The story
The OV-10 was designed for the forward air controllers who found targets for the fast jets: a twin-boom turboprop with a glasshouse canopy, armed with machine guns and rockets, able to loiter for hours and operate from a road. It flew in Vietnam and Desert Storm and with air forces from Colombia to the Philippines. After the military, it found a second career over wildfires with Cal Fire.
Cal Fire still flies OV-10 Broncos as air attack aircraft, circling above wildfires and directing the air tankers on their drops.
Quick answers
How do you identify a OV-10 Bronco?
Twin booms, a high tailplane joining them, and a long greenhouse canopy over a short central pod. Looks like nothing else at low altitude: the booms and the shoulder wing are unmistakable.
What does a OV-10 Bronco sound like?
Two small turboprops with a hard, buzzing prop note that carries for miles.
How fast is the OV-10 Bronco?
Top speed is 244 kts.
How many people does the OV-10 Bronco carry?
Typical configuration: Tandem two-seat observation.
How far can the OV-10 Bronco fly?
Range is about 1,200 nmi.
How big is the OV-10 Bronco?
It is 41 ft 7 in long and 40 ft 0 in across the wings.
When did the OV-10 Bronco first fly?
Its first flight was in 1965.
How many OV-10 Broncos have been built?
360 built.
What do crews call the OV-10 Bronco?
The Bronco.
How rare is a OV-10 Bronco in Bogey?
RARE. A good day. Most spotters go weeks between sightings of something this rare. Your first OV-10 Bronco catch is worth 250 points.
