USS George Washington (CVN-73) crew unload mail from two C-2A Greyhounds in 2011
Carrier onboard delivery (COD) is the use of aircraft to ferry personnel, mail, supplies, and high-priority cargo, such as replacement parts, from shore bases to an aircraft carrier at sea.[1] Several types of aircraft, including helicopters, have been used by navies in the COD role. The Grumman C-2 Greyhound has been the United States Navy's primary COD aircraft since the mid-1960s.
History[]
Early United States Navy (USN) recognition of need for a cargo plane capable of carrier landings resulted in airframe conversion of Grumman TBM-3 Avenger torpedo bombers to unarmed seven-passenger COD aircraft designated TBM-3R. Replacement of TBM-3Rs began in the late 1950s. Grumman built a cargo variant of its twin-piston-engined Grumman S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare bomber as the C-1A Trader. The Navy in 1963 briefly experimented with the C-130 Hercules for COD. In the late 1960s Grumman began production of a cargo variant of its twin-turboprop E-2 Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning aircraft known as the C-2A Greyhound. Five Lockheed US-3A Viking aircraft were also used from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s. The C-2 has remained the U.S. Navy's primary COD vehicle since that time.
Several U.S. Navy "Fleet Logistics Support Squadrons" provided COD services aboard carriers since the World War II, including VR-5, VR-21, VR-22, VR-23, VR-24, VRC-30, VRC-40, and VRC-50.[citation needed]
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An MV-22 Osprey of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 165 prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during testing. The V-22 is a possible candidate for COD missions.
On 6 October 2012, a MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft from squadron VMM-165 landed and refueled on board the USS Nimitz (CVN-68). This operation was part of an evaluation of the feasibility of the MV-22 as a potential replacement for the current C-2 cargo transport aircraft.[2][3]
List of COD aircraft[]
Several aircraft types have been specifically designed or modified for COD missions:
- Fairey Gannet COD.4
- Grumman/GM TBM-3R Avenger
- Grumman C-1 Trader
- Grumman C-2 Greyhound
- Lockheed US-3A Viking
Gallery[]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ "United States Navy Fact File". United States Navy. United States Navy. April 4, 2013. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=1100&tid=100&ct=1.
- ↑ "MV-22 Osprey Flight Operations Tested Aboard USS Nimitz". Avionics Intelligence. PennWell Corporation. October 9, 2012. http://www.avionics-intelligence.com/news/2012/10/09/mv-22-osprey-flight-operations-tested-aboard-uss-nimitz.html. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
- ↑ Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Renee Candelario, USN (October 8, 2012). "MV-22 Osprey Flight Operations Tested Aboard USS Nimitz". NNS121008-13. USS Nimitz Public Affairs. http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=70031. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
The original article can be found at Carrier onboard delivery and the edit history here.