A U.S. Grumman C-2A Greyhound aircraft donated by the United States arrived on Wednesday (July 22) at the future MAPA (São Paulo Aerospace Museum), located at the Brazilian Air Force's Aeronautical Materials Park in northern São Paulo. The aircraft, registration 162167, was part of the collection of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Florida and landed at Campo de Marte Airport shortly before 2 p.m., after aborting its first landing attempt.The C-2A Greyhound is a logistical transport aircraft used to support U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operations by carrying personnel, cargo and spare parts. Assigned to VRC-40 Rawhide, the aircraft was retired by the U.S. Navy last month and will be replaced by the Boeing-Bell CMV-22B Osprey.
The aircraft arrived in Brazil in May aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and, after experiencing a mechanical failure during exercises with the Brazilian Navy, remained at Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro until Wednesday. During that time, U.S. technicians carried out the necessary repairs. Neither the U.S. Embassy nor the Brazilian Air Force disclosed how the donation was negotiated.
The museum, which is still under construction, was officially established on July 3 and is expected to open to the public gradually beginning in 2027. With plans to display more than 100 aircraft across ten themed hangars, the Brazilian Air Force expects it to become the world's fifth-largest military museum, featuring historic aircraft such as the Vought F4U Corsair, Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Supermarine Spitfire.
