Grumman OV-1 Mohawk

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grumman_OV-1_Mohawk

The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk was an armed military observation and attack aircraft,
designed for battlefield surveillance and light strike capabilities. It was a
twin turboprop configuration, and carried two crew members in side-by-side
seating. The Mohawk was intended to operate from short, unimproved runways in
support of United States Army maneuver forces.

The Mohawk began as a joint Army-Marine program through the then-Navy Bureau of
Aeronautics (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 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 class carriers (CVEs). 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 20 kts. Since the Marines were authorized to operate
fixed-wing aircraft in the close air support (CAS) role, the mockup also
featured underwing pylons for rockets, bombs, and other stores.

The Air Force did not like the armament capability of the Mohawk and tried to
get it removed. 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.

The radar imaging capability of the Mohawk was to prove a significant advance in
both peace and war. 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.

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, OV-1A,
OV-1B [visual, photographic, and side-looking radar (SLAR) pod], the OV-1C
[visual, photographic, and infrared], and the OV-1D (SLAR pod and bigger wings),
OV-1E [enlarged fuselage for more sensor operators or cargo], EV-1E [special
electronic intelligence 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.


Role
light attack and observation aircraft

Manufacturer
Grumman

First flight
14 April 1959

Introduction
October 1959

Retired
September 1996 (USA)

Status
Retired

Primary users
United States Army (historical)
Argentine Army Aviation (historical)

Produced
1959–1970

Number built
380

The U.S. Army flew the OV-1 operationally in the Vietnam War, with 65 lost to
accidents, antiaircraft fire, ground fire, and one shot down by a North
Vietnamese fighter,[2] and also during Operation Desert Storm.

Starting in 1972, the Army National Guard (ARNG) began to receive the Mohawk,
with the ARNG eventually operating 13 OV-1Bs, 24 OV-1Cs, and 16 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; Salem, Oregon (the 1022
M.I. Unit).

U.S. Army OV-1s were retired from Europe in 1992, from Korea in September 1996,
and finally in the United States in 1996, superseded by newer systems, newer
aircraft, and the evolution of reconnaissance satellites. The OV-1 was primarily
replaced by the EO-5C, a militarized version of the de Havilland Canada Dash 7
turboprop commuter airliner equipped with a SLAR system, until the U.S. Air
Force's Northrop Grumman E-8 Joint STARS (Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar
System) aircraft, became fully operational.

Specifications (OV-1D)

General characteristics
Crew: Two: pilot, observer
Length: 41 ft 0 in (12.50 m)
Wingspan: 48 ft 0 in (14.63 m)
Height: 12 ft 8 in (3.86 m)
Wing area: 360 ft² (33.45 m²)
Empty weight: 12,054 lb (5,467 kg)
Loaded weight: 15,544 lb (7,051 kg) (Normal take-off weight, IR mission)
Max. takeoff weight: 18,109 lb (8,214 kg) (SLAR mission)
Powerplant: 2 × Lycoming T53-L-701 turboprops, 1,400 shp (1,044 kW) each

Performance
Never exceed speed: 450 mph (390 knots, 724 km/h)
Maximum speed: 305 mph (265 knots, 491 km/h) at 10,000 ft (3,050 m) (IR mission)
Cruise speed: 207 mph (180 knots, 334 km/h) (econ cruise)
Stall speed: 84 mph (73 knots, 135 km/h)
Range: 944 mi (820 nmi, 1,520 km) (SLAR mission)
Service ceiling: 25,000 ft (7,620 m)
Rate of climb: 3,450 ft/min (17.5 m/s)





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