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Since 1966, the Northrop Grumman C-2 Greyhound has safely and reliably delivered high-priority cargo to the carrier battle group in fulfillment of its carrier onboard delivery (COD) mission.1 The C-2A can transport up to 26 passengers or 10,000 pounds of cargo over 1,300 nautical miles, unrefueled, to and from the deck of an underway aircraft carrier.2 The current C-2 fleet consists of 35 aircraft, with most being over 25 years old, and they need to be replaced starting in approximately 2020.3
The current budget situation is driving the U.S. Navy toward multi-mission aircraft. The COD aircraft are one of the few remaining types in the Navy's fleet to still conduct a singular primary mission. With slight modifications to the C-2's subsystems, these large aircraft are capable of greatly enhancing the flexibility of the naval air wing by acting in the roles of aerial tanker and gunship. With the first COD replacement HV-22 not expected to be delivered until approximately 2020, and production continuing for years after, the C-2 fleet still has much service to give.4
The C-2 Tanker Variant
The United States is in the midst of a rebalancing of its military forces, moving servicemembers and equipment away from Europe and the Middle East with their dense clustering of military facilities toward East Asia and the vast Pacific Ocean. With bases few and far between, and potential adversaries deploying longrange anti-access weapons such as the Chinese DF-21 antiship ballistic missile, it is imperative for naval aircraft to have longer range-either by design or through aerial refueling.
Tankers, equipped with a hose-reel unit and external tanks, can refuel strike aircraft immediately after launching, which allows the aircraft to take off with light fuel and a heavier weapons load while still being under their maximum catapult launch weight. They can also refuel aircraft that have unsuccessfully engaged the carriers' arresting wires and are low on fuel. Additionally, tankers can refuel strike aircraft before and after they hit their targets, extending the range and time-on-target of those aircraft. Multiple tankers equipped with aerial refueling probes can be used to send a subset of the tankers further downrange. Aerial tankers provide...