One of the most impactful aircraft in the U.S. Navy was retired in July.
After more than 60 years of dedicated service to Navy carrier strike groups around the world, the C-2 Greyhound made its final flight on July 30.
On that day, thousands of people gathered in Naval Air Station Pensacola, FL to witness the final flight of the C-2 Greyhound.
The C-2 went out with a bang. According to the Navy, nearly 6,000 people gathered at the National Naval Aviation Museum (NNAM) in NAS Pensacola to see the last Greyhound flight. A formation of six F/A-18 Super Hornet flown by the Blue Angels accompanied the venerable C-2 in its final descent.
The aircraft was then turned over to the National Naval Aviation Museum and will be in display for future generations to see.
“When a C-2 appears on the horizon, it brings with it far more than just cargo,” Navy Commander Paul Ingram, VRC-40’s commanding officer, said during the event.
The retiring aircraft was assigned to Fleet Logistic Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40), the “Rawhides,” which the Navy is disestablishing after over six decades of carrier onboard delivery missions. The “Rawhides” was the last squadron to fly the C-2.
Manufactured by Northrop Grumman, the C-2 Greyhound was a twin-engine, high-wing transport aircraft with an inboard tailhook so that it could and on aircraft carriers.
“Every single mission carries a deep, personal meaning for someone aboard the carrier. For a nervous new Sailor, that [trip] represents the excitement of arriving for their first fleet assignment and for a seasoned master chief, it is the final catapult shot before a hard-earned retirement. It is the joyous flight ferrying a Sailor home to a waiting family, or the delivery of a simple, handwritten letter from a loved one that restores morale during a grueling deployment,” Ingram said.
“In its most urgent capacity, the Greyhound serves as a flying ambulance, executing a life-saving medical evacuation that ensures an injured service member lives to see tomorrow. No other aircraft in the history of Naval Aviation carries so many personal memories for as many people as the C-2,” he added.
In more than 60 years of service, the C-2A Greyhound landed over 250,000 times on aircraft carriers, transporting millions of Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, Airmen, and civilians. It also carried more than 100 million pounds of cargo.
Northrop Grumman manufactured 56 C-2 Greyhounds for the Navy, with less than 15 still in service at the time of the official retirement.
The Navy had been planning the C-2’s retirement for years. However, persistent issues surrounding the CMV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, which is the designated replacement of the Greyhound, kept pushing the official retirement date further back – until now.
The C-2 Greyhound entered operational service in 1966 at the height of the Vietnam War. It could carry up to 10,000lbs of cargo, including 26 passengers or 12 patients in litters. The transport aircraft could achieve max speeds of nearly 400 miles per hour and had an operational range of 1,150 miles. It had a crew of four: two pilots and two loadmasters.
Feature Image: PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 22, 2023) A C-2 Greyhound from the “Providers” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 30 makes an arrested landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Justin McTaggart)
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