While the Cobras served in the PAF for a short period of just five years, the Broncos were used in the Philippines for over three decades.
The Philippine Air Force’s (PAF) 15th Strike Wing retired two each of its two AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters and the last two OV-10 Bronco aircraft at the Major Daniel Atienza Air Base in Sangley Point, Cavite City. The two Cobras were interestingly the only aircrafts of the type the PAF ever operated for a short period of just five years. The Broncos, meanwhile, served for over 30 years.
A special ceremony was held at the Major Daniel Atienza AB, which saw the unit, formation commanders and command-level chiefs, active and retired crews of the aircraft and servicemens’ families in attendance. The four aircraft obviously took the center of the stage at the ceremony.
While the AH-1S Cobras have now been replaced by the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) T129 ATAK attack helicopters, the OV-10 Broncos have given way to the Embraer A-29B Super Tucanos. Two of the T129s reached the 15th Strike Wing’s base at Sangley Point, Cavite, in May 2024.
Service in the PAF
The United States initially transferred 23 OV-10As from storage, followed by eight other airframes subsequently. Thailand also transferred some OV-10Cs between 2003-2004. Several OV-10As were also upgraded.
The lightweight twin-engine, twin-seater Bronco can carry nearly 1.5 tons of weapons payload on five hardpoints under the fuselage and two under the wings. Beside being able to employ unguided and guided bombs and rockets, it can be armed with either a 20 mm cannon or a 7.62 mm machine gun and even AIM-9 air-to-air missiles.
The Cobras were donated by Jordan’s monarch, King Abdullah II, on Nov. 26, 2019 for the long-running counter-insurgency wars with the Islamic State-affiliated Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups. The war had peaked in intensity with the brutal and devastating five-month long Battle of Marawi from Jun. to Oct. 2017, when the fundamentalist outfits seized the city.
An Oct. 2022 report by Mindanews featured excerpts and portions from a book by Filipino author Gail Ilagan about the Marawi operation. It noted how bigger weapons, like tanks, were unsuitable for maneuvering Malawi’s narrow alleyways, while the insurgents’ hijacking of fire trucks and other public vehicles made it difficult for soldiers to identify their adversaries in the urban combat environment.
Interestingly, the 15th Strike Wing itself had noted in its Facebook post announcing the arrival of the first two T129s in May 2024 that they would help in “enhancing the combat operational capability of the force and address the capability gap identified in urban warfare.”
During the Battle of Marawi, the Broncos carried out 88 strikes against terrorists in support of ground forces. Prior to that, the PAF used its Broncos for anti-terrorist operations in Jolo island, and in air strikes against Moro Islamic Liberation Front positions during 2011 and 2012.
“Nguuuueeeennnngggggg DUAAARRRRRR”
Sebuah Pesawat OV-10A/C Bronco milik Angkatan Udara Filipina menjatuhkan Bom ke Posisi Milisi ISIS/Maute selama Pertempuran Marawi pada tahun 2017
Jika TNI-AU sudah memensiunkan pesawat ini, AU Filipina masih mengoperasikan 7 unit OV-10 Bronco pic.twitter.com/aWU7MpqReZ
— 🦅 Golden Eagle 🦅 (@Y_D_Y_P) December 12, 2024
The replacement of the OV-10 Broncos with the A-29B Super Tucanos (EMB-314) aircraft was part of the first phase of the Horizon 1 program to progressively modernize the PAF. The first four of the six ordered aircraft reached the Philippines in Sep. 2020.
Currently, the PAF’s A-29B Super Tucanos, also from the 15th Strike Wing, integrated for the first time with U.S. Air Force A-10 Warthogs from the 25th Fighter Squadron in a Dynamic Force Employment (DFE) exercise at Clark Air Base from Dec. 9 to 13, 2024. Within the broader 15th Strike Wing, the A-29B Super Tucano is flown by the 16th Attack Squadron “Eagles”, while the 18th Attack Squadron “Falcons” operate the T129s.
PAF praises aircraft
Noting how the Bronco served the PAF for “three decades”, the 15th SW said in its Facebook post that it played a “key role in CAS, counterinsurgency operations, and campaigns against insurgent groups like the NPA, MILF, and Abu Sayyaf.” The OV-10 was “instrumental” during 2000’s Operation Thunder Bolt, “helping dismantle the MILF’s stronghold.” It subsequently participated in the 2001’s Basilan mission and the 2006 Sulu Archipelago offensive.
The AH-1S Cobra meanwhile provided “vital” Close Air Support (CAS) during the “Oplan Polaris II” operation in Baggao, Cagayan, and participating in Battlefield Air Interdictions during the “Oppord Kilo Uno” campaign in Pantabangan, Nueva Vizcaya. It undertook “additional CAS missions” in support of ground troops in the Abra and Cagayan regions.
The Bronco and the Cobras’ service “is marked by countless missions and operations,” standing as a “testament to the dedication and bravery of the pilots and crew who flew and maintained them.”
