The Grumman C-2 Greyhound is a twin-engine, high-wing cargo aircraft, designed to carry
supplies and passengers to and from aircraft carriers of the United States Navy which can
deliver a payload of up to 10,000 pounds. Its primary mission is Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD).
The aircraft provides critical logistics support to carrier strike groups and it is
mainly used to transport high-priority cargo between carriers and shore bases.
The development of the C-2 Greyhound is a derivative of the E-2 Hawkeye,
which shares wings and power plants but has a larger fuselage with a rear loading ramp. The
first of two prototypes flew in 1964, and after successful testing, Grumman began production
of the aircraft in 1965 which replaced the piston-engine Grumman C-1 Trader in the COD role.
The original C-2A aircraft were overhauled to extend their operational life in 1973.
In 1984, the Navy ordered 39 new C-2A aircraft to replace older airframes.
Dubbed the reprocured C-2A or C-2A(R) due to the similarity to the original,
the new aircraft has airframe improvements and better avionics.
The older Greyhound were phased out in 1987, and the last of the new models was delivered in 1990.
Talking about its tactical engine, the C-2A Greyhound aircraft is powered by
twin Allison T56-A-425 turboprop engines and Hamilton-Sundstrand constant speed propellers,
which can transport cargo between ship and shore in a matter of hours.
The Greyhound has length of 17.3m, height of 5.38m, wingspan of 24.56m, and the weight
of maximum gross take off is up to 26.082kg. As a derivative of the E-2 Hawkey with larger
fuselage and a rear loading ramp, the interior arrangement of the cabin can accommodate priority
cargo like jet engines, passengers, litter patients and critical spare parts. A cargo
cage system also provides restraint for loads during ship launches and landings. Straight-in
rear cargo loading and unloading allows for fast turn around on the ground or carrier flight-deck,
while the cargo ramp can be opened in flight, allowing for airdrops of supplies and personnel.
In addition, an on-board Auxiliary Power Unit provides aircraft self-sufficiency at remote
airfields. The C-2 fleet also supplies rapid airborne logistics capability to the carrier
strike force across a full range of sea basing military operations. Furthermore,
the improvements to the avionics system, an electrical rewire, and structural enhancements
provide the fleet with a cost-effective C-2 platform for the life of its service.
Moreover, this aircraft has several operational histories,
between November 1985 and February 1987, its seven reprocured C-2As demonstrated the aircraft's
exceptional operational readiness. The squadron delivered 2.000.000 pounds of cargo and mails,
and 14,000 passengers in the European and Mediterranean theaters. The C-2A(R) also
served the carrier battle groups during Operations Desert Shield and Desert
Storm during the Gulf War, as well as Operation Enduring Freedom during the war in Afghanistan.
On June 2nd, 2011, the US Navy loaned two Greyhounds from VRC-40 to the French Navy.
The two aircraft were stationed at Toulon-Hyères Airport to assist in
improving the flow of logistics and supplies to the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
operating in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya in support of the NATO intervention in Libya.
After 16 days, both aircraft returned to the U.S. via Shannon Airport, Ireland, in June 2011.
Despite the success of the C-2A, this aircraft also had several accidents.
On April 29th, 1965, the aircraft was on a test flight when it crashed into Long Island Sound,
killing all four crew members. In October 1969, the C-2A carrying six crew members
and 21 passengers, crashed in the Gulf of Tonkin en route from Naval Air Station
Cubi Point to USS Constellation. All aboard are officially listed as missing in action,
as their bodies were never found. Moreover, this aircraft crashed shortly after taking
off from USS Ranger, killing all four crew members and five passengers in December 1970.
And then, in November 2017 the aircraft crashed while carrying 11 crew and passengers in the
waters southeast of Japan's Okinawa Island in the Philippine Sea while in flight to the
aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and fortunately eight of the 11 were saved.
Lastly, we will highlight the upgrades of C-2A Greyhound.
The 36 C-2A(R)s underwent a critical Service Life Extension Program (SLEP). The
C-2A(R) had a service life of 10,000 hours, or 15,000 carrier landings while plans required
the aircraft to continue providing battle group operational readiness through 2015.
The lower landing limit was approaching for most airframes, and the SLEP will
extend their projected life to 15,000 hours or 36,000 landings. Once complete, it will allow
the 36 aircraft to operate until 2027. All aircrafts were to receive the SLEP by 2015,
and for the structural improvements includes to the center wing, an eight-bladed NP2000 propeller,
and navigational modifications such as GPS, the dual CAINS II navigation system,
crash-survivable flight-incident recorders, and a ground proximity warning system.
Additionally, the first modified C-2A(R) left NAVAIR Depot North Island in September 2005,
after sitting on the ground for three and a half years while the SLEP was developed and installed.
Furthermore, in November 2008, the company also obtained a $37 million contract for maintenance,
logistics, and aviation administration services over five years for the C-2A fleet assigned to
the VX-20 test and evaluation squadron at Patuxent River. Northrop Grumman worked on an upgraded C-2
version, and offered to modernize the fleet with components common to the E-2D Hawkeye.
That’s all for today. Thanks for watching and see you in the next episode!