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American Combat Planes of the 20th Century is an incredible reference for anyone who is interested in any American Combat Plane History. There are 758 pages and 1700 b/w photos in this substantial labor of love by Ray Wagner, who has been passionately researching and writing about aircraft for over 50 years. Whether you are already familiar with his past works, or just discovering this accomplished author for the first time... This is the book that you've been waiting for!

If you'd like to see the book's Table of Contents ... Click here. You can also browse the entire Index Section to get an idea of the extensive amount of information that is covered within this book.

Search our site for other combat planes. A- 1 Eaton A- 4 Skyhawk A- 6 & A- 7 Air Weapons AV- 8 to A- 10 A- 20 Havoc A- 22 Martin Maryland A- 23 Martin Baltimore A- 24 Douglas A- 26 Douglas Invader Attack Planes B- 2A, F-111, F-117 Stealth B- 17 Flying Fortress B- 24 Liberator B- 25 North American B- 26 Marauder B- 29 Superfortress B- 32 Dominator B- 35 Flying Wing B- 36 B- 47 Stratojet B- 50 Boeing B- 52 Stratofortress B- 57 Canberra B- 58 Hustler Biplanes Biplanes, Army Pursuits Bombers, B- 70 to Stealth Bombers, First Big Curtiss Falcon CO- 1 DH- 4 De Havilland F3D- Douglas Skyknight F3H- McDonnell Demon F4D- 1 Skyray F4F Grumman Wildcats F- 4U Corsair F6F Grumman F7F Grumman F7U Vought F9F G. Cougar F9F G. Panther F- 16 Fighting Falcon F- 84 F- 86 Sabre F- 89 to F-94 F- 100 to F-108 First Fighters Flying Boats GAX Iraq to Afghanistan Martin Bombers Missile Era Fighters Navy Fighers Navy Flying Boats O- 2 Douglas P- 35 Seversky P- 36 to 42 Curtiss P- 38 Lightning P- 39 Airacobra P- 40 Line P- 47 Thunderbolt P- 51 Mustang Fighter P- 61 Black Widow P- 63 Kingcobra P- 79 to P-81 P- 82 Twin Mustang SB2C Helldiver TBF-TBM Avenger Thomas-Morse Torpedo Planes V- 11 Vultee XB -28 XP -48 / 77

Attack Planes

T-28, A-37, COIN Aircraft, & OV-10

Page 3

A production contract was made October 15, 1966, but the original configuration was too light, and additional stores and protection increased weight so much that the wing had to be enlarged and more powerful engines used. A YOV-10A rebuilt to the new standard was flown in March 1967, and the first OV-10A was flown August 6, 1967. A 150-gallon drop tank or 1,200-pound store could be carried on the center station, while four sponson hard points could each carry up to 600 pounds of bombs, rockets, or anti-personnel weapons. Marine aircraft armor weighed 325 pounds. NORTH AMERICAN YOV-10A

North American built 157 OV-10As for the USAF and 114 for the Marines by April 1969. The first examples were delivered to each service on the same day, February 10, 1968. Of five Marine OV-10A squadrons, VMO-2 first took the Bronco to Vietnam, flying the first mission from Da Nang on July 6, 1968. Air Force Tactical Air Support OV-10As arrived soon afterwards and were used for forward air control (FAC) missions, locating targets and directing attacks by jet fighter-bombers. There were 96 OV-10As on FAC duty by June 1969.

One Navy light-attack squadron, VAL-4, with 18 OV-10As from the Marines, was commissioned January 3, 1969, to protect river traffic in the Mekong Delta. Pave Nail was an Air Force night observation conversion program for 13 OV-10As that added a laser pod to illuminate targets for accompanying aircraft. Shoulder-launched SA-7 heat-seeking missiles became a serious threat.

Two YOV-10D night observation aircraft were Marine OV-10As modified by addition of an infrared sensor (FLIR) under the nose with a three-barrel 20-mm gun in a ventral turret slaved to the sensor, and under wing pylons for drop tanks. Both fought in Viet Nam from June to August 1971. CONVAIR MODEL 48 NORTH AMERICAN OV-10A in Gulf War

While ventral turrets were not included on 17 OV-10Ds modified from As for the Marines at the Columbus factory in 1979, new 1,040-hp T76-G-420/421 engines and a laser target designator were fitted. Frequently updated with new electronics, Broncos served in the Gulf War with VMO-1 and VMO-2. They guided air strikes and lost two aircraft to heat-seeking missiles. Air Force OV-10 units were retired in 1991, while the last Marine squadron, VMO-4, retired in June 1994.

Bronco exports began with 18 OV-10B unarmed target tugs built for Germany in 1970, and 32 armed OV-10Cs went to Thailand in 1971. After Venezuela got 16 OV-10Es in 1973, production halted until reinstated by deliveries begun in August 1976 of 16 OV-10Fs for Indonesia. Total OV-10 production was 360 aircraft by 1977. Surplus Broncos were provided to Morocco in 1981 and the Philippines in 1987.

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