Why the Transfer of additional OV-10 Broncos and Spare Parts for PAF Should Proceed

MaxDefense will try to make some minor changes in the way we use the blog entries in reporting news on the AFP. We'll have more shorter blog posts, only a few paragraphs long but will have more entries per month than usual.

Our first entry for 2020 should have been good news, but MaxDefense has not really found too much good news this early of the year. Instead, we are carrying over a potential bad news that came from late last year which we were not able to report due to our need to get more information from sources.

The fist one for the year will come from the Philippine Air Force (PAF), which has been active in the last year on their modernization projects due to a strong push by their leadership.

But at the very end of the year, MaxDefense found out that there appears to be issues surrounding one of its projects that was started by the previous PAF leadership. We are talking about the PAF's OV-10 Bronco Aircraft and Spare Parts Transfer Project, which is a PAF Special Project undertaken within the period covered by the Horizon 2 phase of the Revised AFP Modernization Project.

All four OV-10s shown in the photo consisting of 2 OV-10A and 2 OV-10G+ are seen here in NASA's Langley Research Center in Viriginia. The FLIR turret on the OV-10G+ were already removed by the USAF prior to handing over the planes to NASA. All four are being transferred to the PAF, if this deal continues to push through. Photo taken from The Drive The Warzone website.

Being a special project, it is not funded by the AFP Modernization Trust Fund, and is actually funded by the annual funding allocation of the PAF.

Before proceeding with the rest of the article, MaxDefense hopes its readers to read our first entry regarding the project, which explains the deal and gives a background on how the deal even started. It can be found on the link below:

"OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos & Spare Parts for Transfer to the Philippine Air Force" - first posed on 24 July 2018.

The OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos as used by the US Air Force. Credits to original source of photo.

The article above describes the capabilities of the aircraft being transferred, as well as its potential contributions to the PAF once it enters service.

Based on information gathered by MaxDefense this past weeks leading to the New Year, it appears that the Philippine Air Force is still having issues in closing the deal for the delivery of used OV-10 aircraft and spare parts from the US, which includes two (2) used Rockwell OV-10A Bronco and two (2) OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II close air support aircraft that are being kept by the US government, as well as millions of dollars worth of OV-10 Bronco spare parts that were acquired at very discounted prices by the PAF.

The four working aircraft were added by the US to the package, which the PAF found to be very useful due to the declining condition of its existing fleet of OV-10A/C Broncos with the 15th Strike Wing.

It would be remembered that MaxDefense's previous discussion about the proposed transfer was that the four OV-10A/G+ Bronco aircraft were previously used by the US military but transferred to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and were originally for disposal. And since the PAF will acquire the stored spare parts, the US government decided to include the 4 aircraft as part of the package after the Philippine side negotiated for them.

While the PAF's overall budget for the transfer was only a little over US$2 million, the spare part's worth is said to be worth several millions of dollars worth, with the aircraft added as freebies.

OV-10G+ capabilities with the US Air Force. While some of its US-only equipment has been removed, the original plan was for the PAF to install some of them back at PAF's own cost using PAF-standard equipment like MX-15 EO/IR turret and L3Harris communications equipment. Photo credits to original source.

Possible Cancellation of the OV-10 Aircraft and Parts Transfer to the Philippine Air Force:

Based on information gathered by MaxDefense, the deal to transfer the OV-10 aircraft and spare parts to the PAF appears to be not yet 100% confirmed due to multiple reasons. And MaxDefense believes it is bad news if the deal does not push through.

The cancellation of the deal to transfer additional OV-10 Bronco aircraft and spare parts will have negative implications on the Philippine Air Force, which includes the following:

1. Failure of additional aircraft to arrive means no increase in PAF's air combat capability - this means that instead of boosting the air combat capability of the PAF by adding four additional aircraft, the PAF would not have additional improvements and instead will expect reduced capabilities.

2. Lack of spares to support active OV-10 Bronco aircraft - if the large pool of spare parts that the PAF is expected to not arrive, the PAF could potentially have difficulty sourcing spare parts for the fleet. The original plan of the PAF was for the spare parts to allow continuous operation of the OV-10 Bronco fleet until 2024. This would become impossible if the deal falls through.

3. Lack of spares to revive mothballed OV-10 Bronco aircraft - the lack of available spare parts would also not allow the PAF to revive mothballed aircraft to increase quantity of air assets. Many of the mothballed OV-10s are in need of spare parts that the US-sourced pool was suppose to provide, with the PAF estimating at least 4 mothballed aircraft possible for rehabilitation. This would also be threatened if the deal does not happen.

Many of the PAF's OV-10A/C Broncos are non-operational due to lack of spares, or reaching maximum service lifespan of its airframes. Apparently its down to its lowest ever in the PAF's history as you can count those operational with the fingers of your hand. Photo credits to original source.

4. Early retirement of OV-10 Bronco than originally planned - with no additional spare parts for both active and mothballed aircraft, the PAF might be forced to retire the OV-10 Bronco fleet earlier than planned. MaxDefense estimates that the Broncos may be out of service by 2021 instead of 2024 or later as originally planned.

5. PAF not having enough Close Air Support assets - with the potential early retirement of the OV-10 Bronco if no parts or additional aircraft arriving, the PAF would not have enough air assets to provide close air support, considering the PAF is only expecting 6 new Embraer A-29B Super Tucano aircraft that were originally meant to add numbers to the already depleted fleet of OV-10s equipping 15th Strike Wing. Should the Broncos retire earlier than planned, the six (6) new A-29B Super Tucano fleet would be left on their own. And since the PAF has not ordered additional Super Tucanos, there won't be enough aircraft for the PAF to use for close air support or air strikes.

6. 15th Strike Wing might need to hang on to the armed SF-260TP Warrior fleet - originally, the PAF was to remove the SF-260TP Warrior armed trainer fleet from combat duty and will be shifted to  training duties for the 15th Strike Wing once the six new Super Tucanos arrive, which means the Broncos and Super Tucanos will become the fixed wing combat assets of the wing. But should the Broncos retire early, the wing might be forced to use the SF-260TP Warriors for combat operations longer than planned.

The 15th Strike Wing's other fixed-wing attack aircraft, the SF-260TP Warrior is not really capable enough in providing air support compared to the OV-10 or A-29B. Photo credits to original source Samuel R Forston.

Signs of the Deal Not Pushing Smoothly as Planned:
The US government through the US Air Force previously held a public tender for a contractor to do the crating and shipping of the four OV-10A/G+ Bronco aircraft to an overseas location, and reassemble the planes once delivered to the said overseas country. But this has not moved and has been inactive until now with the FBO services of the US government.

Another sign is that the deal has not moved positively since 2018, despite the original plan for the aircraft and parts to be moved out of NASA's storage yard by end of 2018 to give way to more space. By end of 2019, there is still no positive news on the deal. Any positive movement should have been picked up by large international defense news outlets by now.

This previous solicitation made by the US government has not moved forward, which is not a good sign for the PAF. Photo taken from FBO website of the US government.

MaxDefense has also been monitoring if the PAF was able to receive any shipment of spare parts of created aircraft from the US, but MaxDefense received confirmation from PAF sources that no deliveries were made between 2018 and 2019. The PAF remains to still be relying on whatever parts they have, including mothballing other Broncos. There are now less flying Broncos with the PAF compared during the Marawi City crisis in 2017.

While there were news of PAF officers flying to the US that is related to the OV-10 aircraft and spare parts deal, there were only meetings that did not really made a huge dent on making the deal happen.

There were also plans for the PAF to install new MX-15 FLIR turrets and communication equipment from Harris Corporation (now L3Harris) to replace those removed by the US Air Force. So far there are no confirmed contracts or signs that the deal was closed for the acquisition of such equipment.

MaxDefense Philippines did not report these events as we continued to hope that the deal would push through, considering we are still picking up news that the deal is still a go despite these negative signs.


Another Potential Reason Which May Lead to a Potential Cancellation:
Although MaxDefense did not receive a solid confirmation if the deal crumbled or not, it appears that there were changes in the PAF leadership's policy with regards to the fate of the OV-10 Bronco fleet.

It would be remembered that the plan to acquire the spare parts and aircraft from the US was based on a plan that the PAF would continue operating the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco until at least 2024, while the PAF is still in the process of acquiring additional Embraer A-29B Super Tucanos on top of the six units ordered during the Horizon 1 phase.

It is highly possible that the current PAF leadership is considering or may have even already considered making changes on that plan, including the consideration of shortening the OV-10 Bronco's service to until 2021 only. This may include cancelling any plans to acquire more aircraft or reviving mothballed aircraft, and just focusing on keeping the current active fleet flyable until then.

Another possible issue is funding since the PAF did not use AFP Modernization funding for this deal, instead using their own annual operating funds in the hope of reducing red tape and hastening the deal rather than going through lengthy process as prescribed by RA 10349 (Revised AFP Modernization Program Act).

But MaxDefense sources and contributors highly doubt the issue of funding since, apparently, the PAF is actually well funded in terms of modernization projects for 2018 compared to the Philippine Navy and Philippine Army. Not to mention, the more than US$2 million cost is nothing compared to the budget of the PAF on acquiring spare parts for its air assets every year.


MaxDefense's Opinion:
First of, MaxDefense believes it would have been better for the PAF to proceed with the OV-10 Aircraft and Spare Parts Transfer project. Our reasons are as follows:

1. The six new A-29B Super Tucanos coming in this 2020 are not expected to be fully operational until 2022. The PAF usually follows a post-delivery program wherein the unit handling the new assets are given at least 2 years to be proficient enough with the new aircraft before the unit can be called fully operational with the new asset. This means that the PAF would be forced to break this due to lack of air assets once the Broncos are retired.

This happened to the 15th Strike Wing before, when the 18th Attack "Falcons" Squadron was pushed to use the AgustaWestland AW-109E Power armed helicopters earlier than planned, especially when the Marawi City crisis happened in 2017, when the unit was still in the process of operationalizing the newly acquired assets.

2. The PAF has not made any follow-on orders for additional Super Tucanos to cover the retirement of the remaining OV-10A/C Broncos in service with the 16th Attack "Eagles" Squadron. It would be remembered that it will take around 2-3 years from ordering to delivery of the aircraft, plus another 2 years for operationalization, although the squadron that will operate the Super Tucanos are expected to be already proficient with the type when the 2nd batch are delivered. 

If the PAF puts an order for another batch of Super Tucanos this year (which is probably not going to happen), it means the PAF is only expected to receive them by 2023 and probably have them operational by 2024, which means the PAF will have insufficient air assets between 2021 to 2024 except for the 6 Super Tucanos delivered in 2020.

Aside from the 6 A-29B Super Tucanos ordered in 2017, the PAF has not made any follow-on orders for more units. This despite the obvious situation wherein the PAF may not have enough CAS assets once the OV-10s and SF-260TPs are retired from combat duties. Photo credits to original source.

3. While the Broncos are old, they have proven their worth in its almost 30 years of service with the PAF since the early 1990s. They are expected to be a better attack platform than the other platform in service with the unit, the Aermacchi SF-260TP Warrior armed trainers which are smaller and not really designed for close air support.

4. The PAF is still having problems on the acquisition of Attack Helicopters as the final decision has not been made last 2019 if it will continue to proceed with the Turkish-made TAI T129 ATAK which the PAF's Technical Working Group (TWG) selected in 2018, or if it will change its decision due to issues involving Turkey and its relations with the US and its other NATO allies that may affect the supply of helicopter engines and subsystems. Even if the PAF makes a confirmed order by 2020, it is expected that the first new attack helicopters will arrive only by 2023.

PAF officer in Turkey with the T129 ATAK during flight tests last December 2019. So far the PAF has not made a final decision if it will push through with the T129 ATAK that it selected last 2018, or will change to another model due to concerns of Turkish relations with the US that may affect sourcing of subsystems and engines for the helicopters. Photo shared to MaxDefense by a contributor.

The only quick fix solution MaxDefense sees is if the PAF decides to order the Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter, and use the option to request the US government for grants or sale of used ex-US Marine Corps AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopters that could be delivered as early as late 2020.


MaxDefense is still hopeful that the PAF would proceed with the deal within the year, and that the PAF may see the benefit of this deal in the short term while still continuing its modernization program by procuring new assets. MaxDefense believes that the PAF has people capable of seeing the problems it might encounter if fails to make this Bronco deal happen.

MaxDefense still hopes that this could really happen in the future. Credits to original source of fanphoto.

Project Summary:

OV-10 Bronco Aircraft and Spare Parts Transfer Project

Note: Edited as of 02 January 2020.

* End User: Philippine Air Force (15th Strike Wing)

* Quantity: 4 used OV-10 aircraft, millions of dollars worth of OV-10 spare parts

* Modernization Phase: Special Project within Horizon 2 phase timeline

* Project ABC: ~US$2 million ++
     
* Acquisition Mode: US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program

* Source of Funding: PAF 2018-2019 GAA

* SARO Release: N/A

* Winning Proponent: TBA

* Product for Delivery:
      - 2 units used OV-10G+ Combat Dragon Bronco aircraft
      - 2 units used OV-10A Bronco aircraft
      - 1 lot OV-10 spare parts worth millions of USD.

* Contract Price: TBA

* First post by MaxDefense: 24 February 2018

* MaxDefense Searching Hashtag: #PAFOV10TransferProject

* Status: Procurement process said to be ongoing but has met some problems, potentially for cancellation.

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First post and edit: 02 January 2020
Copyright MaxDefense Philippines

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OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos & Spare Parts for Transfer to the Philippine Air Force

As early as 04 February 2018, MaxDefense made a photo post that left many of our readers puzzled. It was of a black horse-like illustration with several stars underneath it. Many were able to guess what it was although majority were not able to identify it, even until now. For those who are long time MaxDefense readers or followers, it is known that we usually leave clues, meanings, or ideas in almost if not all the posts that we made. And many back then speculated that the PAF was to acquire something very soon there is no reason for MaxDefense to post the illustration considering they are not something from the Philippine military.

To answer the question what the illustration was, it was simply a "bronco",  a type of feral horse that habitually bucks, according to dictionary. The bronco is also the name of Rockwell International's OV-10 aircraft, which is in service with the Philippine Air Force (PAF). Aside from the PAF, there are a few flying units that remain in the United States. And the illustration of the bronco came from the OV-10G+ Bronco, which were made as part of the Combat Dragon II program of the US Special Operations Command (US SOCOM).

One of the OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Bronco operated by the US Special Operations Command. Two of the aircraft plus two unmodified OV-10As will be transferred to the Philippine Air Force.
Photo taken from Defense Media Network's website.

Come July 2018, and the website "The Drive" posted an article by Joseph Trevithick discussing the possible transfer of  these OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos to an unspecified US partner, which the author believes is the Philippines, being the only remaining user of the type.

It turns out, the author's guess is right if MaxDefense is to say it. Here's why:

To those following our page regularly, you may have remembered when we changed our Facebook page's profile picture to this one last February 2018. Now its out.
Credits to Defense Media Network for the cropped photo.

By the way, yes, it came from this picture.
Photo taken from Defense Media Network's website.

OV-10s in the Philippine Air Force:
The Philippine Air Force is said to be the last and only operator of the Rockwell International OV-10 Bronco, which it has been operating since the early 1990s when it replaced the T-28B/D Trojans used by the 15th Strike Wing. Depending on sources, the PAF currently has around 8 to 10 operational OV-10s, composed of OV-10As acquired from the US in the 1990s, an OV-10M upgraded from OV-10A, and OV-10Cs provided by the Thai government under a PAF-RTAF swap agreement for F-5A/B spare parts and previously operated by the Royal Thai Air Force.

Some, if not all of the remaining OV-10s in PAF service are upgraded with the capability to deliver Paveway II laser guided bombs via the Wireless Paveway Avionics Kit (WiPAK).

More information on PAF OV-10s can be found on our old blog entry, which can be found on the link below:

"The PAF OV-10 Bronco: A Short Story (1st of 2 parts)" - first posted in June 2013.




OV-10G+ for the Philippine Air Force:

MaxDefense was informed about the negotiations to acquire the OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos as early as February 2018. The acquisition was really focused not on the aircraft itself, but for the transfer of OV-10 Bronco spare parts in possession of the US government.

The Philippine Air Force was originally after the OV-10 spare parts pool, which is said to be worth several millions of dollars. With nothing to use them for, the US government offered them to the PAF for far less, by just paying the transfer and shipping costs, which MaxDefense believes to be at just over US$2 million for everything. And as part of the deal, the US government is gracefully including 4 air-worthy airframes with it, plus some new equipment to replace some of those they removed. The spare parts are said to be enough for the Philippine Air Force to allow them to operate whatever flying OV-10s they have in their fleet up to year 2024, and might even be enough to revive at least 2 more cannibalised units that can also continue operating for several years more.

The Philippine Air Force currently has a rapidly ageing and depleting fleet of OV-10A/C/M Broncos, which are expected to continue service until the Super Tucano which will replace them becomes fully operational and in sufficient numbers. The spare parts included in the deal with the US government will allow the PAF to extend the life of these OV-10s until 2024, and might be even able to resurrect a couple of cannibalised aircraft in its yard. Here it is seen dropping Mk.82 dumb bombs on hard targets during the Battle of Marawi last year.
Credits to owner of photo.

Due to the urgency of the deal, the Philippine Air Force was said to have been forced to use its own annual operating funds to pay for the package, instead requesting for funding from the national government, which would take several months. Case in point: the Jordanian AH-1Fs which are unpaid until now despite the transfer funds requested almost a year ago, and the Pohang-class corvette transfer which took almost 2 years to fund.

As for the airworthy airframes, it was mentioned to MaxDefense that it would be two of the OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos, and 2 unmodified OV-10A Broncos. All four aircraft are currently with the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), are will be disposed off if by scrapping if nobody is interested in taking it from them. Naturally being the only user of the type in the world, the Philippines was informed of such plan, and the PAF immediately started negotiations for the transfer.

A few months ago, some Philippine Air Force officers went to the US to inspect the aircraft and the spare parts. They found that all are in acceptable condition, in correct content and are indeed what the PAF needed. MaxDefense got confirmation that inspection was not only made once but at least twice.



OV-10A and G+ Details:

According to our sources, the OV-10A Broncos included will be standard models, no modifications made, and have acceptable airframe life left in them compared to the OV-10s still in service with the Philippine Air Force. The PAF's 15th Strike Wing won't have any problem accepting them into service, as they are very similar to the standard OV-10A they have been using since for almost 30 years.

But the OV-10G+ would be something else. These aircraft were heavily upgraded and modified by the US military for use with the US Special Operations Command. They were equipped with a L3 Wescam MX-15D Electro-Optical Infra-Red (EO/IR) turret and cameras with full motion Vortex and ROVER capability and connected to a helmet-mounted targeting system, chaff/flare dispensers for defensive purposes, a partially glass cockpit, a Line of Sight / Satellite Communications (SATCOM) system, a Link 16 tactical data link, and Harris Falcon III tactical radios.

The OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Bronco are equipped with an L3 Wescam MX-15D electro-optical infra-red (EO/IR) turret. Although removed by the US military prior to transfer to NASA, the PAF intends to acquire them immediately and install the turrets once the aircraft are assembled in the Philippines.
Photo taken from L3 Wescam's website. 

The OV-10G+ are also capable of carrying and firing the Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS) which is essentially a guided rocket that is linked with the aircraft's EO/IR turret. This is in addition to the smart bombs (Paveway) that it could deliver.

Aside from that, the OV-10G+ also uses a four-bladed propeller from Hartzell, similar to those used by OV-10Ms of the PAF.

With the US SOCOM, the OV-10G+ was used as a test bed for capabilities while also used as  a terrorist hunter. It was flown as a test platform for the US Air Force's Light Air Support Aircraft program.

The OV-10G+'s purpose is seen in this illustration from the US SOCOM. It was an observation aircraft capable of directing forces to terrorist targets, and have its own capability to attack targets if necessary.
Photo taken from US SOCOM c/o The Drive.

Transfer Package to the Philippines:

As already mentioned by The Drive's article, the OV-10s were previously with the US military and were transferred back to NASA in demilitarized mode, meaning all its military capabilities were removed prior to the transfer. The photos from NASA already show that the EO/IR turret is missing.

MaxDefense was also told that the TDL Link 16, the Helmet Mounted Targeting System, and chaff/flare dispensers were all removed too. So essentially, the OV-10G+ only has its 4-bladed propeller and the partial glass cockpit as the most obvious upgrade at the moment.

But based on the US Air Force's own solicitation as seen below, the US will retain the wirings installed during the upgrade, once it's transferred. The contractor was asked to reinstall the wirings once its assembled upon delivery, which is good news for the PAF.

The solicitation made by the USAF for the disassembly, crating, shipment and reassembly of OV-10A and OV-10G+ aircraft. Take note the special requirement on the wirings for the OV-10G+.
Photo cropped from FedBizOps (FBO) website of the US Government.

Now that the aircraft were demilitarized, then what?

The Philippine Air Force actually plans to reinstall some of the upgrades made by the US military, but it would be paid for by them. Among the items to be immediately acquired by the PAF for installation upon delivery is the L3 Wescam MX-15D EO/IR turret. It also appears that the PAF is negotiating if the US can provide some of its used helmet mounted targeting system, although the possibility is slim. The PAF could acquire brand news ones separately later on though.

All other upgrades will be made later on after the acquisition, as this deal is being rushed by the US government before the end of the year. Since the PAF paid for the deal in cash using its annual funds, it wull need to request for a separate funding for them to be able to upgrade the OV-10G+ with its desired capabilities.

The Philippine Air Force may already have some of the Harris Falcon III tactical radios available considering this is the standard tactical radio of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Equipping the aircraft with this allows it to communicate with ground and other forces seamlessly, as PAF Forward Air Controllers also use Harris Falcon III radios.

The PAF is also seeking for the acquisition of the APKWS, which is long in their plans and might also be acquired for the upcoming fleet of Embraer A-29B Super Tucanos which will start delivery by 2019. MaxDefense has yet to confirm if the TDL Link 16 will also be included in the re-upgrade plan. Plans to install chaff/flare dispensers and ROVER capabilities are highly likely to happen later on as well.

Like the upgraded OV-10Ms and OV-10A/C in the PAF, the OV-10G+ is expected also to be able to use the GBU-12 Paveway II and the GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II, both of which are in PAF's inventory.

These additions will make the OV-10G+ Combat Dragon II Broncos still the most modern Bronco in PAF service once they join the fleet, and would be a good stop-gap measure and training platform for the upcoming Super Tucanos which will have the same capabilities as the Combat Dragon II Bronco.

Unlike its useage with the US SOCOM which is to observe targets at a safe distance, the PAF may not use this primarily as an observation aircraft, but will likely be used  primarily for day/night attack aircraft, capable of carrying out precision strike against hard or mobile targets, and as a close air support aircraft for ground troops. It could made to be linked to data from surveillance unmanned and manned aerieal vehicles like the Cessna 208 Grand Cavaran ISR aircraft, Scaneagle UAVs, C-130T ISR aircraft, future Long Range Patrol Aircraft, or other future UAVs of the Philippine Air Force.

Having the MX-15D EO/IR turret also allows the Combat Dragon II Bronco to use laser-guided bombs without the support of ground-based forward air controllers (FAC) which are usually PAF ground combatants embedded with other AFP ground troops to provide target acquisition or lacing to attack aircraft like the OV-10. Current PAF OV-10s and other attack aircraft were dependent on FACs during the Battle of Marawi, and the new capability to use the EO/IR turret for target lacing allows the aircraft to conduct its own precision bombing run without the need for eyes on the ground even or targets where collateral damage is highly likely to happen. This is something new for the PAF and the AFP in general.

Like the OV-10 Bronco fleet used by the PAF, the OV-10G+ is expected to be able to carry and fire the GBU-12 Paveway II and GBU-49 Enhanced Paveway II smart bombs which are in PAF's inventory. The 2 upcoming OV-10A Broncos may also be upgraded to be capable of firing them by installing the WiPAK system found on PAF OV-10s.
Photo taken from PAF's website years ago.

The newest capability the OV-10G+ can provide the PAF is the ability to launch the APKWS guided rocket system, which is currently unavailable with the PAF. The PAF is also interested in arming its AW109E armed helicopter fleet with this weapon system, as well as the upcoming A-29B Super Tucano which will start to arrive in 2019.
Credits to owner of the photo.

Delivery Date:

Now the big question, when is the aircraft expected to be delivered?

MaxDefense was informed while we were writing this blog entry that it is expected to arrive on or before December 2018, since the US government wanted the aircraft and parts to be shipped ASAP, as they need the space it currently occupies in NASA's storeyard, If these aircraft and parts are not removed, the US government will be forced to scrap them all.

Therefore, it is also expected that the 2 OV-10G+ and 2 OV-10As will be operational with the PAF's 15th Strike Wing by early 2019, and will be operated by the 16th Attack Squadron.




More updates will be provided by MaxDefense later on, as the deal is still being ironed out as of the moment. But one thing is certain according to our sources - this deal will push through urgently and the PAF does not have any plans of not pursuing this acquisition.




Summary:

1. Acquisition and Shipment of OV-10 Bronco Aircraft and Spare Parts

End User: Philippine Air Force (15th Strike Wing)
Modernization Phase: PAF General Appropriations Fund (not under any Horizon phase)
ABC: ~US$2,000,000.00
SARO Release: N/A
Proponent: US Government, Still Unknown contractor for shipping and assembly
Bid Price: Negotiated Procurement, unknown value
First post by MaxDefense: 24 February 2018

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