The North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco is a turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960’s for counter insurgency (COIN) combat. Its primary mission was as a Forward Air Control (FAC) aircraft. It was specifically designed for the Vietnam War and deployed successfully during the Cold war and Gulf War I (Operation Desert Shield).
Specifications: Wing span: 40ft (12,19m)
The OV-10B Bronco variant was produced for Germany as target tug. 18 aircraft were delivered in the early 1970's and were equipped with a steel cable winch inside the fuselage. A clear dome replaced the rear cargo door and a backward facing seat was installed for the winch operator. Following a career spanning 20-years the Bronco was finally replaced
by Pilatus PC-9s and IAI Westwinds in 1991. After retirement the German
Broncos were sent to various museums and technical schools of the Luftwaffe. |
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OV-10B "99+26"One of the pair of Broncos initially acquired in 1999 from the Luftwaffe Technical School in Fassberg, “99+26” arrived at Duxford in England on September 13, 2001 with tail number G-BZGL. After restoration work, which involved a full overhaul of all major systems, this Bronco was ferried to our home base in Wevelgem in November 2015. OV-10B "99+32"The second Bronco of the pair from the Luftwaffe Technical School in Fassberg had been flown to Duxford as G-BZGK for restoration in October 2001. A milestone was reached when OV-10B "99+32” made its maiden post restoration flight on July 11th, 2007 at Duxford. A first public appearance was made during the Charity Flying Day at RNAS Yeovilton in 2008 and since then Bronco "99+32" appeared at many airshows and events all over Europe. Unfortunately Bronco 99+32 was written-off in an aircraft accident at Kemble Airport on July 10th, 2012. OV-10B "99+18"A third Bronco for Bronco Demo Team was added in 2006, this airplane
had been on static display at the International Aviation Museum - Manfred
Pflumm since 1991. The main part of the restoration work was completed
at the museum’s location in Schwenningen-am-Neckar in the Black
Forest, before the aircraft successfully completed its maiden post restoration
flight on Saturday May 26, 2012. Two days later it was flown over to our
home base in Wevelgem.
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The German Wing of the OV-10 Bronco Association (GWOBA) was formed on June 18th, 2000 and chaired by Tony DeBruyn of Eureka Aviation (Belgium). Tony and his Wing own two former German Air Force OV-10B Bronco’s, who were used by the Technische Schule der Luftwaffe 3 (TSLw3) at Fassberg, Germany. With the enthusiasm of Tony DeBruyn, Danny Nuydens, Markus Rheinländer and the help of 3 employees from Lübeck, both Bronco’s were successfully prepaired and flown over to Duxford, UK for full restoration. More info can be found on the website www.germanwing.de |
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