VRC-40

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Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 40 (VRC-40), the Rawhides, is the U.S. Navy’s fleet logistics squadron based at Naval Station Norfolk. Commissioned on July 1, 1960, it is the last active fleet logistics squadron after VRC-30 was decommissioned in December 2023. VRC-40 provides carrier onboard delivery (COD) services to the Second, Fifth, and Sixth Fleets, moving passengers, mail, and cargo to and from aircraft carriers at sea. It flies the Grumman C-2A Greyhound (since 1986; the squadron previously operated the C-1A Trader) and reports to the Commander, Airborne Early Warning Wing, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.

The squadron operates about 14 aircraft with roughly 320 enlisted personnel and 42 officers. Unlike many units, VRC-40 does not deploy as one formation; instead, it maintains five sea-going detachments with a two-aircraft complement and an ashore Homeguard to support local operations. Forward detachments are stationed at remote sites and support multiple carrier strike groups across the Second, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Fleets, extending from Norway and the Eastern Seaboard to the Caribbean, Central and South America, and the Mediterranean and Middle East theaters.

VRC-40 has supported Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom and earned the Commander Naval Air Force Battle “E” award in 2010. The squadron also boasts a 25-year history of class “A” mishap-free flying. Each year, VRC-40 transports more than 1,300 tons of mail and cargo and performs over 1,000 arrested landings. Notable passengers have included astronauts Alan Shepard and Scott Carpenter, as well as athletes and celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Bruce Willis, and Halle Berry. Current commander: CDR Andrew Dumm.