Flightline: 64/TBD

"user314" (user314)
10/21/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: flightline, Planelopnik, planelopnik history

USA OV-1D in Stuttgart, Germany

In June of 1956, the USMC and Army began a joint program to develop a light armed observation aircraft to replace the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The OF-1 would be a two seat plane, powered by two turboprop engines and be able to operate from small, rough airfields in all weather. It would also be faster, with heavier armor and carry more weapons than the O-1, which had proved slow and vulnerable during the Korean War. The Marine requirement added optional skis, which would allow the plane to land at sea and taxi to island beaches at 20kts, as well as the ability to operate from smaller “Jeep” !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . The OF-1's missions would include observation, artillery spotting, air control, emergency resupply, naval target spotting, liaison, and radiological monitoring.

The first YOA-1AF prototype

In 1957, the DOD selected Grumman’s G-134 design, and a mockup of the newly designated YOA-1AF Mohawk was soon produced. Since the Marines were authorized to operate fixed-wing aircraft in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (CAS) role, the mockup also featured underwing pylons for rockets, bombs, and other stores. This feature caused concern within the USAF, as the 1948 Key West Agreement limited US Army fixed wing aircraft to recon and medevac purposes. The very nature of the joint Army/Marine program had forced design compromises, such as ejection seats, that made the aircraft expensive and, sometimes, an openly resisted item in Army budgets.The Marines did not want the sophisticated sensors the Army wanted, so when their Navy sponsors opted to buy a fleet oil tanker, they dropped from the program. The Army continued with armed Mohawks and developed cargo pods that could be dropped from underwing hard points to resupply troops in emergencies. At some point, aerial refueling was tested, but this was not pursued as it would further encroach on USAF missions.

The prototype YAO-1AF flew on 14 April 1959, and construction of the production model OV-1s began in October of that year. Prior to formal acceptance into US Army service, the YAO-1AF was flown on a tour of almost 30 European airfields to demonstrate the new plane to Army commanders and potential export clients. In 1961, the first OV-1s, equipped with KA-30 camera systems, were delivered to the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! near Mannheim, Germany, as well as to the Aerial Surveillance and Target Acquisition (ASTA) Platoon in Seoul, Korea in October of 1963. They were joined by OV-1Bs, equipped with Motorola AN/APS-94B !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! pods, in July 1964 to patrol the DMZ. Orders for the OV-1 stopped in FY1964, and lingering issues between the USAF and Army came to a head in 1965, resulting in the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! baring the Army from operating fixed wing transports and armed recon airplanes. Despite this, 59 OV-1A and -C aircraft were fitted with various weapons and, designated JOV-1As ( the J indicating a “temporary” modification) , were deployed to Vietnam.

Weapons under an OV-1A Mohawk’s wing. From left to right, a 19-shot 2.75" FFAR pod, a .50 caliber gun pod with 100 rounds of ammunition, and a Mk 79 Mod 0 napalm canister.

The XM13 40mm grenade launcher pod on an OV-1 Mohawk during a test.

Another Mohawk test loadout. From left to right, an AN/M65A1 1,000-pound class bomb, an AN/M64A1 500-pound class bomb, and another 19-shot pod of 2.75" FFAR rockets.

Another Mohawk carrying an AIM-9B and two Mk.80 bombs

JOV-1As attached to the 23rd Special Warfare Aviation Detachment often flew with XM14 gun pods and flare dispensers.

In February 1968, U.S Army Captain Ken Lee !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! sh ot down a North Vietnamese !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! with a combination of rocket and machine gun fire while flying in an OV-1A over the A Shau Valley near the border with Laos, a fact the Army kept quiet until 2007. The JOV-1s were eventually returned to the US and converted back to standard OV-1As or -Cs.

Escalations in Vietnam in 1966 led to the OV-1 line being restarted, and in 1969 Grumman began production on the OV-1D variant, which had more powerful engines, updated electronics and new interchangeable mission pallets which allowed ground crews to switch a Mohawk from IR to SLAR configuration in about one hour. Eighty-two older model OV-1 were converted, and 37 new OV-1D were built before the line was shut down again in 1970. Additionally, a number of earlier versions were converted to RV-1C or RV-1D ELINT Mohawks, carrying QUICKLOOK I or QUICKLOOK II radar receivers to map North Vietnamese air defense sites. Later, some RV-1s were converted to EV-1E QUICKLOOK III ELINT machines.

As the war in V ietnam wound down, the OV-1s were retired or transferred to Army National Guard units. OV-1Ds continued on in Europe and Korea through the 1980s, and several were dispatched to Iraq for Desert Storm. Retirement of the Mohawks began in 1992 in Europe, and by 1996 the last OV-1D was sent to AMARG, replaced by the OA-5 ELINT variant of the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and later by the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System).

In addition to the mainline variants, several other Mohawks were proposed through the years, though none successfully. Along with the G-134R proposed for the joint USAF/USMC LARA program, Grumman came up with the ‘stretched ’ AO-1EF, which would have added a third seat for a sensor operator and/or additional space for cargo , and the VOTL G-134E, which would have been fitted with a new tilt-wing and powered by four turboprops, along with a ducted fan in the tail for stability .

OV-1 Mohawk proposed variants diagrams

Surplus OV-1s were used by NASA for various projects, including studies on jet engine noise.

DISCUSSION (13)

Future next gen S2000 owner > user314
10/21/2020 at 11:40

This and the Bronco need to go head to head. OV-1 vs OV-10!

Chariotoflove > user314
10/21/2020 at 11:43

Every time someone types Cessna and Army in the same sentence, my mind does an involuntary double take. It equates Cessna exclusively with small, general aviation craft.

user314 > Chariotoflove
10/21/2020 at 12:07

The Army, USMC and USAF, along with like 20 other nations, all flew O-1 Bird Dogs , which were derived from the 170 .

Kinja'd!!!

First flight was in ‘49, last operator that I can find was Malta, which got a handful from Italy in the middle ‘90s.

facw > Chariotoflove
10/21/2020 at 12:10

And yet, the O-1 and O-2 are instantly recognizable as Cessnas:

Kinja'd!!!

The Citation based ones like this UC-35 are a bit less distinctive (though only because the Citations are less distinctive):

Kinja'd!!!

On the other hand, Cessna’s parent, Textron has been trying to find someone to buy this thing, which is clearly not a Cessna:

Kinja'd!!!

ttyymmnn > user314
10/21/2020 at 12:19

Mohawk has always been a favorite of mine.

ttyymmnn > user314
10/21/2020 at 12:25

It always seemed petty to me that the AF worked so hard to protect their turf and make sure the Army didn’t get any FW aircraft. As it is, what loophole allows them to operate the RC-12?

Kinja'd!!!