Aircraft: the following is a list of the most commonly flown aircraft in the Navy's inventory and are the most likely to be encountered by today's Sailor - Owner's & Operator's/Manual 2002

All Hands, Jan, 2002

VAW-115 Liberty Bells

VAW-116 Sun Kings

VAW-117 Wallbangers

VAW-120 Greyhawks

VAW-121 Bluetails

VAW-123 Screwtops

VAW-124 Bear Aces

VAW-125 Tigertails

VAW-126 Seahawks

C-2A Greyhound

The C-2A is the principal aircraft used for COD (carrier on-board delivery) of personnel and materiel. It can deliver a payload of up to 10,000 lbs.

WINGSPAN: 80.5 ft.

LENGTH: 57 ft., 7 in.

HEIGHT: 17 ft.

WEIGHT: 57,000 lbs. maximum takeoff

SPEED: 300 knots

CEILING: 30,000 ft.

RANGE: 1,300 nm

CREW: 4

SQUADRONS

VRC-30 Providers

VRC-40 Rawhides

Shore-Based

E-6A Mercury

The E-6A provides secure, survivable, jam-resistant strategic communications while performing the Navy's TACAMO mission. The E-6B program has been established to upgrade TACAMO operational capabilities and will perform both the TACAMO and airborne command post mission with installed equipment.

WINGSPAN: 148 ft., 4 in.

LENGTH: 150 ft., 4 in.

HEIGHT: 42 ft., 5 in.

WEIGHT: 342,000 lbs. maximum takeoff

SPEED: 522 knots

CEILING: Above 40,000 ft.

RANGE: 6,600 nm (with 6 hours loiter time)

CREW: 14 (E-6A); 22 (E-6B)

SQUADRONS

VQ-3 Ironman

VQ-4 Shadows

VQ-7 Roughnecks

P-3C Orion/EP-3E Orion (Aries II)

The P-3, a land-based, long-range patrol aircraft, has been in the Navy since the 1960s. Both versions provide multi-mission intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and combat capability to theater commanders worldwide.

WINGSPAN: 99 ft., 6 in.

LENGTH: 116 ft., 7 in.

HEIGHT: 33 ft., 7 in.

WEIGHT: 139,760 lbs. maximum permissible

SPEED: 328 to 411 knots

CEILING: 28,300 ft.

RANGE: 1,346 nm with three hours on station

ARMAMENT: Harpoon, SLAM and Maverick; torpedoes; mines

CREW: 11

SQUADRONS

VP-1 Screaming Eagles

VP-4 Skinny Dragons

VP-5 Mad Foxes

VP-8 Tigers

VP-9 Golden Eagles

VP-10 Red Lancers

VP-16 War Eagles

VP-26 Tridents

VP-30 Pro's Nest

VP-40 Fighting Marlins

VP-45 Pelicans

VP-46 Grey Knights

VP-47 Golden Swordsmen

VP-62(USNR) Broad Arrows

VP-64(USNR) The Condors

VP-65(USNR) Tridents

VP-66(USNR) The Liberty Bells

VP-69(USNR) Totems

VP-92(USNR) Minutemen

VP-94(USNR) Crawfishers

VQ-1 World Watchers

VQ-2 Batmen

VQ-11(USNR) Bandits

VPU-1 Old Buzzards

VPU-2 Wizards

C-130 Hercules

The C-130 is probably the most versatile tactical transport aircraft ever built. Its uses have been almost limitless: transport, electronic surveillance, search and rescue, space-capsule recovery, helicopter refueling, gunship and special cargo delivery.

WINGSPAN: 132 ft., 7 in.

LENGTH: 97 ft., 9 in.

HEIGHT: 38 ft., 3 in.

WEIGHT: 155,000 lbs. maximum takeoff

SPEED: 374 mph maximum

CEILING: 33,000 ft. (with 10,000 lb. payload)

RANGE: 4,522 nm (with no cargo)

CREW: 5 (two pilots, one navigator, one load-master, one flight engineer)

SQUADRONS

VR-53(USNR) Capital Express

VR-54(USNR) Revelers

VR-55(USNR) Minutemen

VR-62(USNR) Nor'easters

C-9B/DC-9 Skytrain II

The C-9B is used for fleet logistics support and military sealift.

WINGSPAN: 93 ft., 3 in,

LENGTH: 119 ft., 3 in.

HEIGHT: 27 ft., 5 in.

WEIGHT: 108,000 lbs. maximum takeoff

SPEED: 565 mph

CEILING: 37,000 ft.

RANGE: more than 1,739 nm

CREW: 8 (one pilot, co-pilot, one flight mechanic, two flight nurses and three aeromedical technicians)