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U.S. Marine Corps Broncos
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The U.S. Marine Corps was a large operator of the Bronco. The Marines, unlike the Air Force, deployed the OV-10 aggressively to the conflict in Vietnam soon after deliveries began in early 1968. The first Bronco to fly into combat, flying from Danang on July 6, 1968, was from Marine Observation Squadron Two (VMO-2, which carried a vertical white VMO over a red 2 in leu of normal tail code letters.) The Marines deployed VMO-6 to Quang Tri in November 1968. VMO-6, called the Tomcats and using the tail code WB, was based at MCAS Futenma, Japan until deactivation in 1976. Futenma was also home to Headquarters and Maintenance Squadron 36 (H&MS-36), which used the tail code WX. VMO-1, based at MCAS New River, North Carolina, used the tail code ER but did not operate in Vietnam (contrary to what was reported here previously.) Around the same time, the Navy formed VAL-4 and started to use Broncos, borrowing aircraft from the Marines until VAL-4's deactivation in April 1972. These aircraft then returned to duty with the Marines.
The Marines used both the OV-10A and OV-10D, primarily in the Forward Air Controller (FAC) mission. During the war, the Marines used the OV-10 for a great variety of missions, from dropping paratroopers to dropping sensors, and of course it was used in the light attack / FAC role. Equipment varied from phosphorus marker rockets to seismic sensors to miniguns. After the war the Navy withdrew it from front-line service but used it for weapons testing and development. There were five Marine squadrons who flew the Bronco, VMO-1, VMO-2 and VMO-6 were regular service squadrons and VMO-4 (based at Dobbins AFB near Atlanta, Georgia and carrying tail code MU) and VMO-8 (based at NAS Los Alamitos, CA, with tail code QN) represented the Reserves. VMO-4 was the last unit to operate the Bronco, deactivating in July 1994. The Marines were the impetus behind the development of the OV-10D model, eventually concluding the Bronco's combat career by sending it (both A and D models) into action in operation Desert Storm in January 1991 (See the Desert Storm 10th Anniversary page.) The Air Force kept their remaining Broncos at home. OV-10Ds were preferred due to their greater speed and capabilities while the OV-10As were restricted to operating mostly in daylight. Two OV-10As were shot down by heat-seeking ground-launched missiles during the war, with one crew member killed and three captured by Iraqis troops. After the war, Marine Corps Broncos from VMO-4 assisted in drug interdiction missions. This task foreshadowed the aggressive refurbishment program undertaken by the BATF, and later transferred to the U.S. Department of State, to convert the OV-10 to spray drug fields with herbicide using ex-Marine OV-10Ds pulled out of storage at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona.
Due to the large numbers of pictures, we have broken the USMC pages into different units for easier browsing. Pictures of aircraft for which the unit isn't currently known, or is of otherwise "general interest" will live on this page.
The Last Flight of Covey 87 - an Air Force OV-10 Driver who died to save his Marine Corps observer. NOTE!! There are also some excellent pictures of ex-USMC Broncos in the NASA section, most in their original paint.
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