Carrier onboard delivery
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Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) is a military term used to describe type of aircraft which are able to ferry personnel, mail, and high-priority cargo (like replacement parts) on and off a naval ship (typically an aircraft carrier).
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[edit] History
Early United States Navy 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 S-2 Tracker anti-submarine warfare bomber known 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. Today the C-2 remains the U.S. Navy's primary COD vehicle. The entire fleet of 34 C-2As are currently undergoing a Critical Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) to extend their operational lifespans.
Several U.S. Navy "Fleet Logistics Support Squadrons" provided COD services aboard carriers since the Second World War:
| Squadron | Nickname | Tail code | Established | Disbanded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VR-5 | Providers | RS | 24 June 1943 | 15 July 1957 |
| VR-21 | Pineapple Airlines | RZ | 15 July 1957 | 1 October 1966 |
| VR-22 | Medriders | RB | 1 April 1967 | |
| VR-23 | Codfish Airline | RK | 1951 | 15 July 1957 |
| VR-24 | Lifting Eagles | JM | 3 December 1946 | 31 March 1993 |
| VRC-30 | Providers | RW | 1 October 1966 | |
| VRC-40 | Rawhides | JK | 1 July 1960 | |
| VRC-50 | Foo Dogs | RG | 1 October 1966 | 7 October 1994 |
[edit] Gallery
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A TBM-3R of VR-23 over Korea, 1953.
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A VRC-40 C-1A on the Lexington, 1985.
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A VRC-50 US-3A on the Carl Vinson, 1987.
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A VRC-30 C-2A landing on the Kitty Hawk, 2004.
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A VRC-40 C-2A after SLEP on the Carl Vinson, 2009.
[edit] See also
- Underway replenishment
- Vertical replenishment (VERTREP)
- Seabasing
- Sealift
- Aerial refueling
- Military logistics
[edit] References
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