Army aviation

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The OV-1 Mohawk was developed by Grumman after Grumman Aircraft Cooperation G-134 design won a competition organized by the U.S. Navy. The US. Army and U.S. Marine jointly called for development of a small plane that operated from small unimproved fields under all weather conditions. It required a greater firepower and heavier amour than the Cessna L-10 Bird Dog that was currently being used in the field. The mission would include observation, artillery spotting, air control, emergency resupply, naval target spotting, liaison, and radiological monitoring. The Marines dropped out of the program in September 1957 as they didn’t want the sophisticated sensors suggested by the Army and then he Navy decided to spend their budget on a fleet oil tanker. The Air Force didn’t like the armament capability of the Mohawk. The Army were the only service to continue with the program. Additionally, the U.S. Army developed cargo pods attached to the underwing and could be dropped to resupply troops in emergency situations. In 1967, the Army agreed to strip weapons off the Mohawks. The surveillance Mohawks’ mission in Vietnam were radar using side looking airborne radar (SLAR) and infrared. SLAR mission flew at 7,000 feet and infrared missions flew at 1,500 feet or lower. At the end of the Vietnam War, the Mohawk losses were one shot down by a MiG, one destroyed by mortar fire, 27 lost to ground fire and 36 destroyed in operational accidents.
This week we salute Gabriel “Gabe” Pearson. Gave served in the U.S. Army from 1965 to 1967. He went to basic training at Fort Ord, California, and Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Leonard Wood training to be a combat engineer. He then was sent to Fort Huachuca to train on the OV1 Mohawks. During his time in service, Gabe was stationed at Fort Lewis-McCord, Washington, Japan, Vietnam, and flew over the Ho Chi Minh trail. Gabe left the military as a Specialist 4. He has some interesting experiences. In 1969, he met with President Nixon and King Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, a direct descendant of King Soloman and Queen Sheba. Gabe spent 35 years as a teamster drilling oil wells on the side. He also has held a pilot’s license since 1964 and was very involved in Angel Flights.