OV-10A/C Bronco
The Philippine Air Force recieved its first OV-10A aircraft in 1992 from the United States. The total number delivered was between 24 and 27, and by 2001 21 aircraft remained operational.
In 2001, the Philippine Air Force determined that the OV-10 represented a critical element of the service and that the maintenance of the fleet and the acquisition of additional aircraft (including OV-10Ds, which the PAF did not operate) were a priority.
In 2003 the Philippine government agreed to a deal with Thailand for OV-10 aircraft (the OV-10C export variant) would be donated to the Philippines. Initially the deal was for 15 aircraft, but this was later reduced to only 5 aircraft. These aircraft were delivered along with spare parts between 2003 and 2004. The Royal Thai Airforce had replaced the 4 7.62mm M60C machine guns fitted as standard on the aircraft with either 2 or 4 .50 caliber machine guns during their service in Thailand. Some of the aircraft delivered to the Philippines retained these fits, though reportedly most were converted back to the standard configuration.
The Philippine Air Force initiated a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). A contract for the overhaul was subsequently opened for competitive bidding. In the end Marsh Aviation was selected to perform an overhaul of the engines on the entire fleet. The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines signed the contract on 20 June 2004, which was subsequently approved by the Secretary of National Defense on 20 August 2004. The approved contract was transmitted to AFP Logistics Center on 21 September 2004. The Department of Budget Management issued a Notice of Cash Allocation on 22 December 2004.
While Marsh Aviation was contracted to overhaul the engines and replace the 3-bladed propellers with a 4-bladed unit made by Hartzell, additional modifications and improvements were also conducted locally by the Philippine Air Force. These primarily included improvements to the aircraft's electrical system, but the PAF was also considering IR exhaust deflectors, as well as looking to Marsh Aviation for additional avionics upgrades.
In 2008, the Philippines reached another deal with Thailand for the transfer of additional spare parts stocks for the OV-10. This involved an exchange of spare parts for the OV-10 from Thailand for spare parts for the F-5 Freedom Fighter from the Philippines. The Philippines had permenantly grounded its F-5 fleet in October 2005. At the time the Philippines had only 10 OV-10s remaining in service, with only 8 being operational.
20mm M39A3 cannons from these aircraft were also at the time in the process of being fabricated into locally designed gun pods for use on PAF OV-10 aircraft. It was hoped that enough cannons would be available to make the gun pod a standard part of the OV-10 armament package. Locally developed cluster bombs made from 81mm mortar bombs were also developed for use on the OV-10, in additon to 2.75" inch rockets and standard iron bombs.
NEWSLETTER
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