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Grumann C-2A Greyhound

posted by Jiri Wagner

The C-2A is a twin-engine cargo aircraft, designed to land on aircraft carriers.

The C-2A Greyhound provides critical logistics support to aircraft carriers. Its primary mission is carrier on-board delivery. Powered by two T-6 turboprop engines, the C-2A can deliver a payload of up to 10,000pounds. The cabin can readily accommodate cargo, passengers or both. It is also equipped to accept litter patients in medical evacuation missions.

Priority cargo such as jet engines can be transported from shore to ship in a matter of hours. A cage system or transport stand provides cargo restraint for loads during carrier launch or landing. The large aft cargo ramp and door and a powered winch allow straight-in rear cargo loading and downloading for fast turnaround.
The C-2A's open-ramp flight capability allows airdrop of supplies and personnel from a carrier-launched aircraft. This, plus its folding wings and an on-board auxiliary power unit for engine starting and ground power self-sufficiency in remote areas provide an operational versatility found in no other cargo aircraft.

The original C-2A aircraft were overhauled, and their operational life extended, in 1973. In 1984, a contract was awarded for 39 new C-2A aircraft to replace earlier the airframes. Dubbed the Reprocured C-2A due to the similarity to the original, the new aircraft include substantial improvements in airframe and avionic systems. All the older C-2As were phased out in 1987, and the last of the new models was delivered in 1990. During the period November 1985 to February 1987, VR-24, operating with seven Reprocured C-2As, demonstrated exceptional operational readiness while delivering two million pounds of cargo, two million pounds of mail and 14,000 passengers in support of the European and Mediterranean theatres.

General characteristics

Primary function Carrier-on-board delivery (COD) aircraft
Contractor Grumann Aerospace Corp.
Power plant Two Allison T-56-A-425 turboprop engines
Thrust 2x 4,910 HP 2x 3,661 kW
Wingspan 80.57 ft 24.56 m
Length 57 ft 7 in 17.25 m
Height 17 ft 5.16 m
Weight empty 36,345 lb 16,485 kg
max. takeoff 57,525 lb 26,093 kg
Max. speed 395 mph 636 km/h
Ceiling 30,000 ft 9,100 m
Range 1,495 miles 2,408 km
Crew Four
Armament None
Unit cost $38.96 million

 

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