Rice, U.S. Marine Corps, who met at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, California, and who also happened to live near each other.

The original concept was for a rugged, simple, close air support aircraft integrated with forward ground operations.

The inventors favored strafing weapons such as self-loading recoilless rifles, which could deliver aimed explosive shells with less recoil than cannons, and a lower per-round weight than rockets.

Beckett and Rice developed a basic platform meeting these requirements, then attempted to build a fiberglass prototype in a garage.

As a result the wingspan was to be limited to twenty feet and a heavy trailing arm type landing gear with a tread of 6.5 ft was provided for operation from roads.

[4]A "tri-service" specification for the light armed reconnaissance aircraft (LARA) was approved by the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and Army, and was issued in late 1963.

The LARA requirement was based on a perceived need for a new type of "jungle fighting" versatile light attack and observation aircraft.

The specification called for a twin-engined, two-man aircraft that could carry at least 2,400 pounds (1,100 kg) of cargo or six paratroopers or stretchers, and be stressed for +8 and −3 g (basic aerobatic ability).

Eleven proposals were submitted, including the Grumman Model 134R tandem-seat version of the already-fielded U.S. Army's OV-1 Mohawk (the U.S. Marine Corps dropped out of the Mohawk program in 1958), Goodyear GA 39, Beechcraft PD-183, Douglas D-855, Convair Model 48 Charger, Helio 1320, Lockheed CL-760, a Martin design, and the North American Aviation/Rockwell NA-300.

The Bronco started flying midway through the Charger's test program on 16 July 1965, and became one of the premier COIN aircraft of the next 30 years.

Rice concludes: The original concept of a small, simple aircraft that could operate close to the supported troops had been almost completely eviscerated by the 'system.'

It would not achieve the advantages of integration with the ground scheme of maneuver, but it did have capabilities at the low end of the performance envelope that were still valuable and unique.

A prototype in Vietnam designed to lay smoke was extremely successful, kept in service by evaluators for several months, and only reluctantly released, but was not purchased due to a perceived lack of mission.

The OV-10 can perform short takeoffs and landings, including on aircraft carriers and large-deck amphibious assault ships[6] without using catapults or arresting wires.

[8] The cockpit had extremely good visibility for a tandem pilot and co-pilot, provided by a wrap-around "greenhouse" that was wider than the fuselage.

In total, 81 OV-10 Broncos were ultimately lost to all causes during the course of the Vietnam War, with the Air Force losing 64, the Navy 7, and the Marines 10.

[12] Forward air control passed mostly to ground units with laser designators and digital radios and the twin-seat F/A-18D Hornet (FAC(A)s).

)[16] From April to June 1969, the USAF conducted an operational exercise called "Misty Bronco" in South Vietnam's III Corps tactical zone to evaluate the OV-10A's performance as a light strike aircraft.

The results were positive, and as of October 1969, all USAF OV-10As were to be armed with their internal .308 in (7.62 mm) M60C machine guns, which had generally been left out during the Combat Bronco evaluations and subsequent deployment.

These aircraft supported interdiction of troops and supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail by illuminating targets for laser-guided bombs dropped by McDonnell F-4 Phantom IIs.

Unlike the Marine Corps, the USAF did not deploy the Bronco to the Middle East in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, as it believed that the OV-10 was too vulnerable.

The experiment ended satisfactorily, but an Air Force spokesman stated they are unlikely to invest in reactivating the OV-10 on a regular basis because of the overhead cost of operating an additional aircraft type.

The Navy used the Bronco OV-10A as a light ground-attack aircraft, for interdiction of enemy logistics, and fire support of Marines, SEALs, and naval riverine force vessels.

[clarification needed] In 2015, two OV-10Gs were assigned for light attack operations in Iraq under the "Combat Dragon II" program and completed 120 missions.

Extensive restoration work of more than 18 months performed by California Aerofab went into 493's return to flight and 155474 expected to fly by 2020.

[32] The aircraft were ferried across the Pacific Ocean from Wright-Patterson AFB to the Halim Perdanakusuma Airport via Alaska, Aleutians, Midway, Wake Island, Guam, and Clark Field.

[41] In 1977, the OV-10Fs were used during the aerial bombardments of Amungme villages near Freeport-McMoRan area of operations, West Papua, in response to OPM attacks on the mining company facilities, and of Dani villages in Baliem Valley, also in West Papua, in response to rebellion against enforced participation in the Indonesian general election.

On 27 November 1992, the aircraft were widely used by mutinous officers who staged an attempted coup d'état against former President Carlos Andrés Pérez.

Originally, Venezuela attempted to procure Embraer Super Tucano aircraft to replace the OV-10, but no deal was achieved, which President Chavez claimed was due to the result of pressure from the U.S.

On the belly was a wind-driven pump adapted from Agriculture Aircraft (crop dusters) with more than a 500 gal (1,900 L) hopper tank installed in the cargo bay.