DONE @p.3 +++ MV-10H Bronco (Project "Black Pony"), 919th SOSS; Duke Field, 2020

[AndrewF]

Disaster struck during flight shots: the Bronco "crashed" down from its holder and is now under emergency surgery. 

This is always the risk with close air support... I hope you can repair it, I'm looking forward to seeing the finished photos!

[Dizzyfugu]

Good news: damage was not as severe as it looked at fist. Biggest worry was a missing propeller blade, I turned the area uspide down twice, and it eventually turned up! Phew... 

[Tophe]

7 blades on the port side and 8 blades on starboard would have been a nice whif feature!

[Dizzyfugu]

LOL, I knew that you'd like this "flaw". 

BTW, photo session has been finished without any more casualities, now it's time for editing.

[Dizzyfugu]

Finally, the finished package - the background story became quite extensive.


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background:
The OV-10 Bronco was initially conceived in the early 1960s through an informal collaboration between W. H. Beckett and Colonel K. P. Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to live near each other. The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations. At the time, the U.S. Army was still experimenting with armed helicopters, and the U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support.
The concept aircraft was to operate from expedient forward air bases using roads as runways. Speed was to be from very slow to medium subsonic, with much longer loiter times than a pure jet. Efficient turboprop engines would give better performance than piston engines. Weapons were to be mounted on the centerline to get efficient aiming. The inventors favored strafing weapons such as self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets. The airframe was to be designed to avoid the back blast.

Beckett and Rice developed a basic platform meeting these requirements, then attempted to build a fiberglass prototype in a garage. The effort produced enthusiastic supporters and an informal pamphlet describing the concept. W. H. Beckett, who had retired from the Marine Corps, went to work at North American Aviation to sell the aircraft.
The aircraft's design supported effective operations from forward bases. The OV-10 had a central nacelle containing a crew of two in tandem and space for cargo, and twin booms containing twin turboprop engines. The visually distinctive feature of the aircraft is the combination of the twin booms, with the horizontal stabilizer that connected them at the fin tips. The OV-10 could perform short takeoffs and landings, including on aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious assault ships without using catapults or arresting wires. Further, the OV-10 was designed to take off and land on unimproved sites. Repairs could be made with ordinary tools. No ground equipment was required to start the engines. And, if necessary, the engines would operate on high-octane automobile fuel with only a slight loss of power.


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The aircraft had responsive handling and could fly for up to 5½ hours with external fuel tanks. The cockpit had extremely good visibility for both pilot and co-pilot, provided by a wrap-around "greenhouse" that was wider than the fuselage. North American Rockwell custom ejection seats were standard, with many successful ejections during service. With the second seat removed, the OV-10 could carry 3,200 pounds (1,500 kg) of cargo, five paratroopers, or two litter patients and an attendant. Empty weight was 6,969 pounds (3,161 kg). Normal operating fueled weight with two crew was 9,908 pounds (4,494 kg). Maximum takeoff weight was 14,446 pounds (6,553 kg).
The bottom of the fuselage bore sponsons or "stub wings" that improved flight performance by decreasing aerodynamic drag underneath the fuselage. Normally, four 7.62 mm (.308 in) M60C machine guns were carried on the sponsons, accessed through large forward-opening hatches. The sponsons also had four racks to carry bombs, pods, or fuel. The wings outboard of the engines contained two additional hardpoints, one per side. Racked armament in the Vietnam War was usually seven-shot 2.75 in (70 mm) rocket pods with white phosphorus marker rounds or high-explosive rockets, or 5" (127 mm) four-shot Zuni rocket pods. Bombs, ADSIDS air-delivered/para-dropped unattended seismic sensors, Mk-6 battlefield illumination flares, and other stores were also carried.
Operational experience showed some weaknesses in the OV-10's design. It was significantly underpowered, which contributed to crashes in Vietnam in sloping terrain because the pilots could not climb fast enough. While specifications stated that the aircraft could reach 26,000 feet (7,900 m), in Vietnam the aircraft could reach only 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Also, no OV-10 pilot survived ditching the aircraft.

The OV-10 served in the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, as well as in the service of a number of other countries. In U.S. military service, the Bronco was operated until the early Nineties, and obsoleted USAF OV-10s were passed on to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms for anti-drug operations. A number of OV-10As furthermore ended up in the hands of the California Department of Forestry (CDF) and were used for spotting fires and directing fire bombers onto hot spots.

This was not the end of the OV-10 in American military service, though: In 2012, the type gained new attention because of its unique qualities. A $20 million budget was allocated to activate an experimental USAF unit of two airworthy OV-10Gs, acquired from NASA and the State Department. These machines were retrofitted with military equipment and were, starting in May 2015, deployed overseas to support Operation "Inherent Resolve", flying more than 120 combat sorties over 82 days over Iraq and Syria. Their concrete missions remained unclear, and it is speculated they provided close air support for Special Forces missions, esp. in confined urban environments where the Broncos' loitering time and high agility at low speed and altitude made them highly effective and less vulnerable than helicopters.
Furthermore, these Broncos reputedly performed strikes with the experimental AGR-20A "Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS)", a Hydra 70-millimeter rocket with a laser-seeking head as guidance - developed for precision strikes against small urban targets with little collateral damage. The experiment ended satisfactorily, but the machines were retired again, and the small unit was dissolved.


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


However, the machines had shown their worth in asymmetric warfare, and the U.S. Air Force decided to invest in reactivating the OV-10 on a regular basis, despite the overhead cost of operating an additional aircraft type in relatively small numbers – but development and production of a similar new type would have caused much higher costs, with an uncertain time until an operational aircraft would be ready for service. Re-activating a proven design and updating an existing airframe appeared more efficient.
The result became the MV-10H, suitably christened "Super Bronco" but also known as "Black Pony", after the program's internal name. This aircraft was derived from the official OV-10X proposal by Boeing from 2009 for the USAF's Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance requirement. Initially, Boeing proposed to re-start OV-10 manufacture, but this was deemed uneconomical, due to the expected small production number of new serial aircraft, so the "Black Pony" program became a modernization project. In consequence, all airframes for the "new" MV-10Hs were recovered OV-10s of various types from the "boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.

While the revamped aircraft would maintain much of its 1960s-vintage rugged external design, modernizations included a completely new, armored central fuselage with a highly modified cockpit section, ejection seats and a computerized glass cockpit. The "Black Pony" OV-10 had full dual controls, so that either crewmen could steer the aircraft while the other operated sensors and/or weapons. This feature would also improve survivability in case of incapacitation of a crew member as the result from a hit.
The cockpit armor protected the crew and many vital systems from 23mm shells and shrapnel (e. g. from MANPADS). The crew still sat in tandem under a common, generously glazed canopy with flat, bulletproof panels for reduced sun reflections, with the pilot in the front seat and an observer/WSO behind. The Bronco's original cargo capacity and the rear door were retained, even though the extra armor and defensive measures like chaff/flare dispensers as well as an additional fuel cell in the central fuselage limited the capacity. However, it was still possible to carry and deploy personnel, e. g. small special ops teams of up to four when the aircraft flew in clean configuration.
Additional updates for the MV-10H included structural reinforcements for a higher AUW and higher g load maneuvers, similar to OV-10D+ standards. The landing gear was also reinforced, and the aircraft kept its ability to operate from short, improvised airstrips. A fixed refueling probe was added to improve range and loiter time.

Intelligence sensors and smart weapon capabilities included a FLIR sensor and a laser range finder/target designator, both mounted in a small turret on the aircraft's nose. The MV-10H was also outfitted with a data link and the ability to carry an integrated targeting pod such as the Northrop Grumman LITENING or the Lockheed Martin Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP). Also included was the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) to provide live sensor data and video recordings to personnel on the ground.


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


To improve overall performance and to better cope with the higher empty weight of the modified aircraft as well as with operations under hot-and-high conditions, the engines were beefed up. The new General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines improved the Bronco's performance considerably: top speed increased by 100 mph (160 km/h), the climb rate was tripled (a weak point of early OV-10s despite the type's good STOL capability) and both take-off as well as landing run were almost halved. The new engines called for longer nacelles, and their circular diameter markedly differed from the former Garrett T76-G-420/421 turboprop engines. To better exploit the additional power and reduce the aircraft's audio signature, reversible contraprops, each with eight fiberglass blades, were fitted. These allowed a reduced number of revolutions per minute, resulting in less noise from the blades and their tips, while the engine responsiveness was greatly improved. The CT7-9Ds' exhausts were fitted with muzzlers/air mixers to further reduce the aircraft's noise and heat signature.
Another novel and striking feature was the addition of so-called "tip sails" to the wings: each wingtip was elongated with a small, cigar-shaped fairing, each carrying three staggered, small "feather blade" winglets. Reputedly, this installation contributed ~10% to the higher climb rate and improved lift/drag ratio by ~6%, improving range and loiter time, too.
Drawing from the Iraq experience as well as from the USMC's NOGS test program with a converted OV-10D as a night/all-weather gunship/reconnaissance platform, the MV-10H received a heavier gun armament: the original four light machine guns that were only good for strafing unarmored targets were deleted and their space in the sponsons replaced by avionics. Instead, the aircraft was outfitted with a lightweight M197 three-barrel 20mm gatling gun in a chin turret. This could be fixed in a forward position at high speed or when carrying forward-firing ordnance under the stub wings, or it could be deployed to cover a wide field of fire under the aircraft when it was flying slower, being either slaved to the FLIR or to a helmet sighting auto targeting system.
The original seven hardpoints were retained (1x ventral, 2x under each sponson, and another pair under the outer wings), but the total ordnance load was slightly increased and an additional pair of launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinders or other light AAMs under the wing tips were added – not only as a defensive measure, but also with an anti-helicopter role in mind; four more Sidewinders could be carried on twin launchers under the outer wings against aerial targets. Other guided weapons cleared for the MV-10H were the light laser-guided AGR-20A and AGM-119 Hellfire missiles, the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System upgrade to the light Hydra 70 rockets, the new Laser Guided Zuni Rocket which had been cleared for service in 2010, TV-/IR-/laser-guided AGM-65 Maverick AGMs and AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missiles, plus a wide range of gun and missile pods, iron and cluster bombs, as well as ECM and flare/chaff pods, which were not only carried defensively, but also in order to disrupt enemy ground communication.


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In this configuration, a contract for the conversion of twelve mothballed American Broncos to the new MV-10H standard was signed with Boeing in 2016, and the first MV-10H was handed over to the USAF in early 2018, with further deliveries lasting into early 2020. All machines were allocated to the newly founded 919th Special Operations Support Squadron at Duke Field (Florida). This unit was part of the 919th Special Operations Wing, an Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the United States Air Force. It was assigned to the Tenth Air Force of Air Force Reserve Command and an associate unit of the 1st Special Operations Wing, Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). If mobilized the wing was gained by AFSOC (Air Force Special Operations Command) to support Special Tactics, the U.S. Air Force's special operations ground force. Similar in ability and employment to Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC), U.S. Army Special Forces and U.S. Navy SEALs, Air Force Special Tactics personnel were typically the first to enter combat and often found themselves deep behind enemy lines in demanding, austere conditions, usually with little or no support.

The MV-10Hs are expected to provide support for these ground units in the form of all-weather reconnaissance and observation, close air support and also forward air control duties for supporting ground units. Precision ground strikes and protection from enemy helicopters and low-flying aircraft were other, secondary missions for the modernized Broncos, which are expected to serve well into the 2040s. Exports or conversions of foreign OV-10s to the Black Pony standard are not planned, though.



General characteristics:
    Crew: 2
    Length: 42 ft 2½ in (12,88 m) incl. pitot
    Wingspan: 45 ft 10½ in(14 m) incl. tip sails
    Height: 15 ft 2 in (4.62 m)
    Wing area: 290.95 sq ft (27.03 m²)
    Airfoil: NACA 64A315
    Empty weight: 9,090 lb (4,127 kg)
    Gross weight: 13,068 lb (5,931 kg)
    Max. takeoff weight: 17,318 lb (7,862 kg)

Powerplant:
    2× General Electric CT7-9D turboprop engines, 1,305 kW (1,750 hp) each,
    driving 8-bladed Hamilton Standard 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter constant-speed,
    fully feathering, reversible contra-rotating propellers with metal hub and composite blades

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 390 mph (340 kn, 625 km/h)
    Combat range: 198 nmi (228 mi, 367 km)
    Ferry range: 1,200 nmi (1,400 mi, 2,200 km) with auxiliary fuel
    Maximum loiter time: 5.5 h with auxiliary fuel
    Service ceiling: 32.750 ft (10,000 m)
                    13,500 ft (4.210 m) on one engine
    Rate of climb: 17.400 ft/min (48 m/s) at sea level
    Take-off run: 480 ft (150 m)
                 740 ft (227 m) to 50 ft (15 m)
                 1,870 ft (570 m) to 50 ft (15 m) at MTOW
    Landing run: 490 ft (150 m)
                 785 ft (240 m) at MTOW
                 1,015 ft (310 m) from 50 ft (15 m)

Armament:
    1x M197 3-barreled 20 mm Gatling cannon in a chin turret with 750 rounds ammo capacity
    7x hardpoints for a total load of 5.000 lb (2,270 kg)
    2x wingtip launch rails for AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs




1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Boeing MV-10H "Super Bronco" a.k.a. "Black Pony"; "IP 002 (s/n 18-2002)", USAF 919th Special Operations Support Squadron, 919th Special Operations Wing; Duke Field (Eglin Air Force Auxiliary Field #3, Florida), 2020 (Whif/kitbashing) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A successful transplantation – but is this still a modified Bronco or already a kitbashing? The result looks quite plausible and menacing, even though the TOW Cobra front section appears relatively massive. But thanks to the bigger engines and extended wing tips the proportions still work. The large low-pressure tires look a bit goofy under the aircraft, but they are original. The grey livery works IMHO well, too – a more colorful or garish scheme would certainly have distracted from the modified technical basis.

[Tophe]

 
Wonderful!
Congratulations and thanks!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, Tophe! 

[Old Wombat]

Woo-Hoo!

She looks brilliant & the back story is excellent!

Fantastic job, Dizzy!

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, too! 

[DogfighterZen]

I have to say i find its brutish look quite appealing. Excellent model and backstory as always, Thomas! 

[AndrewF]

Excellent! It looks great.

[NARSES2]

I have to say i find its brutish look quite appealing. Excellent model and backstory as always, Thomas! 

I couldn't of put it better, so I won't try 

[Dizzyfugu]

Again, many thanks, everyone. 

[loupgarou]

Very good idea and realization as always, AND story too.
I tlooks like it could do a vertical take-off with so much propeller size, compared to the aircraft.
You sure that the engines aren't tilting?

[Doug K]

Wow, fantastic work. It looks really mean!