RAF Voyager Carries Out Maiden Three Point Aerial Refeulling

Voyager Refuelling RAF C-130 airlifter A RAF Voyager carried out, maiden three-point air-to-air refuelling sortie over the Cornish Coast,...

Voyager Refuelling RAF C-130 airlifter

A RAF Voyager carried out, maiden three-point air-to-air refuelling sortie over the Cornish Coast, on Monday, 31 March, refuelling three aircrafts simultaneously using its two underwing pods and the fuselage refuelling unit (FRU).

The two Cobham 905E under-wing hose and drogue pods can simultaneously refuel two probe-equipped receivers such as Eurofighter or Tornado fighters.

The Cobham 805E hose and drogue centre Fuselage Refuelling Unit (FRU) is used to refuel larger aircrafts such as the Airbus Military A400M or Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules.
The Voyager was awarded Release to Service by the UK Ministry of Defence, to refuel the C-130 using FRU on 29 March.

Since the wing-pod approvals for aerial refuelling (AAR) operations with Tornado and Eurofighter in summer last year, Voyager has completed more than 215 air-to-air refuelling sorties, offloading 3,300+ tonnes of fuel.

Voyager is a converted Airbus A330-200 commercial airliner, Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft, with a total fuel capacity of 111 tonnes.

The fuel is carried using the standard A330-200 fuel tanks without adaptation of its cargo hold to accommodate additional capacity.

In addition to its aerial refuelling role, Voyager can ferry up to 291 passengers with a cargo capability of up to 43 tonnes over a 6,000 mile (9,700km) range. The aircraft can also be configured to accommodate a 40 stretcher aeromedical evacuation mission.

The A330 will replaces the RAF's VC10 and Tristar fleets at RAF Brize Norton. TheLockheed L-1011 Tristar fleet was retired on 24 March.

Airtanker delivered the 7th Voyager designated ZZ337 in January 2014, bringing the total RAF fleet to six, (2x two-point tankers and 4x three-point capable tankers).

Under the contract with AirTanker, it should ensure the full operational availability of the RAF Voyager fleet over a 27 year period with a clause to lease the aircraft for civil operations which is immediately not required for RAF use.

The Voyager 02 flies as an civilian aircraft with more than 2,700 hours flown, carrying over 55,600 passengers and more than 3,400 tonnes of freight, since the start of AirTanker’s civilian airline operation in 2013.