Watch an Incredible F-16 Shoots Down Rebel OV-10 Bronco During Venezuelan Military Coup D’état
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Background of the Coup Attempt
In 1992, Venezuela experienced two major coup attempts against President Carlos Andrés Pérez. The first occurred on February 4, when military officers from both the Army and Air Force attempted to overthrow the government. This effort was led by Lieutenant Colonel Hugo Chávez but was quickly suppressed. Chávez was arrested and imprisoned.
A second attempt followed on November 27. This time, members of the Venezuelan Air Force led the uprising. General Francisco Visconti Osorio organized the plan from El Libertador Air Base. Several aircraft were stationed there, including Mirage 50EVs, OV-10 Broncos, F-16s, and transport and helicopter units. The plan was to move under the cover of the upcoming Air Force Day.
Start of the Uprising
The coup began early in the morning at 3:30 AM. Rebel forces seized El Libertador Air Base, the Air Force Academy, and several other military and radio facilities. Two F-16 pilots loyal to the government, Captain Labarca and Lieutenant Beltran Vielma, managed to escape in alert-ready aircraft. They flew to a base in Barquisimeto, joining CF-5As and training aircraft like the T-2.
Rebel forces launched strikes soon after. Two helicopters attacked loyalist positions, but one was shot down. Around 6:15 AM, two Mirage 50EVs bombed Venezuelan Army units at Fuerte Tiuna. The loyalist troops suffered losses as they tried to respond. The Mirages later bombed the air base in Barquisimeto with help from OV-10 Broncos, destroying several CF-5As and damaging civilian and military aircraft.
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Dogfights Over Venezuela
As rebel aircraft returned from the bombing raid, loyalist F-16s intercepted them. While the faster Mirages escaped using afterburners, the slower Broncos could not. Two OV-10s were shot down by the F-16s. One of the most well-known kills was by Lieutenant Vielma, who used his F-16’s Vulcan M61A1 20mm cannon to destroy a Bronco. The strike caused the OV-10 to burst into flames and crash quickly.
Later in the day, more bombings occurred over Caracas. The presidential palace and La Carlota air base were hit. Loyalist F-16s returned fire, damaging more rebel aircraft. A Bronco was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and another was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Mirage pilots fled to Aruba and Curacao to avoid being captured.
Loyalist Air Superiority and End of the Rebellion
Loyalist F-16s soon took control of the skies. The rebels, unable to operate most of the F-16s at El Libertador and with only two Mirages, lost their air advantage. On the ground, the situation worsened. By the afternoon, it was clear the rebellion would fail. At 3:00 PM, loyalist forces bombed El Libertador. Minutes later, a C-130H aircraft carrying the rebel leaders flew to Peru, ending the coup.
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