The INSANE Fokker F-28 Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD) Proposal

Okay so maybe not *that* insane when you consider how big the A-3 Skywarrior is and they did land a Herk on a carrier, but a jetliner as a COD!

In 1981, Fokker Aircraft proposed a carrier onboard delivery (COD) variant of their F28 jet for the US Navy's MMVX competition. MMVX (Multi Mission Tactical Support) was a program to replace the Grumman C-2 Greyhound, a transport development of the E-2 Hawkeye AEW aircraft.

The first group of C-2 Greyhounds were built 1964-1968 and were overhauled in 1973. The US Navy had concerns about the airframe longevity of the Greyhound and thought that perhaps a larger jet-powered aircraft would be better for the COD mission. In the 1950s a Lockheed C-130 was tested off the USS Forrestal as a "Super COD" but there was an upper size limit to what was practical. For MMVX, the Navy was looking for something more practical that was no larger dimensions-wise than the A-3 Skywarrior.

The F28 COD would have had a strengthened lower keel to accommodate carrier-compatible landing gear and an arresting hook. In addition to folding wings, the F28 COD would also carry refueling pods to act as a sea-going tanker for the carrier air wing.

While the Navy felt that Fokker's proposal was creative, it did hinge upon finding a US partner to get serious consideration. From what I've been able to find so far, Fokker didn't find a suitable US partner (one source suggested they had approached Gulfstream which is odd, as it would have made more sense to work with a company with experience in carrier capable aircraft).

The US Navy ended up buying a second batch of C-2 Greyhounds that were built 1985-1989 to meet MMVX, but the air refueling option was dropped from the requirements.