As the old saying goes, “You go home with who brung you”. The adage was popularized by famed football coach Darrell Royal who lent the saying his Texan twang. For Boeing’s U.S. Naval Reserve customers who rely on the C-40A Clipper aircraft to ferry sailors to and fro, it might be about flying home with who brought you.  

Texas is the spot where Boeing Defense, Space & Security lends its tactical derivative aircraft expertise to the modified Boeing 737 Next Generation airplane. The aircraft is first assembled in Washington state, then modified in San Antonio for the U.S. Navy’s fleet logistics support mission providing high-priority cargo and passenger airlift worldwide.  

When the Navy Reserve was recently called to perform a new mission swapping crews for the first time during an overseas deployment aboard the USS Freedom, they called on Boeing and the C-40A Clipper. Midway through the ship’s initial deployment, a crew of 53 sailors flew across the Pacific in a C-40A to meet the Freedom in Southeast Asia and then the C-40A transported the first crew back to the States.  

While the Navy’s recent crew swap aboard a deployed Littoral Combat Ship was a first, such swaps are expected to become more frequent as the ship fleet expands in the next few years increasing the need for C-40A airlift support. Following the crew swap, last September, Boeing was awarded a contract for one additional aircraft bringing the total C-40A fleet to 15. The recent contract for an additional C-40A reflects the Navy’s commitment to the changing mission requirement and the increasing relevance and utility of the C-40A to support critical Navy missions.  

Our nation’s sailors depend on the C-40A’s affordable and reliable performance to execute their missions and Boeing will continue to support the U. S. Naval Reserve mobility mission of flying sailors and cargo wherever and whenever the mission calls. The Clipper benefits from a sustainment program that takes full advantage of Boeing’s comprehensive engineering, global supply chain and field service support.  

The crew that first sailed out to sea aboard the Freedom returned months later soaring aloft above the same ocean on the wings of a Clipper. Boeing supports the Navy’s goal to keep building and flying more C-40As, the one that takes ‘em out to sea and then brings ‘em home.