Interesting plane; the original concept sounds something like Bob Diemert's "Defender".
Amusing how there was so little uptake by the USAF:
U.S. Air Force was not interested in close air support.
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. It did not achieve Rice's L2 VMA concept, because the DoD insisted on 40-ft-long wings, which made it depend on airbases. 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.' The ability to operate from roads (20 ft span and 6.5 tread) had been ignored, and performance compromised by the short 30 ft span, the extra 1,000 lb for the rough field landing gear and another 1,000 lb of electronics. The 'light, simple' airplane also had a full complement of instruments, ejection seats, and seven external store stations. The concept of using ground ordnance and a bomb bay had been ignored, although it did have provisions for four M60 [medium] machine guns. In spite of this growth (almost double the size and weight of our home built), the YOV-10 still had great potential. 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.[4]
“There are invisible rulers who control the destinies of millions. It is not generally realized to what extent the words and actions of our most influential public men are dictated by shrewd persons operating behind the scenes.”
Originally Posted by Sapper740
PM
