Mohawk Over the Pampas; The OV-1D in Buenos Aires.
Before I visited Argentina in June 2016 I had no idea the Argentine Army (Ejército Argentino) operated the OV-1D Mohawk and on researching my trip I found out that there was one hidden away in a suburb of Buenos Aires. It wasn't until then that I learned of the excellent Museo Histórico del Ejército, the Argentine Army museum. Located on the grounds of a permanent army base, this rather intriguing gem of a place hides away in the suburb of Ciudadela; it's not very well advertised, so the presence of the Mohawk goes largely unnoticed by foreigners visiting the city with an interest in aviation unless they dig a little deeper. Between December 1992 and 2015, the Comando de Aviación de Ejército Argentino operated a total of 23 OV-1Ds (and two spares ships) as electronic, radar and photographic reconnaissance platforms. Based at Campo de Mayo, the headquarters of Argentine army aviation to the north west of the Argentine capital, the aircraft were initially assigned to Escuadrón de Aviación de Apoyo General 603 after delivery from the USA, but in January 1994, Escuadrón de Aviación de Exploración y Reconocimiento 601 was especially created to operate the OV-1D. Offering a capability beyond that which the Aviación de Ejército Argentino had been previously equipped, the Mohawks were welcomed by their crews, although budgetary restraint brought about a rationalisation of the fleet until complete retirement of the type in 2015. Not the most glamorous type, Grumman's peculiar looking observation and reconnaissance platform first flew on 14 April 1959 and in US Army service proved a vast improvement over previous aircraft, being powered by two Lycoming T-53 turboprops and equipped with state of the art electronics, coupled with an excellent view from the cockpit and good manoeuvrability. Operating in the shady world of visual and electronic battlefield reconnaissance, OV-1Cs were operated during the Vietnam war, putting their infrared sensors to use in detecting heat signatures from enemy positions in jungle foliage. Initially there were different variants of the aircraft equipped for differing missions, but in the OV-1D, the roles of infrared, electronic and photographic reconnaissance were combined into one airframe; the Argentine army received 'D models direct from the US Army following the type's retirement, after an arms embargo against Argentina by the United States was relaxed. This particular airframe was built as an OV-1C, serial 68-15932 and served until August 1999, when it was retired to the Museo Histórico del Ejército that month. Exposure to the elements for the last 17 years is evident on the airframe. I would like to thank Cecilia, Laura, Maryann and Rebecca for their company during my visit to the museum. Information on the Mohawk in Argentine service comes from the book Grumman OV-1D Mohawk en Aviación de Ejército, by G.Gebel et al. Click on the image to go to the Mohawk's walkaround page.
