OV-10D Cockpit OV-10 Squadron 2019
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The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk is American armed military observation and attack aircraft that was designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities. It features a twin
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configuration, and carries two crew members in side-by-side seating. The aircraft was intended to operate from short, unimproved runways in support of the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
maneuver forces.


Development

The Mohawk began as a joint Army-Marine program through the then-Navy
Bureau of Aeronautics The Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) was the U.S. Navy's material-support organization for naval aviation from 1921 to 1959. The bureau had "cognizance" (''i.e.'', responsibility) for the design, procurement, and support of naval aircraft and rela ...
(BuAer), for an observation/attack plane that would outperform the Cessna L-19 Bird Dog. In June 1956, the Army issued Type Specification TS145, which called for the development and procurement of a two-seat, twin turboprop aircraft designed to operate from small, unimproved fields under all weather conditions. It would be faster, with greater firepower, and heavier armour than the Bird Dog, which had proved vulnerable during the
Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
. The Mohawk's mission would include observation, artillery spotting, air control, emergency resupply, naval target spotting, liaison, and radiological monitoring. The Navy specified that the aircraft must be capable of operating from small "jeep" escort carriers. The DoD selected Grumman Aircraft Corporation's G-134 design as the winner of the competition in 1957. Marine requirements contributed an unusual feature to the design. As originally proposed, the OF-1 could be fitted with water skis that would allow the aircraft to land at sea and taxi to island beaches at . Since the Marines were authorized to operate fixed-wing aircraft in the
close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...
(CAS) role, the mockup also featured underwing pylons for rockets, bombs, and other stores. The Air Force disliked the armament capability of the Mohawk and tried to get it removed, while the Marines did not want the Army's sophisticated sensors. However the Navy then opted to spend the allocated budget on a fleet oil tanker instead, so the Marines dropped out of the program in September 1957. The Army continued with armed Mohawks and developed cargo pods that could be dropped from underwing hard points to resupply troops in emergencies. The radar imaging capability of the Mohawk was proven to be a significant advancement in both peace and war times. The Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) could look through foliage and map terrain, presenting the observer with a film image of the earth below only minutes after the area was scanned. In military operations, the image was split in two parts, one showing fixed terrain features, the other spotting moving targets. The prototype (''YAO-1AF'') first flew on April 14, 1959. The OV-1 entered production in October 1959. In mid-1961, the first Mohawks to serve with U.S. forces overseas were delivered to the 7th Army at Sandhofen Airfield near Mannheim, Germany. Before its formal acceptance, the camera-carrying AO-1AF was flown by Ralph Donnell on a tour of 29 European airfields to display it to the U.S. Army field commanders and potential European customers. In addition to their Vietnam and European service, SLAR-equipped Mohawks began operational missions in 1963 patrolling the
Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...
. Germany and France showed early interest in the Mohawk, and Grumman actually signed a license production agreement with the French manufacturer
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in exchange for American rights to the
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maritime patrol aircraft. The very nature of the joint Army/Marine program had forced design compromises, such as
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s, that made the aircraft expensive and, sometimes, an openly resisted item in Army budgets. Orders for the OV-1 stopped in Fiscal 1964, and the controversy in the Pentagon over the armed Mohawk peaked with a 1965 directive that prohibited the Army from operating armed fixed-wing aircraft (See the Johnson-McConnell agreement of 1966). Operational success in Vietnam led to additional Mohawk orders in 1966, and by 1968, five surveillance companies were operating in Southeast Asia. The last of the Mohawk versions to enter production was the OV-1D with more powerful T53-L-701 engines, improved avionics, and interchangeable mission pallets that made it possible to switch the aircraft from infrared to SLAR configuration in about an hour. The first four OV-1Ds were prototypes converted from earlier production airframes, and the first flew in 1969. These were followed by 37 new-build aircraft, the last of which was delivered in December 1970. Over the years, the mission and the aircraft underwent many changes and roughly 380 were built over all variants. Mohawk variants included the JOV-1 rmed reconnaissance OV-1A, isual and photographic OV-1B isual, photographic, and side-looking radar (SLAR) pod the OV-1C isual, photographic, and infrared and the OV-1D (SLAR pod and bigger wings), OV-1E nlarged fuselage for more sensor operators or cargo EV-1E
electronic intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...
installation] and RV-1E [advanced ELINT reconnaissance]. A four-engined Model 134E with tiltwings and tail ducted fan for control for VTOL was proposed to the Army but not built. Model 134R was a tandem cockpit version offered to meet the Light Armed Reconnaissance Aircraft (LARA) requirement, but the NA300 was chosen instead becoming the OV-10.


Operational history


United States Army

The U.S. Army flew the OV-1 operationally in the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
, with sixty-five lost to accidents and ground fire, and one shot down by a North Vietnamese fighter. In early 1968, while flying an OV-1 over South Vietnam, U.S. Army Captain Ken Lee shot down a MiG-17 “Fresco” fighter jet with his XM14 .50 in. (12.7 mm) caliber gun pods as well as two M159 unguided rocket pods, becoming the only Army Aviator to ever down a MiG. Due to the
Key West Agreement The Key West Agreement is the colloquial name for the policy paper Functions of the Armed Forces and the Joint Chiefs of Staff drafted by James V. Forrestal, the first United States Secretary of Defense. Its most prominent feature was an outline ...
, the Army tried to keep the shootdown a secret for fear that it would allow the USAF to transfer Mohawks to its inventory. Lee's kill was finally formally recognized by the Army in 2007. The Army also used the aircraft during
Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...
. Starting in 1972, the
Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...
(ARNG) began to receive the Mohawk, with the ARNG eventually operating thirteen OV-1Bs, twenty-four OV-1Cs, and sixteen OV-1Ds serving with three aviation units in Georgia and Oregon. The Oregon Army National Guard Unit operating the Mohawk was located at McNary Field in Oregon, initially as the 1042nd Military Intelligence Company (Aerial Surveillance), then reflagged as the 641st Military Intelligence Battalion (CEWI)(Aerial Exploitation). U.S. Army OV-1s were retired from Europe in 1992, from South Korea in September 1996, and finally in the United States in 1996, superseded by newer systems, newer aircraft, and the evolution of
reconnaissance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...
s. The OV-1 was primarily replaced by the EO-5C, a militarized version of the
de Havilland Canada Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. Variants were built with 50–54 seats. It first flew in 1975 and remained in producti ...
turboprop airliner equipped with a SLAR system, until the U.S. Air Force's
Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS The Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) airborne ground surveillance, battle management and command and control aircraft. It tracked ground vehicles and ...
(Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System) aircraft became fully operational. As of 2011,
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partnered with the Broadbay Group and Mohawk Technologies of Florida in a venture to return an armed, modernized version of the OV-1D to operational use as a counter-insurgency aircraft. A demonstrator was equipped with a FLIR Star Safire turret and a ventral, trainable M230 chain gun.


Argentine Army

The Argentine Army Aviation received twenty-three OV-1s in the 1990s. Ten were operational and the rest were used for spare parts. They became inactive and retired from use in 2015.


Accidents and incidents

On 1 November 2019, a Grumman OV-1D Mohawk operated by Mohawk Airshows crashed at Witham Field,
Stuart, Florida Stuart is a city in and the county seat of Martin County, Florida, United States. Located in southeastern Florida, Stuart is the largest of five Municipal corporation, incorporated municipalities in Martin County. The population is 17,425 accordi ...
, during the Stuart Air Show. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed. Its serial number was 68-15958. On 14 January 1981, a Grumman OV-1D Mohawk crashed and burned in a rural area near
Lampasas, Texas Lampasas ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lampasas County, Texas, United States. Its population was 7,291 at the 2020 census. Lampasas is part of the Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood metropolitan area, Killeen–Temple–Fort Hood Kil ...
during a maintenance test flight out of
Fort Hood, Texas Fort Cavazos is a United States Army Military installation, post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located ha ...
for engine rigging and nose gear strut replacement. The
Inertial Navigation System An inertial navigation system (INS; also inertial guidance system, inertial instrument) is a navigation device that uses motion sensors (accelerometers), rotation sensors (gyroscopes) and a computer to continuously calculate by dead reckoning th ...
had stretched a wire/pulled a pin at a computer connector and the pin re-locked. Pilot CW3 Sandy L. Oliphant and SSG Roger A. Meadows were killed instantly.


Variants

;YAO-1 (YOV-1A): Initial prototypes (9 built). ;OV-1A (AO-1AF): Daylight observation variant (64 built). Short wingspan (42 ft).''Aerofiles.com Grumman page''
retrieved January 2023.
;OV-1A - Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics: Fitted with two additional Westinghouse J34 jet engines. A non-flying, mixed-power, testbed, operated by the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (1 conversion). ;OV-1B (AO-1BF): SLAR variant (101 built). Long wingspan (48 ft). ;OV-1C (AO-1CF): IR reconnaissance variant (169 built). Short wingspan (42 ft). ;OV-1D: Consolidated sensor variant (37 new, 82 conversions). Long wingspan (48 ft). ;JOV-1A: OV-1As and OV-1Cs fitted with armament (59 conversions). ;RV-1C: Quick Look ELINT machines (two conversions). ;RV-1D: Quick Look II ELINT machine (31 conversions). ;EV-1E: Quick Look III ELINT machine (16 conversions). ;OV-1E: Prototype for unproduced modernized variant (1 built).


Operators

; * Argentine Army Aviation ; *
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; , commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial and space warfare branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Indep ...
; *
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
*
Army National Guard The Army National Guard (ARNG) is an organized Militia (United States), militia force and a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Army. It is simultaneously part of two differen ...


Surviving aircraft


Airworthy

*59-2604 – OV-1A flown by the
Planes of Fame Air Museum Planes of Fame Air Museum is an aviation museum at Chino Airport in Chino, California. History The Air Museum was founded by Edward T. Maloney on January 12, 1957, in Claremont, California, to save historically important aircraft.
in
Chino, California Chino ( ; Spanish for "Curly") is a city in the western end of San Bernardino County, California, United States, with Los Angeles County to its west and Orange County to its south in the Southern California region. Chino's surroundings ha ...
. *62-5874 – Flown by the Carolinas Aviation Museum at airshows. *62-5889 – Cavanaugh Flight Museum in Addison, Texas. Removed from public display when the museum indefinitely closed on 1 January 2024. To be moved to North Texas Regional Airport in
Denison, Texas Denison is a city in Grayson County, Texas, United States, south of the Texas–Oklahoma border. Its population was 24,479 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 22,682 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Denison is pa ...
. *62-5890 – Flown by the Carolinas Aviation Museum at airshows. *64-14262 – American Wings Air Museum, Blaine, Minnesota. *67-15959 – Operated by Mohawk Technologies and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in
Lantana, Florida Lantana is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is north from Fort Lauderdale and north of Miami. This town is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. Its population was 11,504 at the 2020 United States censu ...
. *67-18899 – Operated by Mohawk Technologies and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, Florida. *67-18923 – Operated by Mohawk Technologies and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, Florida. *67-18924 – Operated by Mohawk Technologies and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, Florida. *67-18926 – Owned by Paul Pefley, CEO of Mohawk Technologies, and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, Florida. *68-15936 – American Wings Air Museum, Blaine, Minnesota. *68-15946 – Operated by Mohawk Technologies and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, Florida. *68-15947 – Located at Air Heritage Museum, Beaver County Airport, Pennsylvania. No longer owned by museum. *69-17004 – Operated by Mohawk Technologies and based at Palm Beach County Park Airport in Lantana, Florida.


Static display

* 57-6539 – YOV-1A on display at the United States Army Aviation Museum in Fort Novosel, Alabama. * 59-2631 – OV-1B on display at the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History in Zephyrhills, Florida. * 59-2633 – OV-1B on display at Cradle of Aviation Museum * 60-3740 – OV-1A on display at New Jersey Aviation Hall of Fame, Teterboro Airport, Teterboro, NJ. * 60-3747 – OV-1C on display at the 1st Cavalry Division Museum in
Fort Cavazos Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...
, Texas. * 61-2700 – OV-1C on display at the Aviation History & Technology Center in
Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth largest ...
. * 61-2724 – The
Pima Air & Space Museum The Pima Air & Space Museum is an aerospace museum in Tucson, Arizona, US. It features a display of nearly 400 aircraft spread out over on a campus occupying . It has also been the home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame since 1991. Overv ...
adjacent to
Davis–Monthan Air Force Base Davis–Monthan Air Force Base (DM AFB) is a United States Air Force base southeast of downtown Tucson, Arizona. It was established in 1925 as Davis–Monthan Landing Field. The host unit for Davis–Monthan AFB is the 355th Wing (355 WG) ass ...
in
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lists an OV-1C Mohawk as a static display * 62-5856 – The Wings of Eagles Discovery Center owns an OV-1C on static display among its collection * 62-5860 – OV-1B on display at the United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel, Alabama. * 62-5874 – Hickory Aviation Museum, Hickory, NC * 62-5875 – Headquarters, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, (Georgia Army National Guard) in
Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
displays a static OV-1D as part of an outdoor exhibit * 62-5880 – Texas Air Museum in Slaton, Texas has a modified OV-1D that was used by
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
that is on loan from the Museum of Naval Aviation. * 62-5906 – Cockpit only on display at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum. * 63-13128 – Military Aviation Preservation Society (MAPS) Air Museum (under restoration for museum display) * 64-14247 – The United States Army's Tobyhanna Army Depot in Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, has an OV-1B on display outside the main gate access control point. * 64-14252 – The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at
Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a U.S. Army post whose south gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, along U.S. Highway 49. It was originally established during World War I, and has served almost continuously since then as a trai ...
has an OV-1 on static display * 67-15959 – The G-Star School of the Arts in
West Palm Beach, Florida West Palm Beach is a city in and the county seat of Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It is located immediately to the west of the adjacent Palm Beach, Florida, Palm Beach, which is situated on a barrier island across the Lake Worth Lag ...
displays a static OV-1D * 67-18902 – The Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum in
McMinnville, Oregon McMinnville is the county seat of and the most populous city in Yamhill County, Oregon, Yamhill County, Oregon, United States at the base of the Oregon Coast Range. The city is named after McMinnville, Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States cens ...
displays a static OV-1D * 67-18922 – Hunter Army Airfield in
Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...
displays a static OV-1D as part of an outdoor exhibit * 67-18930 –
Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army military base, installation, in Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County in southeast Arizona, approximately north of the Mexico–United States border, border with Mexico and at the northern end of the Huac ...
, Arizona maintains a static display of an OV-1 Mohawk * 68-15932 – OV-1D c/n 136C, Argentine Army Aviation AE-021 – displayed at the Argentine Army Museum ( ''Museo Histórico del Ejército''), Buenos Aires, Argentina. * 68-15939 – Was at McClain's Military Museum in
Anderson, Indiana Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Indiana, United States. The population was 54,788 at the 2020 census. It is named after Chief William Anderson. The city is the headquarters of the Church of God and its Anderson ...
but now sits at "Vic's Antiques and Uniques" in Edinburgh, Indiana * 69-16998 – The Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum at Space Coast Regional Airport in
Titusville, Florida Titusville is a city in and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 48,789, up from 43,761 at the 2010 census. Titusville is located along the ...
has a static OV-1 on display * 69-17007 – Part of
Fort Cavazos Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...
, this Mohawk is on a pedestal in front of the 15th MI Bn on Robert Gray AAF on Mohawk Rd. * 69-17010? – The United States Army Aviation Museum at Fort Novosel, Alabama displays a static OV-1D as part of the outdoor exhibit at the intersection of Red Cloud Avenue and Ruf Avenue *69-17021 – The Fort Worth Aviation Museum at Fort Worth, Texas displays a static OV-1D as part of the outdoor exhibit * 69-17022 - United States Army Garrison Humphreys in South Korea, OV-1 Mohawk displayed outdoors at the intersection round-a-bout of Key Street & CPX Road * The
United States Army Intelligence and Security Command The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) is a direct reporting unit that conducts intelligence, security, and information operations for United States Army commanders, partners in the Intelligence Community, and natio ...
Headquarters Building at
Fort Belvoir Fort Belvoir ( ) is a United States Army installation and a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. It was developed on the site of the former Belvoir (plantation), Belvoir plantation, seat of the prominent Lord ...
, Virginia displays a static OV-1DWhere Are They Now? MohawkStatus
retrieved 2015-06-05
* AZO Plane Partners in current possession of the Air Zoo's OV-1D * OV-1D ex-Argentine Army Aviation, in the ''Aviación del Ejército Argentino'' Park Buenos Aires, Argentina * OV-1D Air Zoo Aerospace & Science Museum, Kalamazoo, Michigan


Specifications (OV-1D)


See also


References

;Notes ;Bibliography * *


Further reading

;Printed sources * ;Online sources * * * *


External links



* *
Mohawk as monument in the ''Aviación del Ejército Argentino'' Park
{{Authority control OV-001 Mohawk 1950s United States military reconnaissance aircraft Counter-insurgency aircraft Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft Mid-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1959 Triple-tail aircraft Aircraft with auxiliary jet engines Mixed-power aircraft Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear