TriStar Retires After 30 Years Service with the RAF

The Lockheed TriStar has flown its last operational mission with the Royal Air Force bringing to an end 30 years of service.
On Monday 24th March two TriStar’s of 216 Squadron based at RAF Brize Norton flew an air-to-air refuelling mission over the North Sea.
During its service the TriStar, has formed the backbone of long range air transport and air-to-air refuelling, participating in nearly every British conflict since it was brought into service.
The fleet of nine aircraft were acquired as a direct result of the Falklands conflict and the need to provide support to forces in the South Atlantic and to bolster the air-to-air refuelling fleet.
In more recent times TriStars have provided air-to-air refuelling to fast jet aircraft operating over Afghanistan and Libya and provided the vital air bridge, transporting troops and cargo to Iraq and Afghanistan. Over a period of eight years 216 Sqn flew 1642 times to Afghanistan, carrying a quarter of a million passengers.
The remaining four TriStar aircraft will leave RAF Brize Norton for the final time on 25th March, when they will depart to Bruntingthorpe Airfield, Leics for disposal.
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RAF Retire its C-130Ks

The Royal Air Force will axe the final C-130K special force Hercules from its fleet of airlifters by the end of this month. The Defence Ministry is cannibalizing the aircraft of its defensive aids suite to fit into some of the C-130J models being equipped to fill the role.
In an unrelated move, the British have opted to skip the Block 7 update for its J models and incorporate the modifications in their aircraft along with the new Block 8.1 improvements program being led by the US Air Force as part of an international program.
The decision to take the seven remaining Ks out of service brings to a close a 45-year operational association of the variant with the Royal Air Force. The decision leaves Britain’s tactical airlift dependent on 25 of the more modern J models ahead of the introduction of the Airbus A400M next year.
The move has been prompted in part by the heavy cost of keeping the aircraft airworthy. One MoD source said keeping them flying would not have made economic sense, and with the K effectively at the end of its service life, it made more sense to invest in further J capabilities.
It’s the second aging air asset the British have stood down recently. Late last month, the Air Force finally took its VC10 air transport/air tanker fleet out of operation after 47 years of service.
The British C-130K fleet has been gradually run down over the past few years. The aircraft has had its out-of-service date extended several times, mainly as a result of serious delays to the A400M program and to a lesser degree the failure to complete the Block 7 upgrade to the J fleet on time.
Deliveries to lead customer France have commenced on the Airbus aircraft, which in payload sits between the Hercules and the Boeing C-17, which the Royal Air Force also operates.
Increasing numbers of Airbus A330 tanker/transports now coming into service, a handful of old Lockheed Tristars and some leased BAE 146 jets make up the remainder of the British airlift fleet.
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RAF TriStar makes final air tattoo appearance

After a military service life spanning almost 30 years, a UK Royal Air Force Lockheed TriStar made the type's final contribution to a Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) on 21 July, with one of the service's remaining aircraft having performed a single flypast.
One of seven TriStars still operated by 216 Sqn, tanker-configured ZD951 entered military service after being converted from a civilian L1011-500. It was flown over the show at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire from its nearby home base at Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, where the unit has operated the type since late 1984.
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