Latest Voyager arrival completes 'core' fleet for RAF

The ninth Airbus A330 Voyager from the UK’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme touched down at the Royal Air Force’s Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire on 29 May, completing the service’s “core” fleet of the type.
Flown to the RAF’s air transport hub from Airbus Defence Space’s Getafe modification centre near Madrid, Voyager ZZ338 will begin operations once transferred to the UK military aircraft register.
Eight converted Voyagers have now been delivered to Brize Norton for use by the service’s 10 and 101 squadrons, including five three-point tanker/transports and two equipped with under-wing pods only. The ninth – currently unmodified – example is operated by AirTanker and retained on the UK civil aircraft register. All of the aircraft are configured with a 291-seat, single-class passenger cabin, and are capable of carrying a maximum fuel load of 111t.
Since entering use, the UK’s Voyagers have been flown for a combined 9,750h, and have transported more than 172,000 passengers. In the air-to-air refuelling role the fleet has completed over than 230 sorties and delivered in excess of 400t of fuel, supporting types including the RAF’s Eurofighter Typhoons and Panavia Tornado GR4s.
In addition to supporting quick reaction alert activities with Typhoons in the UK and the Falkland Islands, the Voyager fleet is also currently supporting testing of the RAF’s future tactical transport.ZZ334, a three-point tanker, has completed the military conversion programme and is currently in Spain as part of the UK’s commitment to support the Airbus A400M flight test programme.
A further five Voyagers will be delivered by the end of 2016.
flightglobal

RAF lifts flying ban on Voyager fleet

Britain has lifted a flying ban on its fleet of Airbus-made Voyager military aircraft more than a week after it grounded the planes.
The Royal Air Force said on Feb. 12 that it had suspended flying of its Voyager fleet after an "inflight issue" on Feb. 9. The plane plummeted between 3,000 and 5,000 feet while flying over Turkey.
reuters

United Kingdom grounds Voyager military fleet after in-flight incident

United Kingdom has grounded its fleet of Airbus Voyager military aircraft after one of the large tanker planes plummeted several thousand feet during a flight to Afghanistan.
The Voyager, the largest aircraft in the RAF fleet, is a converted Airbus A330-200 which can refuel fighters or carry troops or medical evacuees in a normal cabin and can carry 291 troops.
One of them suffered an "in-flight issue" on February 9 and as a precaution it was diverted to an airfield in Turkey. A few passengers received minor injuries in the incident.
The plane, which was travelling at 38,000 feet, plummeted between 3,000 and 5,000 feet. AirTanker consortium could possibly be called on to reimburse the RAF for the flying hours lost, depending on the nature of the fault.
reuters

UK Voyager deliveries hit half-way point

AirTanker’s Voyager programme has hit the mid-point in its delivery of 14 modified Airbus A330s, with its latest example having arrived in the UK on 29 January.
Registered as ZZ337, the new aircraft landed at RAF Brize Norton after a delivery flight from Airbus Defence & Space’s modification facility in Getafe, near Madrid, Spain. It follows five previous examples adapted for the in-flight refuelling mission and flown by the service’s 10 and 101 squadrons, plus another which is currently held on the UK civil register and flown by AirTanker pilots.
A further two Voyager aircraft are on schedule to be delivered by May 2014, when the fleet is due to achieve full release to service status with the RAF. Five more examples, which are to provide a so-called surge capability, will follow between 2015 and late 2016.
flightglobal

A400M refuelled in flight for first time

An Airbus Military A400M has received fuel in-flight for the first time, with one of the programme's three development aircraft having achieved the milestone behind a French air force Dassault-Breguet C160 Transall no having problems for the aircraft
This follows an extensive rewriting process, which was initiated following early trials performed behind a Vickers VC10 tanker in 2010.
The process will follow with making contacts behind an RAF A330 Voyager tanker/transport from February 2014 at higher altitudes and faster speeds. Work to also prove the A400M's ability to pass fuel to fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters using under-wing hose and drogue refuelling pods will also be conducted in 2014.
Meanwhile, Airbus Military says it will deliver its third production A400M "before Christmas". Turkish air force aircraft MSN9 is awaiting handover at the airframer's San Pablo final assembly site in Seville.
flightglobal

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.
defensenews

UK says 'no thanks' to BAe 146 tanker

The UK Ministry of Defence has distanced itself from any possible future use of the BAe 146 as a refuelling tanker, following the concept’s recent promotion by BAE Systems Regional Aircraft.
A core fleet of nine Voyagers will replace the Royal Air Force’s remaining Lockheed TriStar tankers and retired Vickers VC10s, with six of the AirTanker-supplied type now in service.
BAE unveiled an offer to modify the 146/Avro RJ regional airliner for the tanker role during the DSEi exhibition in London last month. The company, which has already supplied two military transport-adapted C3-model aircraft to the RAF, says the type could be equipped with a hose drum unit and auxiliary tanks, enabling it to transfer up to 18t of fuel.
A first proximity trial was performed in 2009 using an RAF Hawk T1 trainer to investigate the concept’s feasibility.
flightglobal

A330 Voyager nears tanker milestone with Typhoon

The UK Royal Air Force is close to securing full release to service (RTS) clearance for its Airbus A330 Voyagers to provide in-flight refuelling for its Eurofighter Typhoons, with the combination already working together under a temporary exemption.
flightglobal

UK gets sixth Voyager, as type nears debut on Falklands route

AirTanker has introduced its sixth Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transport for the UK, and secured a key approval before using the type to deliver personnel and equipment to the Falkland Islands from later this year.
Modified as a KC3-model three-point tanker, aircraft ZZ335 touched down at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire in late June. It joins four other Voyagers for use by the service's 10 Sqn, plus another which is retained on the UK civilian register for air transport tasks only.
flightglobal

RAF A330 Voyagar AirTanker Receives Clearance For Extended Operations

AirTanker, the company that owns and operates the U.K. Royal Air Force’s (RAF) fleet of Airbus A330 Voyager multi-role tanker transport aircraft, has received its 180-min. Extended Operations (Etops) clearance from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority on June 28, and it means that the company’s civil-registered aircraft can conduct long-range, over-water operations.
The clearance is also part of the company’s preparations to begin operations to the Falkland Islands via Ascension Island starting in fall 2013, ending the RAF’s reliance on third-party charter operators flying the route.
AirTanker is now awaiting a military Etops certification from the U.K. Military Aviation Authority (MAA) that it hopes to receive by the end of the year.
aviationweek

U.K. Typhoons Get Emergency Clearance To Refuel From Voyager

The RAF has given an emergency clearance for its Eurofighter Typhoon to refuel from the new Airbus A330 Voyager multi-role tanker transport aircraft.
The decision is understood to have been made about two weeks ago, and will allow Typhoons to refuel from the Voyagers despite the fact that the U.K. Military Aviation Authority (MAA), the certification agency that normally approves such clearances, has not yet given the aircraft combination a Release to Service notice.

Anthony Osborne-aviationweek

AirTanker Aims To Solve European Tanker Shortage

AirTanker, the company operating the U.K. Royal Air Force's (RAF) fleet of tanker-transport aircraft, has begun looking into ways to begin generating third-party revenue.

Company leaders hope to capitalize on Europe's chronic shortage of tanker aircraft by offering flying hours and capacity using their spare Airbus A330-200 Voyager tanker transports, potentially leasing them to other countries in military configuration when they are not required by the RAF.

Tony Osborne-aviationweek

UK-modified Voyager tanker handed over

The UK's fourth Airbus A330 Voyager touched down at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire on 26 April, with the tanker/transport the first of only two to have undergone conversion in the UK.
Placed on the military register as ZZ332, the Rolls-Royce Trent 772B-60-powered aircraft is one of seven Voyagers to be handed over suitable for use as a three-point tanker: a configuration which includes under-wing hose and drogue refuelling pods and a fuselage refuelling unit. It was adapted for the RAF by Cobham Aviation Services in Bournemouth, Dorset.

flightglobal

RAF fuels change with Voyager

The UK Royal Air Force's ability to deliver air transport and in-flight refuelling services ventured into a new era on 10 April 2012, when a military-adapted version of the Airbus A330 took off from Brize Norton air base in Oxfordshire to perform its first operational flight.
Twelve months on, and a three-strong fleet of renamed Voyagers have transported more than 30,000 passengers and around 2,300t of freight, as the RAF's 10 Sqn and the AirTanker Services company responsible for introducing an eventual 14 of the type continue to expand their capabilities.

flightglobal

AirTanker to start defensive aids upgrade on RAF Voyagers

Use of the UK's new Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transports is set to be expanded from later this year, with the growing fleet set to receive an enhanced suite of self-protection equipment required to meet the Ministry of Defence's theatre entry standard for flights into Afghanistan.

flightglobal

AirTanker performs first airline operations with A330 Voyager

The UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) provider, AirTanker, has performed its first flights as an approved airline, having used a civilian-registered Airbus A330 Voyager to transport British military personnel to Cyprus on 5 January.

Registered as G-VYGG, the transport late last year joined the AirTanker fleet at the Royal Air Force's Brize Norton base in Oxfordshire, which also currently comprises two military-registered examples: ZZ330 and ZZ331. They are among an eventual total of 14 A330s that will be made available to the service under the FSTA programme, including nine that will be held as a core fleet for air transport and tanker duties. The remainder will be made available at short notice if needed to support military operations, but also offered for third-party roles such as air charter operations for civilian customers.
flightglobal

Third Voyager arrives at RAF Brize Norton

The UK's Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft fleet modernisation programme has taken another step forward with the delivery of the third modified Airbus A330 to RAF Brize Norton on 19 December.

flightglobal by DAN THISDELL

Delays cloud A330MRTT

Technical issues continue to affect the Airbus Military A330MRTT Multi-Role Tanker-Transport program, delaying full operational capability with four air forces that are due to receive a total of 28 aircraft ordered to date. A second refueling boom separated from an A330MRTT during a test flight in Spain in September. But the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is likely to clear the new tanker for routine hose-and-drogue refueling of F/A-18A/B Hornet fighters next month. And in the UK, the company that is providing 14 A330MRTTs to the Royal Air Force (RAF) told AIN that it would start air-to-air refueling training in the first quarter of next year, despite earlier delays and flight-test problems.

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