CHERRY POINT, N.C. –
A team at Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) stepped up to provide auxiliary power units to the U.S. Navy’s last remaining C-2A Greyhound squadron when no other source could, ensuring the continuation of the vital carrier onboard delivery mission.
When evolving fleet needs extended the C-2A Greyhound’s service life, the change created unexpected supply challenges. Many components for the legacy aircraft were no longer available through traditional channels, including the auxiliary power unit (APU).
To bridge the gap, FRCE reestablished a capability that had been inactive for several years in order to provide Navy Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 with working APUs. The APU, a small engine used to start the aircraft’s main engines and support ground maintenance, is essential in austere expeditionary environments where ground support equipment may be limited or unavailable.
“It’s an honor for FRCE to be able to take action and support the Navy’s vital carrier onboard delivery mission by providing working APUs for the C2-A Greyhound when the fleet needed them most,” said FRCE Commanding Officer Capt. Randy J. Berti. “Our team’s effort to reestablish this capability speaks to the ingenuity and drive of the depot’s workforce and their desire to provide world-class support to the warfighter.”
According to Erik Dumas, senior engineer with the Naval Air Systems Command Gas Turbine Compressor/Pneumatics Fleet Support Team at FRCE, the supply chain was prepared to support the Greyhound through its originally planned retirement in 2024. That changed when the aircraft’s mission was extended through September 2026. The APU quickly emerged as one of the platform’s top degraders, meaning its lack of availability had the potential to reduce mission capability significantly.
“When the C-2 squadrons were surged in order to meet fleet logistics needs, it became clear that we’d need a solution for providing more APUs,” Dumas said. “These APUs are all 30-plus years old. An APU can last a year, or it could last a month—it really just depends on the conditions in which it’s being used. In a forward-deployed environment, it lives a hard life. The request inevitably came to FRCE and the Fleet Support Team to see if it would be possible to repair or overhaul any C-2A APUs.”
Thanks to a months-long, cross-disciplinary effort spanning several organizations, FRCE can now test, check and replace specific components on the APUs to restore them to working condition and meet the strict standards required by Naval Aviation. While the work is not as extensive as the full overhaul process once performed at the depot, the APUs produced at FRCE are meeting fleet needs.
In fact, Dumas said all C-2A Greyhound APUs currently “on the shelf” and available to the fleet through the supply chain system were produced at FRCE within the past year, clear evidence of the team’s success.
Reaching this point required significant research, hands-on training and determination. Most FRCE artisans with direct knowledge and experience on this APU had retired over the years, leaving the team to rebuild the capability from the ground up.
The effort began with correlating the depot’s test cells using a known working APU, borrowed from USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), to ensure accurate results. Once the team correlated the test cell successfully and developed new test instructions compatible with upgraded depot equipment, they began evaluating the available units.
The team initially worked through a supply of 40 APUs labeled “F” condition, meaning unserviceable but potentially repairable. From this batch, two were deemed ready for issue and returned to the supply chain.
Next, the team sought authorization to replace certain external components on the unserviceable APUs to bring them into working condition. Once approved, several more APUs were restored and returned to the fleet.
Justin Rimmer, supervisor of FRCE’s Engine Driven Compressor and Gas Turbine Compressor Shop, said his team understood the Greyhound performs a no-fail mission, and that knowledge spurred them to work even harder.
“We knew the urgency of the fleet needing these units, so we pulled artisans from other projects to focus on this effort,” he said. “It was pleasing to watch how all involved put together a plan, and the result was units for the fleet. It took a lot of man hours from multiple areas to make this happen.”
Successfully reestablishing a limited C-2A repair capability required extensive teamwork among shop artisans, engineers, estimators and evaluators, production controllers and planners, Rimmer said.
Dumas agreed, noting external organizations also played a critical role.
“All throughout this process, we have worked with all of the stakeholders from Naval Supply Systems Command, FRCE, the E-2/C-2 Airborne Command and Control Systems Program Office, VRC-40, Defense Logistics Agency, the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS Nimitz, and the APU’s original equipment manufacturer, Honeywell,” he said. “Everyone working together made this happen.
“But the shop really stepped up to the plate to make this happen despite the hardships they faced, and this wouldn’t have been possible without their support. No matter what I brought to them, we fixed it or worked around it—not once was I told no.”
FRCE Components Division Director Meri Hancock said she is proud of the team’s performance, though not surprised.
“I appreciate the shop stepping up every step of the way,” she said. “No matter what challenge we throw at them, they overcome every obstacle they come across. They’re outstanding performers who always accomplish the goal in support of the warfighter.
“The shop is known for their out-of-the-box thinking, and they’re very good at it,” she said. “This time, it was the C-2A Greyhound APU, but no matter what the mission is, they make it happen every day. They volunteer for every challenge, and they do an outstanding job.”
Rimmer agreed that while this APU effort was high-profile, the team brings the same commitment to every task.
“It’s an amazing feeling to know we came together as a team here at FRCE to produce these units for a fleet in need,” he said. “It really says a lot about Eastern North Carolina and how much we do for not just our warfighters here, but around the world.”
