“As a kid, I went to the El Toro Marine Corps airshows with my dad and that is where I saw my first Bronco,” said entrepreneur Mike Manclark. “I guess I sort of fell in love with the OV-10 but, of course, I had absolutely zero idea that I would now be in the position to own a fleet of Broncos.” Manclark would grow up, become a pilot, and go on to become an extremely successful businessman. However, those OV-10s were always in the back of his mind. This would lead to his discovery of a fleet of neglected OV-10 airframes sitting in the open in a Texas field. An idea was sparked and Manclark became the owner of seven Broncos that were in need of lots of care. “I knew these aircraft represented an incredible history of Americans in combat all around the globe. 

Each plane could tell amazing stories of heroism in the threat of adversity.” Walking among the derelict airframes, Manclark started to formulate a plan — why not create an entire flying squadron of Broncos? These aircraft could then be used as flying memorials for the public to enjoy and learn from. Manclark contacted Matt Nightingale of California Aerofab at Chino Airport. Nightingale is a familiar figure in the pages of Air Classics because he and his company are responsible for some of the finest Warbird restorations to take to the air in recent years. The OV-10s were trucked to Chino beginning on 4 January 2018 for a 1300-mile road trip from the National Vietnam War Museum in Mineral Wells, Texas, and Matt and Mike began planning, and planning, and planning. Manclark is not one to sit still — he wanted an OV-10 back in the air and he wanted to do it as quickly as possible, much in the manner that North American created the original Bronco. Matt and his team jumped on the first plane and in an incredible 18 months, the restored OV-10D+ took to the air on 18 July 2019. This particular aircraft has served with VAL-4 — the Black Ponies — and two of its original pilots were on hand to witness the flight. An elated Manclark watched the OV-10 climb into the Chino sky and said, “The largest OV-10 restoration project in the world is now celebrating its first big win as the first of an entire squadron takes flight. I just can’t think of a better way to honor, respect, and protect the legacy of our veterans than by keeping their stories alive through flight.” In a project of such complexity, it was not surprising that Manclark’s new OV-10 Squadron not only kept growing but also began to find new missions for the Bronco. “It is just amazing,” stated Nightingale “we would get more and more veterans coming by our hangars to see the planes. Each one of these guys had great stories to tell and that is where Mike Manclark began to carefully record the history of each Bronco and match the veterans with his collection of OV-10s. I was surprised by the deep affection the pilots and crews held for the OV-10. They flew under harsh and dangerous conditions but their stories were never really told.” Restoration continued on the other airframes while Manclark carried out a search for Bronco parts. He not only found parts and engines — he also found more airframes. Even though a relatively small number of Broncos was originally built, the airframes were in such demand that they were constantly modified and upgraded to perform new missions.

There was even consideration of putting the type back into production. Even today, one company is fielding plans to produce an entirely new aircraft that is based on the Bronco design. Manclark soon found out that there was a new demand for his fleet of veteran warriors. James “Chef” Barlow flew A-10 Thunderbolt IIs in the USAF and through his extensive flight experience, he saw a need for a more in-depth, hands-on Close Air Support (CAS) training program. In today’s combat environment, CAS operators on the ground are an essential component in winning any conflict where timely and accurate CAS missions are required. With his wife Gretchen, Chef began to sketch out plans for a new company — Blue Air Training. With their company, the pair planned to bring cost-effective CAS training to the market. With Chef’s extensive experience (he was the first fighter pilot since the Vietnam War to fly 100 combat missions in a single tour) and drive, the plan quickly came together. (As an aside, we had a chance to fly a mission with Chef while he was still flying with the USAF. We were in Arizona to photograph a number of aircraft — one of which was a MiG 17. Chef came along in the Baron and he instantly picked out the MiG 17 as it was slipping through some desert canyons far below us. All that A-10 CAS experience and his incredible eyesight beat both pilot Tim Hutchinson and myself in finding the MiG.) Chef knew he needed a strong team so he went to the guys he knew best — his fellow USAF fighter pilots. Many of his friends had finished their USAF commitments and were moving on to new careers in the airlines and other fields.

Chef knew he could offer them the excitement of military-style flying while providing services vitally needed by their country. Blue Air Training quickly began gathering contracts and the team began to grow — the finest fighter pilots, controllers, and maintainers had come together to provide the most realistic training outside of actual combat. It was a program that would also save the American taxpayer a huge amount of money. Obviously, a fleet of aircraft would have to be assembled and that is where Barlow and Manclark came together. Chef knew the OV-10 was an ideal machine for his training program — a program that is now composed of over 100 team members and over 20 aircraft that are preparing American airmen and soldiers for the battlefield. Blue Air Training is the first fully weaponized, civilian-owned training air force that operates hand-in-hand with the USAF. Soon, OV-10s were wearing the distinctive insignia of Blue Air Training. The USAF has approved Blue Air as the only company to employ live weapons of its fleet of aircraft and helicopters. Chef recently said, “As a career A-10 pilot, I’ve always had a tremendous respect and appreciation for the OV-10 Bronco. Its unique look and mission- focused design rings true in my heart. In our configuration — eight bombs, seven rockets, 2000 rounds, FLIR, and LINK-16 — there is no wonder why this aircraft was selected to take the fight to ISIS [in the Philippines]. For those very reasons, the seven OV-10D+ and OV-10G Broncos we are adding to the Blue Air Close Air Support fleet are undeniably the best JTAC training platform in the air — anywhere!” In just a few short years it is intriguing how the talent and drive of three individuals — Mike Manclark, James “Chef” Barlow, and Matt  Nightingale — have come together to return a fleet of classic American military aircraft to the sky. Through the OV-10 Squadron, we have Warbird Broncos honoring the victories and sacrifices of America’s fighting men; with Blue Air Training we have combat-ready OV-10s instructing a new generation of warriors in a manner that will save the American taxpayer huge sums; while California Aerofab has assembled a team that will keep returning more and more Broncos to the sky. As Mike Manclark recently stated, “Stay tuned — there’s a lot more to come!”

Increasing communist aggression in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam, during the early 1960s saw the American government begin an unprecedented spending program to acquire all sorts of new weapon systems, including aircraft. The new and popular buzz term was COIN — standing for Counter-Insurgency — and it was applied to a variety of military technologies but when it came to aviation, COIN was being used for a proposed low-cost, relatively lightweight aircraft that could be utilized to combat guerrillas in their own environment. The initial COIN project assumed that said guerrillas would be a step above spear-tossing savages and certainly not capable of fielding any sort of meaningful antiaircraft system. This led to another term — LARA, standing for Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft, whose initial configuration was finalized during September 1963. This new aerial warrior was to have twin engines and carry a crew of two while being able to tote four 500-pound iron bombs and four M60 7.62mm machine guns. This would give LARA a close support capability although its primary task was initially specified as reconnaissance. However, the demands on LARA just kept increasing. A Tri-Service (USAF/ USN/USMC) panel was formed to add their input and LARA now had to be capable of carrying 2400-pounds of cargo or six paratroopers/stretchers while being able to operate from aircraft carriers without any special catapult equipment. The panel wanted LARA to fly at 300 knots (350 mph) and be fully STOL (short takeoff and landing) capable with a takeoff run of just 800 feet. As one final demand, someone on that panel also wanted LARA to be easily convertible to an amphibian! To give an idea of just how many

American aeronautical companies were in business during June 1964, nine corporations submitted designs to compete for the LARA contract. And these designs were a mixed bag — the Goodyear GA-39 was sort of a seaplane fighter with overwing pod-mounted engines placed on struts. Then there was the Beech PD-183, Douglas D-855, Helio 1320, and Lockheed CL-760. These were followed by a Martin design that had twin-booms, a single fuselage and an inverted V tail with engine exhaust ducted through the booms. The Hiller K16, North American NA300, and Convair Model 48 all sort of looked alike but this gives one the idea of the incredible amount of rival talent bidding for the riches of the contract. Interestingly enough, Convair was first out of the starting gate since they decided to create their own companyfunded aircraft — the Model 48 that carried the name Charger. Convair had started earlier so they were able aircraft to be built at Convair’s famed San Diego factory after nearly three decades of aircraft building. The reason was that the Charger and the other seven designs all lost because of the government’s decision to buy a new aircraft from proven warplane builder North American Aviation. However, this did not spell an end to the Charger since some on the TriService panel were of the opinion that the Convair aircraft was much better than its North American counterpart. This forced the government to award Convair a 100-hour joint service flight test contract and, if orders followed, a more modified aircraft would enter production. However, the Charger crashed — due to pilot error — on 19  October 1965 while undertaking its 196th test flight. Thus, North American was once again placed in the winner’s circle. The NAA Model 300 looked quite a bit like the Charger with a minuscule wing, twin booms, and large bubble canopy.

On 15 October 1964, North American’s Columbus, Ohio, factory received an order for seven prototypes that would be designated YOV-10A. The unusual V in the designation was usually assigned to vertical and shorttakeoff aircraft that were experimental. The American involvement in Vietnam was growing on an almost weekly basis so time was of the essence and the first YOV-10A went aloft on 16 July 1965. Power came from two Garrett AiResearch T76-G-6/8s, initially of 660-hp each. The seventh YOV-10A went aloft on 7 October 1966, but it was fitted with P&W T74s (military variant of the PT6) for comparison testing. As originally designed, the NA-300 carried its four M60s guns in fuselage sponsors (two to a side) with 500-rpg and the bottom of the wing had hard points for bombs or rockets. It was discovered that the enemy was also becoming more sophisticated and when the initial production contract was issued on 15 October 1966, numerous changes had to be made to the basic design. It was determined that in its original concept, the YOV-10A was too light, did not carry enough armament, and offered too little protection for the crew. Also, the wing was too short to carry the extra weight and it had to be lengthened. A YOV-10A was moved back into the Columbus factory and rebuilt to OV-10A standards and it first flew on 6 August 1967. The new aircraft had the ability to carry a 150-gallon fuel tank on a center fuselage station, which could also carry up to 1200-pounds of weapons.

Photo Credit: Air Classics Magazine

Breaking away from the Texan camera plane, Matt displays the broad angular wing of the Bronco and close examination reveals
where the additional wing area was added. The plane saw extensive service with VAL-4. In 1991, the aircraft made an epic 10,000
mile ferry flight to Kuwait where it was used as a spotter for the massive 16-inch rifles aboard USS Wisconsin to blast targets during
Operation Desert Storm.

Photo Credit: Air Classics Magazine

Currently, the OV-10s being operated by the Philippine Air Force are the only Broncos still
flying combat missions. These planes, which were mainly airframes donated by Thailand,
operate on a regular basis against ISIS forces in remote jungle areas of the island nation.
The aircraft are supported by the American government but they may become available as
newer aircraft are funneled to the Philippines and the OV-10 Squadron is keeping a close
eye on the machines

Four hardpoints were now fitted to the sponsors and each could carry up to 600-pounds of armament. The underwing hardpoints were also strengthened to carry more weapons. Increased weight meant more power was needed and upgraded T76-G-10/12 engines of 715-hp were fitted. Crew safety was provided for with LW-36 zero-zero ejection seats and dual flight controls. Obviously, the original concept had grown in size but compared to other military aircraft of the time period, the Bronco was still a relatively small aircraft. We can’t forget that the whole LARA idea was to get the final aircraft into combat in Southeast Asia as quickly as possible. The USMC was the first to get the OV-10 and the first to take the type into combat. New Marine Observation Squadrons (VMO-1, VMO-2, and VMO-6) were formed and VMO-1 began operating OV-10s during July 1968 while VMO-2 went into combat on 6 July 1968 and kept on flying and fighting until flying their last combat mission on 22 March 1971. VMO-6 arrived with their Broncos at Quang Tai during September 1968 and went into combat 18 hours after arrival! The Marines would lose ten of the 114 Broncos in combat. Within the Tri-Service mission of the OV-10, the US Navy formed the unique Light Attack Squadron Four (VAL-4) that utilized Broncos supplied by the Marines. By April 1969, the “Black Ponies” of VAL-4 were flying combat sorties — many being centered in the Mekong River Delta. VAL-4 seemed like it was everywhere — blasting the enemy at every chance and offering support to a variety of other units. It was a hazardous mission and between April 1969 and April 1972, VAL-4 lost seven of its Broncos in combat. VAL-4 returned its surviving Broncos to the Marines when the squadron was disestablished in 1972.

The United States Air Force arrived in Vietnam with Broncos also during July 1968 with Operation Combat Bronco — a test and evaluation of the type that came to a close in October of that year. From that point, the USAF began OV-10 operations with the 23rd TASS (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), 20th TASS (Da Nang), and 19th TASS (Bien Hoa). TASS stood for Tactical Air Support Squadron. These aircraft were constantly upgraded with improvements including Pave Spot laser target designator pods, night vision equipment, and LORAN. Part of the mission was illuminating targets for USAF jets carrying prodigious amounts of underwing ordnance. However, the enemy was constantly upgrading its weaponry and the OV-10 was no longer fighting simple guerrillas. Some 64 of the USAF’s 157 OV-10s were lost — a stunning total. The USAF got good use out of their Bronco fleet, the last examples being retired in September 1993. The Bronco’s capabilities just kept on growing. The OV-10D Night Observation Gunship mated the OV-10A airframe with forward-looking infrared (FLIR) night vision system that was mounted in a turret on an extended nose section. The engines were upgraded and four-blade props were added while the exhaust stacks had IR suppression. Under the fuselage, a 20mm cannon was mounted that was slaved to the FLIR turret. The OV-10D Night Observation Surveillance (NOS) variant went with the Marines to Saudi Arabia for Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The OV-10D+ variant saw the airframe overhauled with new electrical harnesses, instrumentation upgrades, and strengthened wings. In these campaigns, VMO-2 flew 286 combat sorties, losing two of their aircraft in action. Steaming off the desert coast was the massive bulk of USS Wisconsin (BB-64) and the Broncos of VMO-2 flew as spotters for the 16-inch guns aboard that classic American battleship. The OV-10s and the big guns worked together to destroy 54 tanks, 53 armored personnel carriers, 49 artillery units, and 112 other vehicles along with obliterating a variety of other targets. VMO-2 flew the last American Bronco combat missions and the Marines retired the type in 1995. The Bronco also enjoyed a variety of orders from foreign countries. These included Thailand, Venezuela, Morocco, Indonesia, Colombia, the Philippines, and Germany. The German aircraft were most interesting since they featured a jet pod mounted atop the fuselage nacelle. They flew as target tugs for the German military, replacing a fleet of Hawker Sea Furies. The Philippine Broncos are the last combat OV-10s and they are used on a regular basis to blast ISIS terrorist bases in the vast jungles of that island nation. Broncos have been widely used by civilian agencies within and outside the USA including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms; NASA; Bureau of Land Management; Department of State, and others. Also, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal-Fire) operates a miniair force of Broncos used to guide fire-bombers. In amongst all this, it is not surprising that a few Broncos have appeared on the civil register as a new generation of Warbirds

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