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Return of Turboprops to CAS role?

WTF? Did the engine run off and leave the plane behind? That looks bizarre . . .
 
YESS!!!


jizz_pants.jpg
 
The flt deck markings that are visible don't look like a amphib. CVN, I'm guessing.

You could probably take off with a light load from an LHD. Landing would definitely be a varsity/terrifying manuever.
 
Looks like a Marine NOGS bird (Night Obsevation and Gunship ). No M60s in the sponsons, FLIR unit under the nose, 20mm cannon under the fuselage, locked forward. They were quite a bit lighter than a regular OV-10A with hard points and a full bag of ordnance.

We had two of them come over and work with us for testing. The FLIR device could rotate 360 degrees, and was aimed by a guy in the back seat who had a control stick and a TV screen. Wherever he put the crosshairs, the 3-barreled 20mm would point. It was supposed to orbit the target and mark with HE rounds. The problems was, after marking a target with 20mm, there usually wasn't much target left.

A stripped and unloaded OV-10 could easily land and deck launch off a CVN. Couldn't do it with a full load, though.
 
According to the site that I found the photo on, BlkPny and phrogdriver are right:
A U.S. Marine Corps North American Rockwell OV-10D Bronco observation aircraft as it taxis clear of the landing zone onboard aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-60) during testing flight qualifications off the coast of North Carolina (USA) on 10 September 1985.
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180px-OV-10D_CV-60_1985.jpeg
 
hscs said:
Don't think that you would need to have a FAC-A qual. Purpose of the plane is to support SOF, who will have a JTAC. And depending on what you have loaded, you probably won't be busy down low.
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FAC(A)'s can do a whole lot more then just clearing people hot. Having someone that is directly involved between the JTAC and strike assets can be an awesome tool. I am sure that if the JTAC is under fire on the ground he would love to have the guy above him that can run the show until he can handle it again. A FAC(A) crew can rack and stack people, act as a DASC(A), comm relay, provide marks for incoming strikers, lay down suppression on potential threats, etc. If they can do all that at 200' and 400 knots in a hornet, I am sure they could do it in this thing.

My guess is that this will die -- it will need survivability equipment and high end FLIR system -- probably not in the offering.....
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It's already got an ejection seat, and if they can slap on an old LANTIRN pods to a S-3 right before it had its sundown, I don't think it would be too hard to integrate it on this type of platform.
 
We deck launched 2 squadrons worth of OV-10Ds from TR right before Desert Storm. We cranned them on and took them accross the Atlantic. Flew them off right before we transited the Suez on the way to the Gulf.
 
HAL Pilot said:
We deck launched 2 squadrons worth of OV-10Ds from TR right before Desert Storm. We cranned them on and took them accross the Atlantic. Flew them off right before we transited the Suez on the way to the Gulf.
Click to expand...

I was there - huge vertrep while it was going on. Remember it pretty well. Quite a sight!. Logbook says probably 9 or 10 JAN 1991.
 
Imminent Beauty

Ohhhh I would love to fly that hunk of metal... Wish we could mod her for carrier ops!

Anyone know if there are gender qualifications for being Spec Ops' air support?

Thanks for the Enforcer link too - what a neat plane!
 
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