The C-2 Greyhound naval airplane's farewell to US aircraft carriers after 60 years

Recently, the United States Navy ended its carrier operations with one of its oldest aircraft.

A visit to Rota, Spain, by C-2A(R) Greyhound planes from the carrier USS Gerald R. Ford
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On June 25, the oldest of the active U.S. aircraft carriers, the USS Nimitz (CVN-68), hosted the final landing and launch of a Grumman C-2 Greyhound logistics transport aircraft. The honor went to two aircraft from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40) "Rawhides," a unit created on July 1, 1960, and based at NAVSTA Norfolk, Virginia. You can see a video of those final Greyhound carrier operations here, with footage released by the U.S. Navy:

The VRC-40 "Rawhides" is the only squadron of its class still active in the US Navy. Two other units of that class (the VRC-30 and VRC-50) have been converted into Fleet Logistics Multimission (VRM) Squadrons and currently fly the CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor, which has been replacing the Greyhound in the US Navy since 2020.

The C-2 Greyhound made its first flight on November 18, 1964, entering service in 1966 with the VRC-50 "Foo Dogs" squadron. The Greyhound replaced the Grumman C-1 Trader as the fleet's logistics transport aircraft, surpassing its payload capacity (4,500 kg versus 3,856 kg) and adding the advantage of a rear ramp.

For 60 years, the US Navy has been the sole operator of the C-2, with 17 units of the initial C-2A version, which were replaced in 1985 by 39 new C-2A(R) aircraft. The C-2 Greyhound is a derivative of the Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft, which made its first flight on October 21, 1960, and entered service in 1964. The Hawkeye continues in service in the US, the Republic of China, Egypt, France, Japan, and Mexico, and so far no other aircraft has emerged capable of assuming its role as a carrier-based AEW aircraft.

The photos you can see here were published by the United States Navy on June 26 and show the last landing of a C-2 on an aircraft carrier, specifically the C-2A(R) 40 (serial number 162159) and the last launch by the C-2A(R) 52 (162157). Although it does not appear in this series of images, apparently both were accompanied by the C-2A(R) on the 47th (162149).

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Images and video: U.S. Navy.