Thai OV-10 FAC

Royal Thai Air Force OV-10 Bronco built by North American Aviation Rockwell; probably Nakon Phnom (NKP) Thailand – 1972. The OV-10 is a turboprop light attack and observation aircraft. It was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter insurgency (COIN) combat, and one of its primary missions was as a forward air control (FAC) aircraft. It can carry up to three tons of external munitions, and loiter for three or more hours. 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. Existing military aircraft in the observation role, such as the O-1 Bird Dog and O-2 Skymaster, were perceived as obsolescent, with too slow a speed and too small a load capacity for this flexible role. This text was lifted from web Wiki.