US Navy's C-2A Greyhound completes last-ever aircraft carrier landing after 60 years of logistics operations.

On June 25, 2026, two C-2A Greyhound aircraft assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC)-40 completed the platform's final arrested landing and catapult launch aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) in the Atlantic Ocean during Fleet Exercise (FLEETEX) 250. This evolution officially concluded sixty years of uninterrupted fixed-wing Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) logistics operations across the U.S. Navy. The platform retirement marks a complete transition to the CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor, executing a long-term modernization strategy focused on expanding vertical takeoff capabilities and establishing direct logistical access across non-carrier surface combatants.

The final carrier logistics mission concluded a service lifecycle that began in 1966 and encompassed a production run of 56 airframes upgraded via service life extension programs to endure up to 36,000 carrier landings. Future U.S. Navy carrier strike group logistics will rely exclusively on a planned fleet of 44 CMV-22B Osprey aircraft to accommodate internal transport requirements for the F-35C Pratt & Whitney F135 power module.

Related topic: US Navy retires last EP-3E Aries II spy plane after decades of intelligence gathering

During the FLEETEX 250 exercise in the Atlantic Ocean, two C-2A Greyhounds assigned to Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC)-40 "Rawhides" performed the aircraft's last arrested landing and final catapult launch from an aircraft carrier. (Picture source: US Navy)

On June 25, 2026, the U.S. Navy concluded six decades of fixed-wing Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) operations when two C-2A Greyhounds from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC)-40 "Rawhides" completed the aircraft's final arrested landing and final catapult launch aboard the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) during FLEETEX 250 in the Atlantic Ocean. The event took place as the exercise brought together U.S. forces and 13 partner and allied nations for large-scale multinational naval operations. Although the Greyhound will continue limited shore-based flying until VRC-40 is disestablished on July 23, 2026, this launch marked the last operational carrier mission for the aircraft and permanently ended fixed-wing COD operations from U.S. aircraft carriers.

The retirement also concludes a logistics concept that had been integrated into CATOBAR carrier aviation since the Greyhound entered operational service in 1966, with the mission now transitioning entirely to the CMV-22B Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. The operational significance of the June 25 flight extends beyond the retirement of a single aircraft type because it removes an entire logistics capability from the U.S. carrier air wing. Since the introduction of the C-1 Trader during the 1950s, every U.S. Catapult Assisted Take-Off But Arrested Recovery (CATOBAR) carrier deployment relied on a fixed-wing logistics aircraft capable of launching by steam or electromagnetic catapult, recovering with arresting gear, and transporting urgent cargo directly between shore installations and the carrier.

The final flight aboard USS Nimitz therefore ended almost seventy years of uninterrupted fixed-wing COD operations. Future logistics aircraft assigned to carrier strike groups will no longer participate in the normal launch and recovery cycle of the flight deck, fundamentally changing how aviation logistics integrates with carrier flight operations. The C-2 Greyhound originated from a requirement identified during the rapid expansion of carrier strike forces in the early 1960s, when the C-1 Trader no longer provided sufficient payload capacity or cargo volume for increasingly complex carrier air wings operating larger jet aircraft.

Rather than designing an entirely new aircraft, Grumman developed the Greyhound from the E-2 Hawkeye, retaining the wing, empennage, Allison T56-A-425 turboprop engines, landing gear, and many structural components while replacing the radar mission system with a widened cargo fuselage incorporating a full-width rear loading ramp. This approach reduced acquisition costs, simplified logistics support, and maximized commonality with the E-2 fleet already entering service. The prototype completed its maiden flight on November 18, 1964, operational service began in 1966, and total production reached 56 aircraft, comprising 17 original C-2As followed by 39 improved C-2A(R) airframes manufactured between 1985 and 1989. The Greyhound became one of the carrier strike group's most important yet invisible sustainment assets because it transported cargo that could not wait for replenishment ships.

The aircraft carried a maximum payload of 10,000 lb, or 4,536 kg, while accommodating either 26 passengers, 12 litter patients, or mixed passenger and cargo configurations. Routine loads included F404 turbofan engines for F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet fighters, avionics line-replaceable units (such as mission computers or processors), radar components, classified equipment, precision spare parts, maintenance personnel, mail, and medical evacuation casualties. For instance, during a standard six-month deployment at sea, a detachment of only two Greyhounds accumulated close to 1,000 flight hours, transported approximately one million pounds of cargo, and moved roughly 5,000 passengers.

Its powered rear cargo ramp allowed straight-line loading of bulky equipment, reducing turnaround time compared with side-loading transports while allowing the aircraft to depart directly from the carrier carrying priority logistics loads without disrupting the generation of combat sorties. The Greyhound remained operational for six decades because repeated modernization programs extended both its structural life and operational relevance. The original airframe had been designed for 10,000 flight hours or roughly 15,000 arrested landings, but the Service Life Extension Program increased those limits to 15,000 flight hours and approximately 36,000 carrier recoveries. Structural reinforcement focused primarily on the center wing section, while avionics modernization introduced GPS navigation, digital cockpit improvements, dual CAINS II navigation equipment, crash-survivable flight recorders and upgraded safety systems.

The installation of NP2000 eight-blade composite propellers improved reliability, reduced vibration and lowered maintenance requirements compared with the earlier four-blade configuration. Because the Greyhound continued sharing engines, major structural assemblies and numerous spare parts with the E-2 Hawkeye, fleet sustainment remained economically viable despite the relatively small production run, allowing the Navy to postpone replacement well beyond the aircraft's original retirement schedule. The decision to replace the C-2A Greyhound, which has a unit cost of $38.96 million, with the CMV-22B Osprey, which costs approximately $96 million to $118 million, was confirmed in the FY2016 budget after the U.S. Navy concluded that future maritime operations required greater distribution rather than maximum payload per sortie.

The acquisition objective covered 44 CMV-22B aircraft configured specifically for the COD mission. Although the Greyhound could transport substantially heavier cargo and larger payloads over long distances with lower fuel consumption, it remained dependent on conventional runways ashore and CATOBAR aircraft carriers at sea. The CMV-22B removes those constraints by combining vertical takeoff and landing with an unrefueled range exceeding 1,150 nautical miles, allowing direct logistics support to destroyers, cruisers, amphibious assault ships, and expeditionary sea bases. Another decisive operational factor was the ability to transport the Pratt & Whitney F135 power module for the F-35C internally, something the Greyhound's cargo compartment could not accommodate despite its greater payload capacity. 

The Greyhound's retirement ultimately occurred later than originally planned because the transition to the CMV-22B encountered operational and technical delays. Following the fatal CV-22 crash in November 2023, the subsequent fleet-wide V-22 grounding forced the U.S. Navy to retain approximately 15 operational Greyhounds after the West Coast transition to the Osprey had already begun. VRC-40 resumed Carrier Onboard Delivery missions for Pacific carrier strike groups, including deployments supporting USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), while broader concerns involving Hard Clutch Engagement events and overall fleet reliability slowed the pace of conversion.

The June 2026 retirement became possible only after CMV-22B operational availability improved sufficiently to assume the mission across the carrier force. While the Greyhound offered superior payload density, greater cargo volume per sortie, and lower fuel consumption for long-range logistics flights, the CMV-22B provides operational access to a much broader range of naval vessels. The Greyhound's final carrier flight launches a series of formal sundown events marking the aircraft’s retirement, including the disestablishment of VRC-40 in Norfolk, Virginia, on July 23, 2026, and a final farewell celebration aboard USS Midway (CV-41) in San Diego in early September 2026, officially closing out its decades-long service.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News