The C-2A Greyhound served as the U.S. Navy’s fixed-wing Carrier Onboard Delivery aircraft for almost six decades, carrying personnel, mail, medical evacuees, and high-priority cargo between shore bases and aircraft carriers. Introduced in the 1960s, it supported carrier operations from the Vietnam era through the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, and later global deployments. C-2 operations were mainly handled by Fleet Logistics Support Squadrons. VRC-30 “Providers,” based at NAS North Island, supported West Coast and Pacific carrier operations until 2023, when its remaining C-2 aircraft were transferred to VRC-40. VRC-40 “Rawhides,” based at NAS Norfolk, became the Navy’s final C-2 squadron. On Thu Jun 25ᵗʰ, 2026, VRC-40 aircraft conducted the final C-2A carrier landings and catapult launches aboard USS Nimitz, ending the Greyhound’s carrier-based COD role. Earlier operators included VRC-50 “Foo Dogs,” which supported forward-deployed carriers in the Western Pacific before disestablishing in 1994, and VR-24 “Lifting Eagles,” which supported logistics operations across the Mediterranean and European theatres. The Navy’s COD mission has now shifted to the CMV-22B Osprey, operated by Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission squadrons.
