The OV-10 Bronco Was Designed in a Garage

Most people have never heard of the North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. Many, many military aircraft have enjoyed wider name recognition than the Bronco; citizens recognize the SR-71 and the B-2 and the F-16 and the B-52. People read about the A-10 and the F-22 in the news or see the C-130 and F-15 at their local airport. But the OV-10 never quite registered with the public – despite serving venerably for three decades, and despite having the most unique origin story in the US military’s aviation inventory: the OV-10 Bronco was designed by a couple of guys in a garage.

In the 1960s, two US Marines – W.H. Beckett and K.P. Rice – were neighbors in Santa Ana, California. The two men hung out frequently, usually on Beckett’s porch, where the two would discuss trends in Navy and Air Force aviation, especially the latest fixation with swept-wing fighters and exotic weapons systems. Beckett referred to the era, derisively, as “the era of boom and zoom.” Both Beckett and Rice believed that conventional weapons were being overlooked, in a way that degraded US capabilities – especially with respect to close air support, which was so vital to Marine Corps operations.

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Beckett and Rice decided that the US needed a “scrappy observation airplane that could not only find enemy combatants but also attack them on the spot.” Their vision called for an airframe featuring twin-engine turboprops – something faster than helicopters, but slower and more maneuverable than the “boom and zoom” jets. Additionally, in adherence to the realities of Marine Corps combat, the men wanted the plane to be capable of taking off and landing in an ultra-short amount of space – allowing the jet to be deployed with the troops, on call at all times, rather than stationed in the vicinity, at some Air Force base.

What is so remarkable, is that Beckett and Rice actually set out to build the airplane themselves. Working in Rice’s garage, the two men built as much of a full-scale fiberglass model as would fit (they weren’t able to attach the wings, however). Once the airframe was mostly formed, the men began pitching their design to the military-industrial complex, which they referred to as “The System.”

Initially, “The System” was hesitant to entertain the garage-made airframe. But Beckett and Rice’s design gained attention when the Navy, Air Force, and Army teamed up to issue the Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) project. LARA was issued to find an airframe that was, coincidentally, quite similar to what Beckett and Rice had been working on; something versatile, capable of light attack and observation, something appropriate for Vietnam’s jungle setting, something with two-engines and a two-man crew that could carry one ton of cargo and six paratroopers. And LARA called for a plane that could take off or land in just 800 feet. Beckett and Rice’s design fit the bill. After considering a dozen proposals, LARA selected the garage project.

Of course, the finished product was more advanced – with double the wingspan and more systems – than the team had originally planned, but it was still the same airframe in essence. The finished product was visually distinct, with a central nacelle for the two pilots, cargo, and paratroopers; the airframe also featured twin booms, each holding a turboprop engine; a horizontal stabilizer connected the two booms.

The OV-10 ultimately served with the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. The garage project was also exported – to West Germany, Morocco, the Philippines, and Thailand.

In sum, the OV-10 Bronco must be the most successful military aircraft ever to be built in a garage.

Harrison Kass is the Senior Defense Editor at 19FortyFive. An attorney, pilot, guitarist, and minor pro hockey player, he joined the US Air Force as a Pilot Trainee but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. He lives in Oregon and listens to Dokken.