My uncle lived out on Long Island and had friends at Grumman Bethpage. When I was six, he gave me a factory grade desk model of a MOHAWK. It is the only model I have from that time and it is still beautiful. Other kids had fighter jets but I had a MOHAWK.
Just like the earlier Mig-15 pilots over Korea, who didn't take the Marine Corsairs seriously, the Vietnamese Mig drivers found out the hard way that just because your opponent is 'stuck with' a prop plane, that doesn't mean it's safe to ignore the threat they pose.
My late father had over 10k hours in the OV-1. This video gave me great pride. I ended up with a little over 2k hours in the UH-60 but would've killed to fly this. Sat in the cockpit as a kid all the time.
I designed the AN/AAS-24 infrared system for the OV-1D and participated in its testing. The Army Mohawk pilots, whose motto was "low and slow, but always ready to go", were outstanding. With that infrared equipment on an OV-1D flying at 300 knots at 500 feet altitude on a moonless night, we could count the spokes on the bicycles of the Viet Cong on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
The Israelis had a couple of OV-1 birds at a field north of Tel Aviv. One had a SLAR pod, the other had a FLIR or optical sys on its nose. Just working from memory. It was spring of 1986.
The AN/AAS-24 infrared system was indeed a game-changer for the OV-1D Mohawk. With its advanced capabilities, it enabled exceptional night reconnaissance, demonstrating how technology and skilled pilots could effectively support operations even in challenging conditions.
Well done! My father was the operations officer in the 131st and told me about Ken's air to air. The USAF kept it on down low for many years, glad see he is receiving the remarkable credit over do. Love your channel!
I'm building a small RC model of the OV-1 and would like to finish it as Ken's aircraft. Any suggestion as where to find photos of that particular aircraft?
@@anotherdave5107 I often wonder about the veracity of these "nicknames the enemies gave my plane" stories. My biggest eyebrow lift is for "Forked tail devil" for the P38. It's just too long, nobody is gonna use a long nickname. I think the source is Lockheed propaganda, they even translated it into German: Der Gabelschwanz Teufel, which REALLY doesn't roll of the tongue - and I can speak German so don't tell me it's easier for Germans. 😁
Was the 131st an ANG squadron? If this is MOHAWK-related talk, anyone know why an OV-1 that appeared to have no reconnaissance gear would have been parked on the ramp on the northern end of National Airport from 1976 to 1980? No markings but painted gray, stenciling yes, underwing tanks, mounting points for APS-94 SLAR pod but never saw SLAR pod.
I originally read the title as "The Ugliest MiG Killer". As an airplane enthusiast, I never knew these planes existed until I flew out of Lantana Airpark in Florida. There were several Mohawks there. Somebody was rebuilding them for the "Global War on Terror" or so the rumor goes. I didn't think much of them until I saw one land. As it landed the pilot reverse pitch the propellors for a short field landing and made this sound you feel in your loins and think to yourself "That was fucking awesome!"
@@packrat76okay?... That wasn't really the point of his comment and you're making it seem like he was trying to say reverse pitch props weren't a thing back then
Very proud of my father,Ray,whom flew and trained others in the OV1..Came home in one piece,flew here in georgia for many years..even did a fly over of our neughborhood and took pics one night of my evening ball game usuing the flir system camara.
USAF protests over this aircraft and Army aviation in general come across as petty and insufferable. I understand the importance of missions and budgets, but when your vying for budget dollars and mission assignments threaten to sideline good aircraft and capabilities (which the USAF had no intention of replicating), inter-service rivalry has gone too far. Excellent video as always!
That pettiness is ironically the reason why the Army Aviation Branch even exists. It's a long story, but it goes all the way back to the Grasshopper liaison planes from WWII
Truman made a few big mistakes. I've always felt the Key West Accord where the Airforce got it's way and the Army lost it's close support aircraft and short range cargo aircraft is past time to reign in the Airforce and give the Army the A10.
While being ex-USAF, even I agree that there are some aircraft that should have gone into production, regardless of what the USAF had to say. One such aircraft besides the OV-1, being the Martin P6M.
Thank you for posting this. You obviously did your homework on this one. I've seen a few other Mohawk videos out there that gave very poor or false information. Your details on a lot of the specifics were spot on. The OV-1 will always be my absolute favorite aircraft. The best thousand hours of my life was spent strapped into one. Most of my time was spent in the OV-1D with only a couple hours in B and C models. I was a technical Observer (TO) in the right seat and took care of the navigation and sensor operations. I spent many nights looking deep into North Korea and Eastern Europe with SLAR in the mid to late 80's and early 90's. During that time, Mohawks were stationed at all of the global hotspots of Europe, Asia and Central America. We even operated in the Bahamas conducting Counter-Narcotics missions. We were relatively unknown to the rest of the military as our numbers were few. With only a couple of places in the world to be stationed, most of the Mohawkers knew each other and we were a close knit group. Many of us are still friends to this day. The Mohawk flew her final mission in 1996. We were all very sad to see her go.
I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea in 1972. I worked at the G2 office. This plane with SLAR would take photos of the DMZ and send it to my office for analysis. Interesting job.
Spend 2 years on Desiderio Airfield (Camp Humphries) with 3rd MI BN 88-90 guarding these things as an MP. The pilots were awesome and the planes were amazing. Befriended one particular pilot and he had me ejection seat qualified so I could go up with him on a training mission. One of the highlights of my time in the Army.
@@baconactual3858My buddy was a 68B like myself, Powerplant mechanic, at 3rd MI 91-92. I worked on Hooks as a Blackcat. Have you seen how Humphreys looks today?
The moral of the story : Never underestimate your opponent. Also some 20 years later, there's a similar aircraft called OV-10 Bronco tried similar feat against the F-16A in a slow speed dogfight but failed.
@@downunderrob Or the jets like F-16 and F/A-18 was deliberately designed to be good enough for slow turning fights. F-35s and Harrier was even better at this regard. F-35A is even capable to execute pedal turn at extremely slow speed.
Had those in my time Germany, but never worked on one. It was the only Army aircraft with a Martin-Baker ejection seat. We were trained how to disable the ejection seat when working on the aircraft. Spent my time turning wrenches on rotary wing aircraft. Sadly, did not have 20-20, so when I completed my Bachelors degree I went OCS and branched Field Artillery as no Infantry slots were available for my class. 205th Trans AVIM/8-158 AVN.
early 1974 I spent 6 months training to be a 17Lima20L8 ( the Airborne Sensor Specialist ) at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. They sent me to Germany with orders to be stationed at V Corp, 11 Avn. Battalion in the 173 AVN. Assault Helicopter co. on Fliegerhorst Cassern . They also had on that airfield the 73 Avn. Company flying OV-1s. I got offered to OJT as an aircraft mechanic on UH-1s. I went over to the 73 to see all the people I trained with doing motor-pool, MP duty , Everything but flying. What a waste of time and money. Nobody was giving up their flight slots.I'm so happy I was Assistant Crew chief/M-60 DoorGunner and got so many hours flying in Hueys.I wouldn't trade my History for anything.
A friend of mine flew Mohawks in Vietnam as a tech support for Grumman. Came home and later started a museum called American Wings at KANE near Minneapolis. Did Mohawk restorations and continued to fly them, until he passed away. Very cool airplane. Thanks.
Kind of a full-circle moment. The 2.75” FFAR (Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket) was developed in the late ‘40s as armament for the 1st-gen bomber interceptors, when it was named the ‘Mighty Mouse’. It’s still in service as the 70mm Hydra. ALSO, an A-1 Skyraider bagged a MiG during the war!
@@petesheppard1709 well yeah but you said “its still in service” so i wasnt sure if you were intending that the hydra is the same rocket, not trying to argue though i swear
When I was in 3rd grade, this is the first model I built. I thought it was an interesting airplane at the time as a very young person. Thanks for the video. I am glad you got back to vietnam.
"...retired in 1992." Except the Oregon Air National Guard units, who soldiered on until around 1999 (official sources say 1992, but I know I saw it taking off from McNary Field in Salem around 1998-1999). At any rate, one of the OR ANG Mohawk's, OV-1 #926, was discovered and restored and is now on display at the base entrance in Salem.
I've always been super curious about this aircraft, and all others that perform niche, underappreciated roles. Great video. NAPFATG is easily one of my very favorite channels.
I don't know why you have an absolutely untouchable voice and cadence for audio books but Jesus christ mate you have it down to a fucking art. Please keep this channel going
One of my Best Friend's Father was a OV-1 Pilot in Vietnam. He had very interesting stories and he gave me Montagnard Sword/Machete/Long Knife (don't know exactly what to call it) made out of a leaf-spring for helping him retar his driveway. His son (my friend) couldn't help due to him being asthmatic and not being allowed to be around the hot pitch fumes. So I volunteered to help instead. Over 30 years later I still have the weapon, its razor sharp and it hangs next to me on my home office wall.
I worked for Grumman back in the late 80's and early 90's. I did inspection on the Mohawk when they came in for refurbishing. We were at Witham field in Stuart Florida. We took the wings, engines, tail, flaps most of the cockpit and lots of other stuff. I think we had the OV 1B.
In 1960, I was sent to learn to operate & do 1st echelon maintenance on the MPQ-29 ground radar system. Originally used to help track & control drones, we used it in the 101st Airborne Division to track our L-23, which had a developmental SLAR slung underneath. We would use our MPQ-29 onboard mapping system to track the L-23 and to compare the SLAR images to ground mapping until I left in 1962.
My father flew these in Vietnam in 1967 and 1969. He didnt talk about it much but did tell me about how they flew at night and very low with no lights.
Don’t know if this channel has examined the OV-10, but it’s design, development, use and reuse is very interesting. I saw them in Colombia, based there for coca eradication a few years ago.
This plane looks like a pleasure to fly, of course not in the middle of a war, but to own and play around with this work of art would really be something special
At 14:28 there is a photo with the aircraft, with a tall man, a short man, an average height man, & what looks like an Australian man with an absolutely enormous knife
I've only seen one Mohawk"In the Flesh", so to speak and that was in late 1961/early '62 at our Oberschleisheim Hubschrabberflugplatz 5 miles from Munich and Dachau & right next to one of Ludwig's (the Mad King of Bavaria) castles. We had an airshow and I was the Public Information Office photographer under Captain M.C. Avery for the 7th Army's, 8th Transportation Battalion, Light Helicopter's and as such was right down on the runway when the Mohawk came in, 15 feet off the active on one engine then abruptly nosed up and climbed vertically, still on one engine to about 1,500 feet then did a roll and reversed course and flew right back over us. Yes, everybody was impressed. All we had at our airfield were a few H-13 Sioux and mostly H-34 Choctaws with a few L-19's and a couple of similar German high wing monoplanes and light helicopters. I immediately "Flashed" (if you will) that this plane would make a great ground support aircraft if it had enough firepower. I finished my three years of active duty in early June of '62 and rotated back to the states for discharge. Never did hear too much about the Mohawk afterwards. Glad to finally find out more about them and their role.
Hey friend, this is the first of your videos i have watched and I was impressed! Then I read your "About" information and realized we have something in common. My father was a fighter pilot and I grew up living on air force bases seeing and being near (and sometimes in) aircraft all the time, but poor eyesight kept me out of the cockpit. I had a different career path also but never lost my interest in the subject. All that to say, you have a new subscriber!
Just a quick shoutout to the DHC-4 Caribou mentioned, an extremely rugged and durable aircraft that could land in seemingly impossible conditions, including stall landings on hillsides that is simply impossible in _almost_ all other aircraft. If I was ever going to fly a bus for back-country hopping, it'd be a Caribou.
i read a statistic one that the Air Force C-123 could land at 26% of the airfields in Southeast Asia. The Army C-7 could operate out of 72% I think memory is close on those percentages
It being stated that the OV-1 is about the size of Skyhawk to me says less about how big the Mohawk was and more about the A-4. I always forget how insanely large combat aircraft are, even the smaller ones.
As a brand new Eltee in 1975 I was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. I am not sure if the OV-1's were assigned to the 9th Military Intelligence Company or to a separate detachment attached to the company. In any case, in large exercises we'd be getting intel from them at the battalion TOC and it was also not unknown for one of them to scream overhead on a strafing run when we were doing normal training. By the time of the First Gulf War, I was a Lieutenant Colonel and the staff section I was assigned to at Corps was the recipient of their intel. I, for one, was sad to see them go in 1992. Replacements were CL-650 (ARTEMIS) Bombardier Canada Jet, EO-5 de Havilland Canada Canada Propeller Electronic Warfare,/Recon, MC/RC-12 Beechcraft USA Propeller Reconnaissance - the ELINT version has so many antennas it looks like it hit the airfield perimeter fence
The Army retired the birds in 1985. There are a few privately owned D models flying around. I was force retired medical in May 1984. I was a right observer. I flew photo missions in Vietnam. I was part of the 73rd SAC Company.
When I went to Army intelligence school at Ft Huchuca AZ in 1980 one of the guys in my company was being trained as the enlisted Side Looking Radar (SLAR) operator. I was thinking about transitioning to that MOS but stuck with the 96B MOS. Go figure, wish I had changed!
Fascinating info, thanks! Surprised to hear about the Mohawk's speedy cliimb rate. I'd like to see a comparison of the OV-1 Mohawk with the OV-10 Bronco - and the A1-H Skyraider.
Great Video! I liked the wry sarcasm, the cheeky jabs to the whining Branches, pictures, I can't even imagine how much time you put in to find some of those pictures, and finally, just a well written story. Ya got my sub. I'm going to click on your channel now and I hope to see many more of your videos. Thanx for the story
One of my favorite aircraft types and flown to many airshows in my native Oregon from their base in Salem, Oregon being with the Army National Guard. Great show as usual!
Another excellent presentation! It is easy to let these 'more obscure' aircraft fade away unremembered. Can you give us one about the OV-10 Bronco next please? The marines finally got the aircraft that they wanted with that one.
This channel keeps getting better. I have always thought the USAF leadership were a bunch of pricks over this business. The Army needs dedicated air support, the Air Force doesn't want them to have it, yet at the same time the Air Force doesn't really want to do it either. The USAF has never really liked the A-10, for example, and expecting the USAF to acquire and operate dedicated squadrons of aircraft such as the OV-1, the OV-10, the Harrier, or some sort of A-4 equivalent, and then to have them work as closely with the Army as the Army's own aviation, is not a good bet. The US Marine Corps, with cooperation from the Navy, has steadfastly maintained its own very powerful aviation element and has no asinine restrictions placed on it like the Army does. The result is that the Corps has entire air wings of both rotor wing and fast movers dedicated to supporting Marines on the ground, and which operate in the field as integrated parts of the whole fighting force. The USAF should develop this kind of relationship with the Army, or alternatively, allow the Army to procure and develop its own aviation equipment and training as it sees fit. At least Ken Lee got to hear about his confirmed kill from legends like Robin Olds and Chappie James, I bet that was cool for him!
each branch has it's own sand box......and don't you DARE kick some of your sand into my sand box, or try to steal a grain of my sand.....it's bull shit and needs fixing.
@@CharliMorganMusic Since you mentioned it, Marine Corps aviation also makes the Navy stronger, since a secondary mission for Marine squadrons is to augment Navy carrier air wings. Amphibious task forces equipped with Marine Harriers or F-35s can provide their own limited air cover and can act as auxillary carriers. Air Force: take note. The Army can help you if you let them.
I met a guy who flew these in the war a few months, very cool guy, he had lots to say about these neat planes! It was new to me, I was more familiar with the OV-10 Bronco, so it was very interesting to learn about a plane I was unfamiliar with!
Huh...with what you said when opening I realized, if an airplane is getting shot, and your in it, all you hear is the bullet hitting the aircraft. The plane is mostly aluminum, so getting punctured will actually be fairly quiet, compared to the noises the plane makes when operating normally. That makes the entire event even more scary, because in reality, you might not even hear getting shot down.
You are correct, in most cases you don't hear the round hitting the aircraft but there are some exceptions. As a door gunner on a Huey "C" model we seldom heard the rounds hit the aircraft unless it hit a blade. Than the whistling sound was quite apparent. The one exception I remember was a round coming in the hell hole and hitting the bulkhead directly behind me. I not only heard it but felt it as well. If it wasn't for the stoutness of the bulkhead and angle of the bullet I probably would have been injured in some way. While you couldn't hear the rounds hitting the aircraft flying low and slow, as we did, you could definitely hear the report from the firearm alerting you to the fact you were taking fire...
THANK YOU for mentioning the urgent and skillful efforts of Robin Olds and Chappie James directed toward Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). ELEMENTAL !
Nuclear artillery spotter that sounds like interesting flying , not to mention that you must avoid the artillery arc of normal artillery being in a certain place at a certain time so not to be hit .
The research you put into to each video must be rather intensive. The impressive quantity of data condensed into them combined with your delivery makes for excellent videos.
The much maligned OV-1 and OV-10 remind me so much of the A-10, planes that flew in the face of what the brass insists is needed to fight and yet were never really replaced by successive generations of newer, faster aircraft.
The irony of this is that the A-10 exists because the air forcdidnt want the army to be able to give themselves Cas witthe AH-56, which would've outperformed the A-10 and AH-64. You really couldn't have picked a works aircraft to support what you're saying. A-10 is garbage and it's the reason we don't have a better helicopter right now.
Everything about this AIRCRAFT sound absolutely Spectacular! sounds like it excelled at every task it was given in Vietnam....And Yet until Now? Never Heard of it! 😁 I'm not a Vietnam War Buff, but my dad was A Phantom Pilot ( 2 Tours).. I spent almost 10 years in the Infantry between 2003 & 2013 (Iraq & Afghanistan) I am an avid reader follower of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, "Granada"😁 lol .. I watched the Gulf war as a kid, Etc, etc... Never Heard of this Plane in my life!
We had these at Hanau Army Airfield, 1970.71 flying photo missions every night along the German border. I was an ATC and they were our only fixed wing aircraft.
He may have put some .50 cal into it, but if he had hit it with 4 x 2.75" rockets as he thought, he would not have reacquired it and watched it turn into a valley; the MiG would have been raining, not flying.
Well it depends a lot on how far the Mig was in front of his nose, since the FFAR have an Arming distance, if a rocket had hit it would do damage but wouldn’t explode unless the arming distance had been reached
The 2.75 rocket was meant to be used on “solid” targets. They had a nasty habit of going completely through the wing or fuselage of aircraft without detonating, unless they struck a harder structural component. Sometimes that would work for you, if it struck something on the inside, detonating inside the airframe. Other times, they would slice right through a wing, or other control surface, and just keep on going. Growing up, I had an Air Force Colonel, for a neighbor, who had the most amazing Vietnam war stories! RIP Col. George Krantz. You will never be forgotten!
In January 66 at Ho Bo Woods one of these picked up a Regiment of NVA moving to attack the Australian Battalion 1 R.A.R. I was sent out in a Standing Patrol between the river & the Battalion. The Americans decided that would light the entire area up by dropping huge flares continuously from about 10pm until about 5am next day. About 6am the entire wooded area erupted. Not with NVA, but with hundreds of Gibbon Apes. This is what the Mohawk had spotted.
Whispering Death by Robert Curry (amazon kindle) is an engaging read on OV1 ops in SEA. Also Gerald Naekel’s war stories collection for a left seat perspective.
Really enjoyed this thanks. The army should've been permitted it's own close support aircraft. The Mowhawk, Bronco, and A-10. Possibly even the Harrier which I believe Northrop would have built for the army. "Not a pound for air to ground" was the USAF mantra for the F-15. A pure air to air fighter. The A-10 was begrudgingly adopted by the air force to appease the army with a close air support commitment. Inter service rivalry at it's finest.
I am 91 Korean War Vet USAF - Used ww2 Equipment - Vietnam was the "New Age" - God Bless Them - New Stuff Was TRicky - Excellent Presentation thankyou
Thank you for serving
@@8kigana Thankyou
Thank you for your Service
Thank you, sir, for your service 🙏
Stay strong stay proud stay Active
My uncle lived out on Long Island and had friends at Grumman Bethpage. When I was six, he gave me a factory grade desk model of a MOHAWK. It is the only model I have from that time and it is still beautiful. Other kids had fighter jets but I had a MOHAWK.
Just like the earlier Mig-15 pilots over Korea, who didn't take the Marine Corsairs seriously, the Vietnamese Mig drivers found out the hard way that just because your opponent is 'stuck with' a prop plane, that doesn't mean it's safe to ignore the threat they pose.
Don't forget USAF F-51 Mustangs gave MIG jest bloody noses, too.
@@dynmicpara yeah, I should have mentioned that too. sorry, my bad.
And the Hawker Sea Fury.
ugh... another keyboard expert.. So tiring
Is your point meant to be profound?
My late father had over 10k hours in the OV-1. This video gave me great pride. I ended up with a little over 2k hours in the UH-60 but would've killed to fly this. Sat in the cockpit as a kid all the time.
thank you both for your service!
I designed the AN/AAS-24 infrared system for the OV-1D and participated in its testing. The Army Mohawk pilots, whose motto was "low and slow, but always ready to go", were outstanding. With that infrared equipment on an OV-1D flying at 300 knots at 500 feet altitude on a moonless night, we could count the spokes on the bicycles of the Viet Cong on the Ho Chi Minh trail.
Man that is impressive...
We did many interesting (classified) things during the mid-60's
@@dougmcdonald3977 write it all down and let your kids publish it
The Israelis had a couple of OV-1 birds at a field north of Tel Aviv. One had a SLAR pod, the other had a FLIR or optical sys on its nose. Just working from memory. It was spring of 1986.
The AN/AAS-24 infrared system was indeed a game-changer for the OV-1D Mohawk. With its advanced capabilities, it enabled exceptional night reconnaissance, demonstrating how technology and skilled pilots could effectively support operations even in challenging conditions.
Well done! My father was the operations officer in the 131st and told me about Ken's air to air. The USAF kept it on down low for many years, glad see he is receiving the remarkable credit over do. Love your channel!
Is there any AC the NV didn't call whispering death?
I'm building a small RC model of the OV-1 and would like to finish it as Ken's aircraft. Any suggestion as where to find photos of that particular aircraft?
@@anotherdave5107 I often wonder about the veracity of these "nicknames the enemies gave my plane" stories. My biggest eyebrow lift is for "Forked tail devil" for the P38. It's just too long, nobody is gonna use a long nickname. I think the source is Lockheed propaganda, they even translated it into German: Der Gabelschwanz Teufel, which REALLY doesn't roll of the tongue - and I can speak German so don't tell me it's easier for Germans. 😁
@@anotherdave5107The one that killed them.
Was the 131st an ANG squadron? If this is MOHAWK-related talk, anyone know why an OV-1 that appeared to have no reconnaissance gear would have been parked on the ramp on the northern end of National Airport from 1976 to 1980? No markings but painted gray, stenciling yes, underwing tanks, mounting points for APS-94 SLAR pod but never saw SLAR pod.
I originally read the title as "The Ugliest MiG Killer". As an airplane enthusiast, I never knew these planes existed until I flew out of Lantana Airpark in Florida. There were several Mohawks there. Somebody was rebuilding them for the "Global War on Terror" or so the rumor goes. I didn't think much of them until I saw one land. As it landed the pilot reverse pitch the propellors for a short field landing and made this sound you feel in your loins and think to yourself "That was fucking awesome!"
Reverse pitch propellers are common in many models of planes over the years.
@@packrat76okay?... That wasn't really the point of his comment and you're making it seem like he was trying to say reverse pitch props weren't a thing back then
Very proud of my father,Ray,whom flew and trained others in the OV1..Came home in one piece,flew here in georgia for many years..even did a fly over of our neughborhood and took pics one night of my evening ball game usuing the flir system camara.
Tell your father to call David Barber.
15:15 "Seamore! Laos is on fire!"
"No, mother, it's just the Ho Chi Minh trail."
Hahahaha nice.
Simpsons? 😊
USAF protests over this aircraft and Army aviation in general come across as petty and insufferable. I understand the importance of missions and budgets, but when your vying for budget dollars and mission assignments threaten to sideline good aircraft and capabilities (which the USAF had no intention of replicating), inter-service rivalry has gone too far. Excellent video as always!
the USAF always wants the shiniest most expensiveness toys but is loathed to use them to help the other branches
Yea, the Air Force was better making propaganda than fighting wars.
That pettiness is ironically the reason why the Army Aviation Branch even exists. It's a long story, but it goes all the way back to the Grasshopper liaison planes from WWII
Truman made a few big mistakes. I've always felt the Key West Accord where the Airforce got it's way and the Army lost it's close support aircraft and short range cargo aircraft is past time to reign in the Airforce and give the Army the A10.
While being ex-USAF, even I agree that there are some aircraft that should have gone into production, regardless of what the USAF had to say. One such aircraft besides the OV-1, being the Martin P6M.
Thank you for posting this. You obviously did your homework on this one. I've seen a few other Mohawk videos out there that gave very poor or false information. Your details on a lot of the specifics were spot on. The OV-1 will always be my absolute favorite aircraft. The best thousand hours of my life was spent strapped into one. Most of my time was spent in the OV-1D with only a couple hours in B and C models. I was a technical Observer (TO) in the right seat and took care of the navigation and sensor operations. I spent many nights looking deep into North Korea and Eastern Europe with SLAR in the mid to late 80's and early 90's. During that time, Mohawks were stationed at all of the global hotspots of Europe, Asia and Central America. We even operated in the Bahamas conducting Counter-Narcotics missions. We were relatively unknown to the rest of the military as our numbers were few. With only a couple of places in the world to be stationed, most of the Mohawkers knew each other and we were a close knit group. Many of us are still friends to this day. The Mohawk flew her final mission in 1996. We were all very sad to see her go.
I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud, South Korea in 1972. I worked at the G2 office. This plane with SLAR would take photos of the DMZ and send it to my office for analysis. Interesting job.
Spend 2 years on Desiderio Airfield (Camp Humphries) with 3rd MI BN 88-90 guarding these things as an MP. The pilots were awesome and the planes were amazing. Befriended one particular pilot and he had me ejection seat qualified so I could go up with him on a training mission. One of the highlights of my time in the Army.
Barry - You should attend the EAA Oshkosh event. I’ve seen one there, in beautiful shape.
@@baconactual3858My buddy was a 68B like myself, Powerplant mechanic, at 3rd MI 91-92. I worked on Hooks as a Blackcat. Have you seen how Humphreys looks today?
3rd MI had the C12 also. My friendwas a powerplant mechanic there 91-92.
The moral of the story : Never underestimate your opponent.
Also some 20 years later, there's a similar aircraft called OV-10 Bronco tried similar feat against the F-16A in a slow speed dogfight but failed.
I've seen that footage. I still think the biggest mistake the OV-10 pilot made was that he wasn't flying low enough.
@@downunderrob Or the jets like F-16 and F/A-18 was deliberately designed to be good enough for slow turning fights. F-35s and Harrier was even better at this regard. F-35A is even capable to execute pedal turn at extremely slow speed.
@ReviveHF Or there's that! 😂
yup, I watched that from Ed's Military Channel.
The OV-10 was aVietnam era aircraft. Used by the USAF and, ironically, the USMC
Had those in my time Germany, but never worked on one. It was the only Army aircraft with a Martin-Baker ejection seat. We were trained how to disable the ejection seat when working on the aircraft. Spent my time turning wrenches on rotary wing aircraft. Sadly, did not have 20-20, so when I completed my Bachelors degree I went OCS and branched Field Artillery as no Infantry slots were available for my class. 205th Trans AVIM/8-158 AVN.
early 1974 I spent 6 months training to be a 17Lima20L8 ( the Airborne Sensor Specialist ) at Ft. Huachuca, AZ. They sent me to Germany with orders to be stationed at V Corp, 11 Avn. Battalion in the 173 AVN. Assault Helicopter co. on Fliegerhorst Cassern . They also had on that airfield the 73 Avn. Company flying OV-1s. I got offered to OJT as an aircraft mechanic on UH-1s. I went over to the 73 to see all the people I trained with doing motor-pool, MP duty , Everything but flying. What a waste of time and money. Nobody was giving up their flight slots.I'm so happy I was Assistant Crew chief/M-60 DoorGunner and got so many hours flying in Hueys.I wouldn't trade my History for anything.
WIESBADEN?
1980's veteran of A. Co, 224 AE Bn. Thanks for the history and memory refill.
I was with the 1st MI A company, wiesbaden, 83-86. when I got their we had nothing, when I left we had OV`s, RV`s, 1 duel stick, and 6 RC12`s..
I was there from 88-91. Baker trained.
The Vietnam war had the most interesting aviation stories, i love these aircraft.
A friend of mine flew Mohawks in Vietnam as a tech support for Grumman. Came home and later started a museum called American Wings at KANE near Minneapolis. Did Mohawk restorations and continued to fly them, until he passed away. Very cool airplane. Thanks.
Kind of a full-circle moment. The 2.75” FFAR (Folding Fin Aircraft Rocket) was developed in the late ‘40s as armament for the 1st-gen bomber interceptors, when it was named the ‘Mighty Mouse’. It’s still in service as the 70mm Hydra.
ALSO, an A-1 Skyraider bagged a MiG during the war!
Isnt the hydra a completely redesigned rocket though
@@zee_terminator2850 Without a doubt; they've been around almost 80 years. There are also laser kits that give it a new lease on life!
@@petesheppard1709 well yeah but you said “its still in service” so i wasnt sure if you were intending that the hydra is the same rocket, not trying to argue though i swear
@@zee_terminator2850 No problem! 😎
wondering if any A-1s could be refurb'd for Ukraine against drones
When I was in 3rd grade, this is the first model I built. I thought it was an interesting airplane at the time as a very young person. Thanks for the video. I am glad you got back to vietnam.
Wow that is so totally not even a little interesting in any way
@@slowery43 Wow what a totally needless remark ya troll.
"...retired in 1992." Except the Oregon Air National Guard units, who soldiered on until around 1999 (official sources say 1992, but I know I saw it taking off from McNary Field in Salem around 1998-1999). At any rate, one of the OR ANG Mohawk's, OV-1 #926, was discovered and restored and is now on display at the base entrance in Salem.
Always look forward to Friday morning a new “Not a pound for Air to Ground”
I've always been super curious about this aircraft, and all others that perform niche, underappreciated roles. Great video. NAPFATG is easily one of my very favorite channels.
Another very well done video! You do great work; thanks!!
I don't know why you have an absolutely untouchable voice and cadence for audio books but Jesus christ mate you have it down to a fucking art. Please keep this channel going
One of my Best Friend's Father was a OV-1 Pilot in Vietnam. He had very interesting stories and he gave me Montagnard Sword/Machete/Long Knife (don't know exactly what to call it) made out of a leaf-spring for helping him retar his driveway. His son (my friend) couldn't help due to him being asthmatic and not being allowed to be around the hot pitch fumes. So I volunteered to help instead. Over 30 years later I still have the weapon, its razor sharp and it hangs next to me on my home office wall.
So cool... so absolutely cool (as least to me anyway)... a real "keeper"
I worked for Grumman back in the late 80's and early 90's. I did inspection on the Mohawk when they came in for refurbishing. We were at Witham field in Stuart Florida. We took the wings, engines, tail, flaps most of the cockpit and lots of other stuff. I think we had the OV 1B.
The coolest aircraft I never heard of.
I'm one of those people that have never heard of this plane. I appreciate you dropping some knowledge on this badass aircraft.
In 1960, I was sent to learn to operate & do 1st echelon maintenance on the MPQ-29 ground radar system. Originally used to help track & control drones, we used it in the 101st Airborne Division to track our L-23, which had a developmental SLAR slung underneath. We would use our MPQ-29 onboard mapping system to track the L-23 and to compare the SLAR images to ground mapping until I left in 1962.
Love these weird gremlin planes. This and the Bronco.
Gremlin is the perfect adjective
Same
Only problem i have with mohawk is that its called a mohawk
It should be called a dragonfly, it looks so much like one
Bronco looks beautiful as a COIN aircraft tho.
Bingo DRAGON-fly
I had the pleasure of serving as a OV-1 mechanic in the 80s at Ft. Hood, TX (A Co., 15th M.I. Bn)
The OV was a very cool plane indeed, thanks for this informative documentary.
My father flew these in Vietnam in 1967 and 1969. He didnt talk about it much but did tell me about how they flew at night and very low with no lights.
My father flew the OV1-C with the 131st M.I. Arial Surveillance out of Marble Mountain Danang, 1972.
Such a beautiful plane. I was trained to eject out of the OV-1 Mohawk. You went right through the canopy with your seat providing the penetration aid
Don’t know if this channel has examined the OV-10, but it’s design, development, use and reuse is very interesting. I saw them in Colombia, based there for coca eradication a few years ago.
"Kentucky windage" has me laughing out loud at my desk at work. Thank you!
"The little Donkey that could!"
What an underrepresented and OOoouugly Aircraft. Thank you for telling me about it.
This plane looks like a pleasure to fly, of course not in the middle of a war, but to own and play around with this work of art would really be something special
At 14:28 there is a photo with the aircraft, with a tall man, a short man, an average height man, & what looks like an Australian man with an absolutely enormous knife
And a Swedish K SMG... Interesting
The shear number of aircraft types used in Vietnam
Is absolutely amazing. Practically anything that could fly was there at one point or another.
I've only seen one Mohawk"In the Flesh", so to speak and that was in late 1961/early '62 at our Oberschleisheim Hubschrabberflugplatz 5 miles from Munich and Dachau & right next to one of Ludwig's (the Mad King of Bavaria) castles. We had an airshow and I was the Public Information Office photographer under Captain M.C. Avery for the 7th Army's, 8th Transportation Battalion, Light Helicopter's and as such was right down on the runway when the Mohawk came in, 15 feet off the active on one engine then abruptly nosed up and climbed vertically, still on one engine to about 1,500 feet then did a roll and reversed course and flew right back over us. Yes, everybody was impressed. All we had at our airfield were a few H-13 Sioux and mostly H-34 Choctaws with a few L-19's and a couple of similar German high wing monoplanes and light helicopters. I immediately "Flashed" (if you will) that this plane would make a great ground support aircraft if it had enough firepower. I finished my three years of active duty in early June of '62 and rotated back to the states for discharge. Never did hear too much about the Mohawk afterwards. Glad to finally find out more about them and their role.
I've known about and admired the Mohawk for a while now, but I was completely taken by surprise with the G-134 concept being so... cute.
…and huge!!😂
How have I never heard of this badass being such an aviation nut?? Great video!!
Hey friend, this is the first of your videos i have watched and I was impressed! Then I read your "About" information and realized we have something in common. My father was a fighter pilot and I grew up living on air force bases seeing and being near (and sometimes in) aircraft all the time, but poor eyesight kept me out of the cockpit. I had a different career path also but never lost my interest in the subject. All that to say, you have a new subscriber!
5:00 - "some other mechanism for close support, like ... a
jaunty and slightly offensive song" - fell out of my chair laughing. Good play!
Yeah, that was damn good, glad I wasn't the only one to get it.
Me, too! 😂😂😂 But, let's not forget what happens when Marines receive the order, "FIX BAYONETS!"
What a great looking plane. Loved it as a kid.
Just a quick shoutout to the DHC-4 Caribou mentioned, an extremely rugged and durable aircraft that could land in seemingly impossible conditions, including stall landings on hillsides that is simply impossible in _almost_ all other aircraft. If I was ever going to fly a bus for back-country hopping, it'd be a Caribou.
i read a statistic one that the Air Force C-123 could land at 26% of the airfields in Southeast Asia.
The Army C-7 could operate out of 72%
I think memory is close on those percentages
The Caribou was a good aircraft, but the Buffalo waa even better at STOL operations
@@shawnmiller4781 Which is why USAF took it away from the Army
It being stated that the OV-1 is about the size of Skyhawk to me says less about how big the Mohawk was and more about the A-4. I always forget how insanely large combat aircraft are, even the smaller ones.
a skyraider flying as a sandy flamed a Mig 17 and tore up another over there too!!
As a brand new Eltee in 1975 I was assigned to the 9th Infantry Division. I am not sure if the OV-1's were assigned to the 9th Military Intelligence Company or to a separate detachment attached to the company. In any case, in large exercises we'd be getting intel from them at the battalion TOC and it was also not unknown for one of them to scream overhead on a strafing run when we were doing normal training. By the time of the First Gulf War, I was a Lieutenant Colonel and the staff section I was assigned to at Corps was the recipient of their intel. I, for one, was sad to see them go in 1992. Replacements were CL-650 (ARTEMIS) Bombardier Canada Jet, EO-5 de Havilland Canada Canada Propeller Electronic Warfare,/Recon, MC/RC-12 Beechcraft USA Propeller Reconnaissance - the ELINT version has so many antennas it looks like it hit the airfield perimeter fence
The Army retired the birds in 1985. There are a few privately owned D models flying around. I was force retired medical in May 1984. I was a right observer. I flew photo missions in Vietnam. I was part of the 73rd SAC Company.
@michaelpass2176 15th MI Bn at Fort Hood retired their D models in the Fall of 1993. I think they were the last unit to fly the Mohawk.
And of course unlike in helicopters it says Martin-Baker on the seat - very comforting id imagine in its role!
Makes me proud to honor a fellow Ken !
When I went to Army intelligence school at Ft Huchuca AZ in 1980 one of the guys in my company was being trained as the enlisted Side Looking Radar (SLAR) operator. I was thinking about transitioning to that MOS but stuck with the 96B MOS. Go figure, wish I had changed!
Never heard of this plane. Thank you
Fascinating info, thanks! Surprised to hear about the Mohawk's speedy cliimb rate. I'd like to see a comparison of the OV-1 Mohawk with the OV-10 Bronco - and the A1-H Skyraider.
Two variable pitch props will do that for you 😎
I remember seeing these stationed at the National Guard base Salem, Oregon during the 80s and 90s.
Thanks for the video, I have known about the Mohawk for years but did not know its background or the fact that it had an air to air kill.
Great Video! I liked the wry sarcasm, the cheeky jabs to the whining Branches, pictures, I can't even imagine how much time you put in to find some of those pictures, and finally, just a well written story. Ya got my sub. I'm going to click on your channel now and I hope to see many more of your videos. Thanx for the story
Excellent accounting for a great little workhorse. Thank you for your hard work putting this together.
It’s amazing watching so many doctrines compete for superiority here
One of my favorite aircraft types and flown to many airshows in my native Oregon from their base in Salem, Oregon being with the Army National Guard. Great show as usual!
A tale well told! I’ve seen photos of this aircraft but didn’t know much about it, thanks for the information and a great video!
Another excellent presentation! It is easy to let these 'more obscure' aircraft fade away unremembered. Can you give us one about the OV-10 Bronco next please? The marines finally got the aircraft that they wanted with that one.
Excellent video. I saw a 'SEAMORE' Mohawk in National Aircraft getting scrapped in 2010. It had a large underfuselage radome.
SEEMORE would be a more apt name for these neat recon types.
Great content.
This channel keeps getting better. I have always thought the USAF leadership were a bunch of pricks over this business.
The Army needs dedicated air support, the Air Force doesn't want them to have it, yet at the same time the Air Force doesn't really want to do it either. The USAF has never really liked the A-10, for example, and expecting the USAF to acquire and operate dedicated squadrons of aircraft such as the OV-1, the OV-10, the Harrier, or some sort of A-4 equivalent, and then to have them work as closely with the Army as the Army's own aviation, is not a good bet.
The US Marine Corps, with cooperation from the Navy, has steadfastly maintained its own very powerful aviation element and has no asinine restrictions placed on it like the Army does. The result is that the Corps has entire air wings of both rotor wing and fast movers dedicated to supporting Marines on the ground, and which operate in the field as integrated parts of the whole fighting force.
The USAF should develop this kind of relationship with the Army, or alternatively, allow the Army to procure and develop its own aviation equipment and training as it sees fit.
At least Ken Lee got to hear about his confirmed kill from legends like Robin Olds and Chappie James, I bet that was cool for him!
each branch has it's own sand box......and don't you DARE kick some of your sand into my sand box, or try to steal a grain of my sand.....it's bull shit and needs fixing.
This is one thing I love about USMC/Navy. We get along pretty well.
@@CharliMorganMusic Since you mentioned it, Marine Corps aviation also makes the Navy stronger, since a secondary mission for Marine squadrons is to augment Navy carrier air wings. Amphibious task forces equipped with Marine Harriers or F-35s can provide their own limited air cover and can act as auxillary carriers. Air Force: take note. The Army can help you if you let them.
I met a guy who flew these in the war a few months, very cool guy, he had lots to say about these neat planes! It was new to me, I was more familiar with the OV-10 Bronco, so it was very interesting to learn about a plane I was unfamiliar with!
Huh...with what you said when opening I realized, if an airplane is getting shot, and your in it, all you hear is the bullet hitting the aircraft. The plane is mostly aluminum, so getting punctured will actually be fairly quiet, compared to the noises the plane makes when operating normally.
That makes the entire event even more scary, because in reality, you might not even hear getting shot down.
You are correct, in most cases you don't hear the round hitting the aircraft but there are some exceptions. As a door gunner on a Huey "C" model we seldom heard the rounds hit the aircraft unless it hit a blade. Than the whistling sound was quite apparent. The one exception I remember was a round coming in the hell hole and hitting the bulkhead directly behind me. I not only heard it but felt it as well. If it wasn't for the stoutness of the bulkhead and angle of the bullet I probably would have been injured in some way. While you couldn't hear the rounds hitting the aircraft flying low and slow, as we did, you could definitely hear the report from the firearm alerting you to the fact you were taking fire...
THANK YOU for mentioning the urgent and skillful efforts of Robin Olds and Chappie James directed toward Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD). ELEMENTAL !
The only time the Army got an air-to-air kill since WWII.
i just missed the OV-1D’s at Stuttgart Germany when I got assigned to Stuttgart Army Airfield in the summer of 1992
2nd MI had drawn down by then
I was there then
Nuclear artillery spotter that sounds like interesting flying , not to mention that you must avoid the artillery arc of normal artillery being in a certain place at a certain time so not to be hit .
The NVA learned quickly that artillery meant a landing was eminent. The artillery stopping meant they're 5 minutes out.
Great episode! Informative, with a sense of humor. A++
The research you put into to each video must be rather intensive. The impressive quantity of data condensed into them combined with your delivery makes for excellent videos.
As an Army Forward Observer I've always loved this type of aircraft.
The much maligned OV-1 and OV-10 remind me so much of the A-10, planes that flew in the face of what the brass insists is needed to fight and yet were never really replaced by successive generations of newer, faster aircraft.
The irony of this is that the A-10 exists because the air forcdidnt want the army to be able to give themselves Cas witthe AH-56, which would've outperformed the A-10 and AH-64. You really couldn't have picked a works aircraft to support what you're saying. A-10 is garbage and it's the reason we don't have a better helicopter right now.
Thanks for reminding me about this incident.
And with great video and the detailed back story and evolution of the Mohawk.
😁👍
The artwork in the thumbnail was painted by Ukrainian Artist Valery Grygorenko. Killed by the Russians March 4rh 2022. RIP
It's the box artwork for a 1.48 Roden kit I have too which caught my attention in the thumbnail. Didn't know about the artist.
I was trained on the OV-1D at Ft. Eustis, VA in AIT around Nov '88-Mar '89.
Your sarcasm is gold!
A terrific video! Thank you for such research and detail.
The Georgia Army NG used to fly these. There were some at Dobbins when I joined the Air Guard. The Marine Reserves there had OV-10’s.
Very informative. I didn't know all these things about the Mohowka
Everything about this AIRCRAFT sound absolutely Spectacular!
sounds like it excelled at every task it was given in Vietnam....And Yet until Now? Never Heard of it! 😁
I'm not a Vietnam War Buff, but my dad was A Phantom Pilot ( 2 Tours).. I spent almost 10 years in the Infantry between 2003 & 2013 (Iraq & Afghanistan)
I am an avid reader follower of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, "Granada"😁 lol .. I watched the Gulf war as a kid, Etc, etc...
Never Heard of this Plane in my life!
Thanks for this interesting and informative video.
Incredible History
Beautiful Bird
Good work
Amazing details
Excellent, thorough documentary on an unusual aircraft. Liked and subscribed. Your last tongue-in-cheek words are funny.
We had these at Hanau Army Airfield, 1970.71 flying photo missions every night along the German border. I was an ATC and they were our only fixed wing aircraft.
He may have put some .50 cal into it, but if he had hit it with 4 x 2.75" rockets as he thought, he would not have reacquired it and watched it turn into a valley; the MiG would have been raining, not flying.
Well it depends a lot on how far the Mig was in front of his nose, since the FFAR have an Arming distance, if a rocket had hit it would do damage but wouldn’t explode unless the arming distance had been reached
It also depends on what warheads he had loaded. HE vs WP or flechetts there may be some others, that i hadn't heard of.
You both make valid points.
The 2.75 rocket was meant to be used on “solid” targets. They had a nasty habit of going completely through the wing or fuselage of aircraft without detonating, unless they struck a harder structural component. Sometimes that would work for you, if it struck something on the inside, detonating inside the airframe. Other times, they would slice right through a wing, or other control surface, and just keep on going. Growing up, I had an Air Force Colonel, for a neighbor, who had the most amazing Vietnam war stories! RIP Col. George Krantz. You will never be forgotten!
Although some OV-1s were modified with armament in the field, as soon as USAF got wind of this they got DoD to order all armament removed.
Never heard of this plane. You make really great content, to the contued groth of your channel
In January 66 at Ho Bo Woods one of these picked up a Regiment of NVA moving to attack the Australian Battalion 1 R.A.R. I was sent out in a Standing Patrol between the river & the Battalion. The Americans decided that would light the entire area up by dropping huge flares continuously from about 10pm until about 5am next day. About 6am the entire wooded area erupted. Not with NVA, but with hundreds of Gibbon Apes. This is what the Mohawk had spotted.
Great story!
Damn, I thought no one would do a video on the Mohawk. I was a mechanic in HHC 151st MI. We called it the widow maker, lost 2 in two years.
Great vid on a largely forgotten plane 🎉
My all time fave Vietnam era USA plane was the ov10 bronco. I hear it’s making a come back. I’ll have to look into this mohawk.
A fabulous platform form for variant upgrades
Whispering Death by Robert Curry (amazon kindle) is an engaging read on OV1 ops in SEA. Also Gerald Naekel’s war stories collection for a left seat perspective.
I remember the Mohawk when I was an MP in Fort Huachuca Arizona in 1970.
Good structure to the video
Brilliant work, thanks again
Great video, thank you.
Really enjoyed this thanks. The army should've been permitted it's own close support aircraft. The Mowhawk, Bronco, and A-10. Possibly even the Harrier which I believe Northrop would have built for the army. "Not a pound for air to ground" was the USAF mantra for the F-15. A pure air to air fighter. The A-10 was begrudgingly adopted by the air force to appease the army with a close air support commitment. Inter service rivalry at it's finest.