Grumman C-2 Greyhound

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox aircraft

The Grumman C-2 Greyhound is a twin-engine, high-wing cargo aircraft designed to carry supplies, mail, and passengers to and from aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. Its primary mission is carrier onboard delivery (COD). The aircraft provides critical logistics support to carrier strike groups. The aircraft is mainly used to transport high-priority cargo such as jet engines and special stores, mail, and passengers between carriers and shore bases.[1]

Prototype C-2s first flew in 1964, and production followed the next year. The initial Greyhound aircraft were overhauled in 1973. In 1984, more C-2As were ordered under designation Reprocured C-2A or C-2A(R). In 2010, all C-2A(R) aircraft received updated propellers (from four to eight blades) and navigational updates (glass cockpit). The U.S. Navy is to start replacing the remaining 27 C-2As with 38 Bell Boeing CMV-22Bs Osprey tiltrotors in 2020, with full fielding in 2028.

Design and development

Origins

Template:More citations needed section The C-2 Greyhound, a derivative of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, shares the folding "Sto-Wings" and engines with the E-2, but has a widened fuselage with a rear loading ramp. The first of two prototypes flew in 1964. After successful testing, Grumman began production of the aircraft in 1965. The C-2 replaced the piston-engine Grumman C-1 Trader in the carrier onboard delivery (COD) role. The original C-2A aircraft were overhauled to extend their operational life in 1973.[2]

Powered by two Allison T56 turboprop engines, the C-2A can deliver up to 10,000 pounds (4,500 kg) of cargo or up to 28 passengers, and is normally configured for a cargo/passenger mix. It can also carry litter patients in medical-evacuation missions. A cage system or transport stand restrains cargo during carrier launch and landing accelerations to prevent weight redistribution, which might adversely affect in-flight stability. The large aft cargo ramp and door and a powered winch allow straight-in rear cargo loading and unloading for fast turnaround. The Greyhound's ability to airdrop supplies and personnel, fold its wings, and generate power for engine starting and other uses provide greater operational versatility. Some parts are shared with the E-2 Hawkeye and the Grumman A-6 Intruder to ease logistics support.[3]

File:C-2A ramp DN-ST-86-02080.JPEG
A C-2A taxis prior to takeoff on a flight to Template:USS in February 1984. This was the first Greyhound delivered in 1966.

The C-2 has four vertical stabilizers, of which three are fitted with rudders. A single vertical stabilizer large enough for adequate directional control would have made the aircraft too tall to fit on an aircraft carrier hangar deck. The four-stabilizer configuration has the advantage of placing the outboard rudder surfaces directly in line with the propeller wash, providing effective yaw control down to low airspeeds, such as during takeoff and landing. The inner-left stabilizer lacks a rudder, and has been called the "executive tail", as it has nothing to do compared to the other three.[4] A single C-2 (2797) was equipped with an air-to-air refueling probe, but this was not installed in other aircraft.[4][5]

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 C-2As were phased out in 1987, and the last of the new models was delivered in 1990.

Upgrades

The 36 C-2A(R)s underwent a critical service life extension program (SLEP). The C-2A(R)'s lifespan was 10,000 hours, or 15,000 carrier landings; plans require the C-2A to perform its mission supporting battle group operational readiness through 2015. The lower landing limit was approaching for most airframes, and the SLEP will increase their projected life to 15,000 hours or 36,000 landings. Once complete, the SLEP will allow the 36 aircraft to operate until 2027. The SLEP includes structural improvements to the center wing, an eight-bladed NP2000 propeller, navigational upgrades including the addition of GPS and the dual CAINS II navigation system, the addition of crash-survivable flight-incident recorders, and a ground proximity warning system. The first upgraded C-2A(R) left NAVAIR Depot North Island on 12 September 2005, after sitting on the ground for three and a half years while the SLEP was developed and installed. All aircraft were to receive the SLEP by 2015.[6]

File:C-2A NP-2000 USS Carl Vinson 2009.jpg
A VRC-40 C-2A(R) after SLEP on Template:USS, July 2009

In November 2008, the company also obtained a $37M contract for the maintenance, logistics, and aviation administration services over five years for the C-2A fleet assigned to 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.[7]

Operational history

File:C-2 Greyhound launching from a carrier.jpg
A C-2 Greyhound launches from a carrier at sea

Between November 1985 and February 1987, VR-24 (former Navy Transport Squadron) and its seven reprocured C-2As demonstrated the aircraft's exceptional operational readiness. The squadron delivered Template:Convert of cargo, Template:Convert of mail, 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.[8]Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

On 2 June 2011, the US Navy loaned two C-2A(R) Greyhounds from VRC-40 to the French Navy. The two aircraft were stationed at Toulon-Hyères Airport, Hyères, to assist in improving the flow of logistics and supplies to the Script error: No such module "WPSHIPS utilities".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". 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, on 18 June 2011.[9]

File:US Navy 110722-N-BR887-022 Sailors move more than ten thousand pounds of mail delivered by two C-2A Greyhound aircraft assigned to Carrier Logistic.jpg
Template:USS crew unload mail from two C-2A Greyhounds in 2011

Replacement

The Common Support Aircraft was once considered as a replacement for the C-2, but failed to materialize. The U.S. Navy was exploring a replacement for the C-2 in September 2009.[10] Three options were suggested as replacements for the aging C-2s: a new batch of updated C-2s, a transport version of the Lockheed S-3 Viking, and the tilt-rotor Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey.[11]

The C-2 competed with the V-22 Osprey for use as the future COD aircraft. Northrop Grumman proposed modernizing the C-2 by installing the same wings, glass cockpit, and engines as the E-2D Advanced Hawkeye. Installing the Rolls-Royce T56-427A engines would cut fuel consumption by 13–15% with the same eight-bladed propeller, enabling take-offs with a Template:Convert payload in Template:Convert temperature and a range in excess of Template:Convert; similar performance by the C-2A requires engine temperatures at Template:Convert, trading fuel for payload. Adopting the E-2D's cockpit would deliver a 10% savings on lifetime logistical support. One of the Greyhound's most important features is its internal volume of Template:Convert of cargo space.[12] Northrop Grumman stated that their approach could cost far less than the V-22, including saving $120 million from C-2 and E-2D commonality.[13]

In February 2015, the Navy's FY 2016 budget confirmed the V-22's selection for the COD mission, replacing the C-2A.[14][15][16] The Navy is to order 44 of the Osprey, designated CMV-22B, with deliveries to start in 2020.[17] The C-2 was originally planned to be retired in 2027, but this was accelerated to 2024.[18] The fleet is expected to be fully transitioned to the Osprey by 2028.[19][20]

Variants

File:C-2A interior DN-SD-03-16988.JPEG
Interior view from the tail of a C-2A Greyhound assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40)
YC-2A
Prototype, two converted from E-2A Hawkeyes with redesigned fuselage
C-2A
Production variant, 17 built
C-2A(R)
"Reprocured" C-2A with improved systems based on the E-2C variant, 39 built
Greyhound 21
Turbofan powered variant used for anti-submarine warfare, electronic warfare, electronic surveillance, carrier onboard delivery and aerial refuelling. Concept only.[21]

Operators

Template:Country data United States

Accidents

  • On 29 April 1965, YC-2A BuNo 148147 was on a test flight when it was ditched into Long Island Sound, where the four crewmen died of exposure.[22]
  • On 2 July 1969, Lieutenant Commander Peter Monroe Kennedy was presented the Air Medal with bronze star, the first award for heroic achievement in aerial flights for a carrier onboard delivery aircraft. While returning to Naval Air Station Cubi Point from Template:USS operating in Southeast Asia, a failure in the engine gearbox and propeller assembly resulted in the loss of the entire port propeller assembly and substantial portions of the gearbox and nacelle. The separated propeller penetrated the fuselage, causing decompression at over 20,000 feet. Kennedy and his copilot secured the engine,Template:Clarify descended to a lower altitude, and returned to Cubi Point.[23]
File:A C-2A Greyhound lands on the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan. (35349241870).jpg
The C-2A lost on 22 November 2017, landing on the USS Ronald Reagan in July 2017
  • On 2 October 1969, C-2A of VRC-50, carrying six crew members and 21 passengers, crashed in the Gulf of Tonkin en route from Cubi Point to Template:USS. All aboard are officially listed as missing in action, as their bodies were never recovered.[24]
  • On 15 December 1970, a C-2A of VRC-50 crashed shortly after launch from Template:USS, killing all four crew members and five passengers.[25]
  • On 12 December 1971, C-2A crashed en route from Cubi Point to Tan Son Nhat International Airport, killing all four crew members and six passengers.[26]
  • On 29 January 1972, C-2A crashed while attempting to land on the Template:USS in the Mediterranean Sea, killing both crewmen.[27]
  • On 16 November 1973, C-2A crashed into the sea after takeoff from Chania International Airport, killing seven of 10 persons on board.[28]
  • On 22 November 2017, C-2A of VRC-30 carrying 11 crew and passengers crashed in the waters southeast of Japan's Okinawa Island in the Philippine Sea while in flight to the aircraft carrier Template:USS. Eight of the 11 were rescued.[29][30][31][32][33][34] The aircraft was located on the ocean floor at a depth of Template:Convert during the last week of December 2017, when a salvage ship used a pinger receiver to locate the aircraft's emergency signal. The Navy salvaged the aircraft and recovered the remains of the three sailors inside,[35][36] in late May 2019.[37]

Specifications (Reprocured C-2A)

Orthographically projected diagram of the C-2A Greyhound
Orthographically projected diagram of the C-2A Greyhound

Template:Aircraft specs

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Grumman aircraft Template:USAF transports Template:Authority control

  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Fact File: C-2A Greyhound logistics aircraft Template:Webarchive. U.S. Navy, Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "Citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ a b Grumman C-2 Greyhound Template:Webarchive Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  5. ↑ C-2 Greyhound refueling from a US Marine Corps KC-130 tanker Template:Webarchive Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  6. ↑ C-2A Greyhound Logistics Aircraft Template:Webarchive
  7. ↑ "Osprey Takes on Greyhound in Fight Over U.S. Navy's COD.". Template:Webarchive. Aviation Today, 9 April 2013.
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ "US Navy Loans Greyhounds to France". AirForces Monthly (Key Publishing), Issue 281, August 2011, p. 13. Template:Catalog lookup linkScript error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".Script error: No such module "check isxn".. Retrieved: 4 October 2011.
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Lockheed Wants To Bring The S-3 Viking Back From The Dead 4/9/2014 Template:Webarchive Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Future COD Aircraft Contenders: The Northrop Grumman C-2A Greyhound" Template:Webarchive. Defensemedianetwork.com, 3 August 2013.
  13. ↑ "Navy May Delay Decision On Platform To Replace Carrier Supply Planes" Template:Webarchive. InsideDefense.com, 25 April 2014.
  14. ↑ Navy 2016 Budget Funds V-22 COD Buy, Carrier Refuel Template:Webarchive - Breakingdefense.com, 2 February 2015
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Eckstein, Megan. Navy's Osprey Will Be Called CMV-22B; Procurement To Begin In FY 2018 Template:Webarchive USNI News Retrieved 23 January 2017.
  18. ↑ Navy's COD Transition from C-2A to CMV-22B Accelerated; First V-22 Deployment Set for 2021 Template:Webarchive. USNI News. 1 October 2018.
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  21. ↑ Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1990-1991
  22. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  23. ↑ https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=165261 Template:Webarchive. aviation-safety.net
  24. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  31. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  32. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  33. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  34. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  35. ↑ Navy locates crashed C-2A Greyhound deep on Pacific seabed Template:Webarchive. The Associated Press/MilitaryTimes.com, 2018-01-07
  36. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  37. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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