More an addenda to yesterday’s post than anything else, this time I give you OV-10 Broncos fitted with gun turrets.
During the war in Vietnam, the U.S. Marine Corps’ OV-10 Night Observation Gunship (NOGS) program modified two OV-10As to include a turreted forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor and turreted 20 mm M197 gun slaved to the FLIR aimpoint. The two lower sponsons were removed, and the cargo space behind the second seat was used to house the turret mechanism and ammo.
The two YOV-10Ds arrived in Vietnam on May 7, 1971 for combat evaluation with the VAL-4 “Black Ponies” at NAS Binh Thuy. Before & after the NOGS operated with the Black Ponies in 1971, average 20 mm ammunition usage was 5,138 rounds a month; from June 5 to August 13, 1971 the average usage went up to 50,527 rounds as the Black Ponies & NOGS fired 151,580 rounds. The YOV-10Ds flew 207 missions with 275 confirmed enemy kills and 23 injured, 63 sampans were destroyed and at least 30 damaged, 39 structures were damaged and 14 were destroyed, 19 secondary fires were noted and 36 secondary explosions were heard, 7 bunkers were destroyed and 19 damaged and 4 supply caches were destroyed/damaged. On January 31, 1972 155395 left VAL-4 at NAS Binh Thuy and returned to China Lake on February 1, 1972.
With the end of the Vietnam War, the NOGS YOV-10Ds were converted back to OV-10A standards or were placed in storage. The USMC later pursued the OV-10D again, this time without the turret.