Saw this the other day on the evening news. They said it was the first time such landing occurred, but from my research it's not, it was previously done for rating purposes, so this is the first time in operations as opposed to training. They said it was tricky because the landing deck is smaller (I'm not sure how it's relevant since arrestor wires are used, and catapults for take-off).

http://www.defense.gouv.fr/operation...n-apponte-sur-le-charles-de-gaulle

In the above link, if you can see the video, there is an aborted first attempt (to judge the deck, says the comment) and then the successful landing.

What would they use the plane for, aside from the TV journalists and I'm sure some politicians' visits, can it be used to bring bombs ?

If I understand your question correctly, the C-2 is used to transport materials, mail and personnel to and from the carrier. Cool vid, thanks for sharing.  

Glad you can see the video. Let's say that usually it's not used, so the French navy has to do without it (I read they'd like to have some). So I'm thinking, if they asked the US navy for them, two planes and 50 men based at Hyères base apparently, it must be for a special need, like, replacing the large number of bombs dropped on Libya.

Aside from French made ASSM and Scalp missiles, the Rafales also use US sourced LGB's, one suspects quite a few of them have been expended in Libya so possible some of those were on the Greyhound?

Wow  Nice Pictures... Thats a upgraded C-2A(R) that been through the latest SLEP... That eight-bladed NP2000 propeller is a dead give away. Just operational in the past year I believe...

Quoting Aesma (Reply 2):

It is also used to transport aircraft engines... I remember reading that the F-35 engine was to large for the A/C and that might be a problem??

Quoting Aesma (Reply 2): it must be for a special need, like, replacing the large number of bombs dropped on Libya.

Highly (and I mean 99.99% sure) doubt it. Shipping munitions by air is very slow due to the weight, and seeing as the C-2 has a payload of only 5 tons that would be only a few bombs. Munitions are shipped by sea and replenished via UNREP, I am sure the French have this capability but it may take a while to acquire a significant amount since they probably have not done so in a while. Maybe they could do UNREP with a US AOE?

Quoting Aesma (Thread starter): They said it was tricky because the landing deck is smaller (I'm not sure how it's relevant since arrestor wires are used, and catapults for take-off).

That may have more to do with 'site picture' than landing requirements. When you go thru flight training you quickly realize how runways of different lengths and more importantly widths can throw off your 'height above runway' impression which can screw up your final approach and cause you to flare too early (wide runway) or too late (narrow runway). Also I would imagine from looking at the picture that it being much wider than the other aircraft (unless they operate E-2's on their boats, I can't recall?).

Quoting HaveBlue (Reply 6): That may have more to do with 'site picture' than landing requirements.

I agree with this. I would wager the French carrier's are much more narrow than a US carrier, from looking at the photo above I would say that is the case. Look at how close the wing tip of the C-2 is to the other acft on deck, granted it is slightly left of center line. Great photos tho! Thanks for sharing  

Janes (15th June 2011) reported that France has leased 2 C-2s from the US Navy.

Quoting HaveBlue (Reply 6): That may have more to do with 'site picture' than landing requirements. When you go thru flight training you quickly realize how runways of different lengths and more importantly widths can throw off your 'height above runway' impression which can screw up your final approach and cause you to flare too early (wide runway) or too late (narrow runway). Also I would imagine from looking at the picture that it being much wider than the other aircraft (unless they operate E-2's on their boats, I can't recall?).

The first pass was an intentional "Touch & Go" --the hook was UP. This is normally done for pilot qualification purposes.

If the pilot was looking at the "site picture" as you propose, he should have his wings pulled IMMEDIATELY ! ! ! USN CV pilots do NOT look at a "runway"... there isn't one on a CV. Pilots look at: "meatball, line-up, angle-of-attack" and nothing else! If you look at the deck, you will land "short" [potential ramp-strike] and "hard" [potential crash]. Nothing good comes from looking at the runway during a CV landing.

There is no "flare" in a CV landing. You fly the plane "on speed" and "on glideslope" until you "hit-the-deck."

AAR90
ex-AirPac E2/C2 Evaluator

Quoting HaveBlue (Reply 6): Quoting Aesma (Thread starter): They said it was tricky because the landing deck is smaller (I'm not sure how it's relevant since arrestor wires are used, and catapults for take-off).

... I think it's more that the manoeuvering area on deck is smaller, so they probably have to be quite cautious until they've got used to the dimensions.

I would be inclined to suggest that there is perhaps a need to do some partial crew changes, and the Greyhound can really help with that... the Charles De Gaulle has been out at sea for close to (or even over?) 200 days now (if I remember correctly!), with only 2x 4days back in harbour, so the additional lift to get personnel changed over probably helps a lot.

All in good fun, but it is good to see the US assisting in delivering Freedom Fries to their longtime foe, rival and friend the French 

On a serious note, it did look like the COD used a catapult for take off so there is some inter-operability between the two fleets, yes?

Quoting HaveBlue (Reply 6): (unless they operate E-2's on their boats, I can't recall?)

Yes, we've got 3 E-2C 2000. Reading about that I learned that a famous affair, the fact that the CDG's deck was too short, was due to those. I thought it was because of the Rafale. The problem (corrected) was not for normal operations, but if degraded operations happened, an E-2 too far on the deck would take too long a time to be parked, while other planes would wait to land. The E-2 were selected years after start of construction of the CDG, so it wasn't really its designer's fault.

About compatibility, the CDG catapults are US made, so no problem there.

Quoting BladeLWS (Reply 5): Munitions are shipped by sea and replenished via UNREP, I am sure the French have this capability

You're right, I forgot about that. The Marine Nationale has got 4 "AOR", here are two :



[Edited 2011-06-17 12:39:58]

Quoting Aesma (Reply 12): an E-2 too far on the deck would take too long a time to be parked, while other planes would wait to land.

Seldom is it that the deck is "too small" but rather the E2/C2 engines are sensitive to temperature changes --of which there is a lot on a CV deck. That is why the E2/C2 are normally last to land... big on-deck footprint (large wind-blast area) and everybody else would normally already be shutdown (little chance of hot intake air).

FWIW, on my only trip on a C-2 (as self-loading cargo) I was surprised at how long we spent taxiing and turning on deck. I was actually more nervous then than I was at the landing. If we went over the edge I didn't see any way out. I have no idea why all that was happening. Was it because they were maneuvering to get us close to the island so the witless civilians wouldn't get in the way as the walked off the C-2? We must have been taxiing for 3-4 minutes.

Quoting aklrno (Reply 14): Was it because they were maneuvering to get us close to the island so the witless civilians wouldn't get in the way as the walked off the C-2?

Possible. Depends upon the ship and the way they spot aircraft on their deck. And naturally, that is dependent upon the numbers & type of acft that are on the deck at that time as well as the next cycle's acft requirements. Normally, E2/C2 acft are taxied as much as possible since we can back-up on our own and "push-back" is extremely difficult. It is not uncommon for the first plane that landed to be turning for 15+ minutes as it waits for everybody else to land before being spotted on the aft portion of the flight deck. All depends upon what the flight deck is trying to accomplish.