NOTE:
RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE
PAGE.
Grumman OV-1 Mohawk observation aircraft
were the U.S. Army's first ever turboprop powered winged aircraft.
The heavy duty landing gear made the
aircraft capable of operating
from rough landing strips close to front lines.
The Mohawk was originally produced for use jointly by the U.S.
Army and U.S.M.C. The Marine Corps dropped the project because of
budget constraints, leaving the Army to use the aircraft.
OV-1 aircraft served in the observation and
light attack roles. In additional to camera equipment and infra red
detection systems, one variant carried a 216" pod containing a
ground tracking radar held under its fuselage.
Mohawk aircraft protected their crews with an armored cockpit.
Two hard points under each wing could hold rockets and machine guns
for attack missions.
Through their long
service career the aircraft flew missions over Germany, Iraq, Korea
South American and Vietnam providing vital information.
Twenty OV-1 Mohawks were deployed on missions over the Middle
East during the Persian Gulf War of 1990. They were often in the air
twenty four hours a day, flying a total of over four thousand mission
hours. By the end of hostilities,
they had flown in excess of nine
hundred combat missions.
A total of 375 of
the aircraft were produced. The last flight of a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
aircraft in U.S. Army service was on October 12, 1996.
Pictured above
and immediately below is the rc Grumman OV-1 Mohawk built by Keith
Sparks. It has a wingspan of 59". Keith powers it with a
pair of AXI 2808/24 motors. We understand that an article and plans
were published in the December 2006 issue of Model Airplane News.
The second picture below is of the rc OV-1
Mohawk for sale from Black Hawk Models. It has a wingspan of
57". Fuselage length is 47" overall. Materials used
in the construction are balsa and plywood. Recommended power are a
pair of KMS 2814/06 motors. All up weight should be in the five pound
range.
The last picture on this page
is of the rc OV-1 Mohawk built by master builder Carl Bachhuber. It
has a wingspan of 130". Carl selected a pair of Zenoah G-62
engines for power.
Grumman OV-1 Mohawk
