Boeing is hoping that a counterinsurgency aircraft designed during the Vietnam War can be reborn to meet the U.S. Air Force's growing irregular warfare requirements.
The company is offering an updated OV-10 Bronco to meet the Air Force's Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) specification, and believes the design could perform some of the companion Light Mobility Aircraft's (LiMA) requirements.
The proposed new-build OV-10(X) would stick close to the 1970s-vintage OV-10D aerodynamically and structurally to ensure its original military qualification remains valid, but would feature updated avionics, sensors and engines, says Dave Schweppe, business development director for Boeing's global strike systems division.
"We have one small challenge; we are not in production," Schweppe says. "But that is also a strength as we are not tied to a location. We can build it anywhere." Boeing can convert the existing paper drawings to digital solid models and restart production in time to meet the Air Force's plan to begin procurement in fiscal 2010, he says.
The company is offering an updated OV-10 Bronco to meet the Air Force's Light Attack Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) specification, and believes the design could perform some of the companion Light Mobility Aircraft's (LiMA) requirements.
The proposed new-build OV-10(X) would stick close to the 1970s-vintage OV-10D aerodynamically and structurally to ensure its original military qualification remains valid, but would feature updated avionics, sensors and engines, says Dave Schweppe, business development director for Boeing's global strike systems division.
"We have one small challenge; we are not in production," Schweppe says. "But that is also a strength as we are not tied to a location. We can build it anywhere." Boeing can convert the existing paper drawings to digital solid models and restart production in time to meet the Air Force's plan to begin procurement in fiscal 2010, he says.
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