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The Grumman S-2 Tracker is a four-seat; twin-engined; anti-submarine warfare aircraft. Designed and initially built by
Grumman, the Tracker was of conventional design; propeller-driven with twin radial engines, a high wing that could be
folded for storage on aircraft carriers, and tricycle undercarriage. The Tracker flew first in prototype form on 4 December 1952.
Grumman built 1,185 Trackers. About 100 CS2F aircraft were built under license by de Havilland Canada in Canada.
The Royal Dutch Navy / MLD received 28 S-2A (S2F-1) aircraft under MDAP from US Navy in 1960, and 17 additional CS2A
Tracker anti-submarine aircraft formerly operated by the Royal Canadian Navy. The Canadian aircraft were delivered between
December 1960 and September 1961 after being overhauled by Fairey Canada. The aircraft were operated from Valkenburg Naval
Air Base as well as from the light aircraft carrier Karel Doorman until a fire in 1968 took that ship out of Dutch service.
A total of 18 aircraft were converted to S-2N (for Netherlands) standard by Fairey Canada in 1968–1970 for ASW and MR use
with 1 Sqn (at Hato International Airport), of which four were converted to US-2N trainer/transport standards in May 1971.
Most of the de Havilland Canada-built CS-2As were scrapped by 1970 or used for ground instruction. The last Tracker in MLD
service was withdrawn in January 1976, with some transferred to the Turkish Navy. |
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On 18 August 1960, the Grumman US-2N Tracker s/n 720 ex BuAer 148281 entered service with the Royal Dutch Navy / Marine
Luchtvaart Dienst (MLD) as a Grumman S-2N Tracker. In December 1970, the "160" was converted to the S2-N model and in 1972
the US-2N model. Tracker 160 served with the 2; 4; 5 squadrons of the MLD. On 1 February 1974, the Grumman US-2N Tracker 160
entered service with 320 squadron as target tug. After being withdrawn from use on 30 September 1975, the aircraft was first
stored at Den Helder-De Kooy and later transported to the storage of the MLM at Gilze-Rijen AFB, where the plane was prepared to
be exhibited in the MLM (Militaire Luchtvaart Museum) at Kamp Zeist, close to the Soesterberg AFB. Since 1981, Grumman US-2N
Tracker 160 'V' was on display at the MLM. On 1 July 2013, the MLM closed and the collection, including the Grumman
US-2N Tracker 160'V', went to the new built NMM (Nationaal Militair Museum) at the former Soesterberg AFB that opened on 11
December 2014. However, the Grumman US-2N Tracker 160'V' was not on display inside the NMM building, but went in the depot
of the Museum. On 28 August 2018, Grumman US-2N Tracker 160'V' was seen temporarily outside the depot of the NMM. |
Luchtvaart déjà vu
