoover
 |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:12:30 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted: My dad flew OV-10's in Viet Nam. Great A/C. A few years ago I was out at Camp Pen on a DFT with a skid squadron and one of the Tech Reps whispered that the OV-10 might make a come back due to the altitudes in AFG. Basically the Bronco is a fixed wing Cobra. This was sometime in 2009. My first thought when I saw this was CV-22 escort. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:21:32 AM EDT
[#18]
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:23:28 AM EDT
[#19]
Quoted:
This makes me happy. Down there. In my danger zone. +1 |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:28:48 AM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer that is a serious plane that I never knew existed. thanks for the info. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:32:42 AM EDT
[#21]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Also, hard points capable of mounting parachute-equipped attack dogs, with bees in their mouths.
They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:33:06 AM EDT
[#22]
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:34:14 AM EDT
[#23]
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer that is a serious plane that I never knew existed. thanks for the info. You're welcome. I don't know if it's true, but I was told that the Air Force didn't want to adopt this aircraft because it would show that an "older" design was viable and would put into question their high dollar procurement policy's. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:37:39 AM EDT
[#24]
Quoted:
Thinking about throughly "weaponized" OV-10s makes me happy in my panties. Go on...
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:43:04 AM EDT
[#25]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer that is a serious plane that I never knew existed. thanks for the info. You're welcome. I don't know if it's true, but I was told that the Air Force didn't want to adopt this aircraft because it would show that an "older" design was viable and would put into question their high dollar procurement policy's. It looks neat, but didn't they already have the Skyraider? What would this aircraft have brought to the table to do differently? |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:44:55 AM EDT
[#26]
Quoted: They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point. Christ, the thing has to take off in order to be effective, you know.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:51:26 AM EDT
[#27]
Awesome
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:57:27 AM EDT
[#28]
Quoted:
Super Tucanos and Mohawks are where its at. I've read the Mohawks weren't that great. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 4:57:44 AM EDT
[#29]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer that is a serious plane that I never knew existed. thanks for the info. You're welcome. I don't know if it's true, but I was told that the Air Force didn't want to adopt this aircraft because it would show that an "older" design was viable and would put into question their high dollar procurement policy's. It looks neat, but didn't they already have the Skyraider? What would this aircraft have brought to the table to do differently? Good question. I don't see an advantage. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:00:36 AM EDT
[#30]
Quoted: They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point. No sidewinder, we don't need AA for this, maybe for other countries though. Guided 70mm rockets and a 20 or maybe 30mm trainable gun with lots of ammo and fuel is all it needs. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:01:57 AM EDT
[#31]
A new OV-10? This makes me all giggly. I used to marvel at one left to rot on a sidelot on a local AFB when I was a kid.
I'd love to see these patrolling our southern border.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:02:30 AM EDT
[#32]
Quoted:
Quoted:
They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point. No sidewinder, we don't need AA for this, maybe for other countries though. Guided 70mm rockets and a 20 or maybe 30mm trainable gun with lots of ammo and fuel is all it needs. The USMC had OV10s with turrets from Cobras fitted, IIRC. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:03:46 AM EDT
[#33]
Not enough pork for McCain and the turdhouse lawyer types circling the Pentagon like vultures from their perch on Capitol Hill.
If I were in a position to make a difference, I would black-fund the whole thing and keep Congress and the AF entirely out of it. Afghan opium trade is worth $80 billion on a good year. Creative leaders could allocate a small percentage of those funds and run their own solicitation for a purpose-built CAS asset entirely out of the interference from the Pentagon fags. Cash is king, and a foreign company would be best to deal with who wouldn't ask a lot of questions, as long as the cash shows up. Have SOCOM hand them an Operational Requirement Document de-bugged by top aviation engineers and CAS pilots with decades of experience, issue the realistic time table for IOC, and start taking delivery of the system. There are a plethora of airframes, powerplants, and avionics suites already available. They just need to be integrated and the kinks worked out. Fly it with seasoned pilots on contract like Southern Air Transport, Air America, or The Ravens, and be done with it already. We had a program to do this exact thing in SEA, and it was extremely effective. Leave the system OCONUS under a front company, and have it on-call based on mission requirements. This would be far more successful than anything the Pentagon could ever dream up and attempt to deliver. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:14:59 AM EDT
[#34]
Quoted:
Quoted:
My dad flew OV-10's in Viet Nam. Great A/C. A few years ago I was out at Camp Pen on a DFT with a skid squadron and one of the Tech Reps whispered that the OV-10 might make a come back due to the altitudes in AFG. Basically the Bronco is a fixed wing Cobra. This was sometime in 2009. My first thought when I saw this was CV-22 escort. That was a prime OV-10 mission in the USMC. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:16:03 AM EDT
[#35]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Super Tucanos and Mohawks are where its at. I've read the Mohawks weren't that great. Underpowered, shitty handling qualities. An observation airplane with side by side seating is already at the fail point. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:17:33 AM EDT
[#36]
Quoted:
The need for this is so readily obvious, the fact that this program is being driven by SOCOM, and that these aircraft are not already a main part of the Convention Air Force fleet, is maddening. Thirty minutes of reading USAF doctrine, recent USAF doctrinal changes, or sitting listening to 6 hours of USAF Amway-style presentations makes the reasons why abundantly clear. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:19:42 AM EDT
[#37]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Super Tucanos and Mohawks are where its at. I've read the Mohawks weren't that great. Underpowered, shitty handling qualities. An observation airplane with side by side seating is already at the fail point. I do not find side by side seating a detriment. Your eyes are only on the front of your head. I fly the best manned observation platform out there. Side by side. No doors certainly helps. Apaches can't see shit, and they admit it. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:19:56 AM EDT
[#38]
12 years too late.
They'd have been great to have in Afghanistan and Iraq but there's no point in it now with the war winding down. A fast Cobra or Apache with more loiter time would've been handy but the vaunted antiaircraft ability of the Taliban was too much when old Bronco drivers suggested this in 2002... The OA-37 would have been another great choice but the Broncos already had FLIR and Hellfire ability. As for the AF not wanting it in the 60s,untrue but it's purpose was as a FAC rather than light attack. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:20:55 AM EDT
[#39]
Good post LRRPF52.
OV-10 Broncos would look good with "US Army" painted on them as well. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:21:51 AM EDT
[#40]
Bomb trucks FTW!
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:23:21 AM EDT
[#41]
Quoted:
Good post LRRPF52. OV-10 Broncos would look good with "US Army" painted on them as well. Paint "ANA" on them and fund it with opium black funds...problem solved. Awaiting new job descriptions to appear in my Blackwater weekly newsletter.... Better to use initiative and beg for forgiveness, than ask permission, especially with the likes of John McCain on the Committees. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:26:08 AM EDT
[#42]
Those with mini guns in the sponsons instead of M60's, a 25mm turreted 3 barreled gun package based on the xm301's tech that could use all of the bad ass 25mm ammo we have (can you say airburst), that was upgraded to use modern systems like the hellfire, griffin, 2.75in laser guided rockets, JDAMs and SDBs, and that had upgraded engines (power was apparently a limitation with the Bronco), modern sensors, and modern countermeasures and jamming gear, and you'd have an aircraft that's pure sex for everything other than day 1 of a peer to peer conflict. The best part is we could buy a whole fleet of them for the cost of 2 or 3 F35's.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:31:11 AM EDT
[#43]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Super Tucanos and Mohawks are where its at. I've read the Mohawks weren't that great. I've recounted this before but my childhood priest flew unarmed Mohawks all over Laos and North Vietnam,right up to the Chinese border on radar mapping and IR searches.He loved the reliability and ruggedness of the thing. As for the supposed fail of side by side seating,entirely untrue. The bulged windows gave incredible visibility,the pilot and observers' fields of vision met underneath the plane.They could see more with their eyes than virtually anything in the air. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:45:48 AM EDT
[#44]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer that is a serious plane that I never knew existed. thanks for the info. You're welcome. I don't know if it's true, but I was told that the Air Force didn't want to adopt this aircraft because it would show that an "older" design was viable and would put into question their high dollar procurement policy's. It looks neat, but didn't they already have the Skyraider? What would this aircraft have brought to the table to do differently? Good question. I don't see an advantage. The Skyraiders were reaching the end of their service life, and had an old school radial engine. ETA: the PA-48 also had ceramic armour around the engine and cockpit. |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 5:48:52 AM EDT
[#45]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Also, hard points capable of mounting parachute-equipped attack dogs, with bees in their mouths.
They need to remake about 1000 of these. Add the new systems AIM-9X, in helmet huds with FLIR, FFAR,helfire, 20mm, 30cal both controlable via the in helmet hud. Where the gunner looks is where the guns point. 
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Posted: 6/14/2013 6:13:34 AM EDT
[#46]
I see stuff like this, and wonder why we spend so much money on drones. Why don't we take proven platforms and drop the communications and autopilot into them when they need to fly unmanned.
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Posted: 6/14/2013 6:32:45 AM EDT
[#47]
Quoted:
I see stuff like this, and wonder why we spend so much money on drones. Why don't we take proven platforms and drop the communications and autopilot into them when they need to fly unmanned. Because idiots/politicians They are one in the same from what I can tell |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 9:35:57 AM EDT
[#48]
The OV-10s were really intended as a small attack aircraft, able to land at Battalion CPs, hence the small wing and the high landing gear (Navy/Marines wanted to operate from Carriers too) but the USAF (Fuck the Fighter mafia) in it's wisdom, did not want fast movers loosing out to a prop aircraft, so they had it worked up as an OV, without armament except for the guns in the pod. Marking rockets only. Look at how the A-10 was treated after 1990 to see how the USAF sees the ground support mission - it is the last kid picked for the team. They don't want the Army to have fixed wing tactical aircraft, either attack or transport, but they then shit all over the mission when it is needed. Look at the recent C-27 fiasco, and the Army having to contract out delivery to COPs with C-7 Caribou (re-engined with turbines). The USAF wants massive cash for Cyber, Space, Missiles, Fighters, and then a bit left over for everything else, aside from the fact that they could do the mission properly, they refuse.
The Bronco is capable of carrying a decent weapons load, but the USAF did not want it, so they deleted weapons and kept it for observation. A trainable turret with FLIR/laser would be the shit combined with a few hellfires, rocket pods would work nicely too, but we're in a precision world now. Great aircraft for helo escort - should be armed and operated by the Army and Marines. G |
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Posted: 6/14/2013 9:43:39 AM EDT
[#49]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I see stuff like this, and wonder why we spend so much money on drones. Why don't we take proven platforms and drop the communications and autopilot into them when they need to fly unmanned. Because idiots/politicians They are one in the same from what I can tell Not enough pork in the CAS mission-too simple, to affordable, too small for K-Street lobbyists and their Capitol Hill puppets to dig their tentacles into to pour down taxpayer rain in the billions...very low margins for the CAS mission, which is why we have B-2's, B-52's, and B-1's providing air support to ground troops in an unconventional war, let alone F-15E's and F-16C's with avionics suites intended for penetrating heavy Air Defense networks and delivering precision munitions on C3 nodes and other significant targets...not exactly appropriate for blasting man dress-wearing stink fingers on Pakistani motorcycles in the Pashtun tribal regions who engage in hit-and-run antics with ISAF units needlessly patrolling areas we intend to hand over to opium-smoking Tajiks, high out of their minds, and waaaay out of their ethnic homeland areas. 
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Posted: 6/14/2013 9:53:17 AM EDT
[#50]
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
Quoted:
This was tried before but the Air Force "shot it down". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_PA-48_Enforcer that is a serious plane that I never knew existed. thanks for the info. You're welcome. I don't know if it's true, but I was told that the Air Force didn't want to adopt this aircraft because it would show that an "older" design was viable and would put into question their high dollar procurement policy's. It looks neat, but didn't they already have the Skyraider? What would this aircraft have brought to the table to do differently? turboprop power and a basically proven airframe that already had aftermarket support, at a time that the Skyraiders were basically worn out. |
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