OV-10 Bronco Appearing at AirVenture

This aircraft, North American Rockwell OV-10A BuNo 155474, was the 164th Bronco produced and is a veteran of three wars. In February 1969, it deployed to Vietnam with Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4) “Black Ponies” and served until April 1972. In 1975, while assigned to Marine Observation Squadron Two (VMO-2) it received the Night Observation System standard, thus becoming an OV-10D. In 1991, still with VMO-2, this aircraft once again went to war during Operation Desert Storm, flying forward air control and artillery spotting missions. When VMO-2 was deactivated in 1992, ‘474 went into storage at the famous Boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. A year later it was one of 22 OV-10Ds assigned to the Department of State Air Wing and ‘474 soon found itself in its third war as an anti-drug spray aircraft in Colombia. Look for a full feature on ‘474 in a future issue of Warbird Digest.