raf a330 mrtt voyager

A330 Voyager

Project description.

Voyager is a dual role air-to-air refuelling and transport aircraft, currently in service with the Royal Air Force and used by the Prime Minister and Royal Family.

What is the A330 Voyager?

Voyager is a military derivative of the Airbus A330-200 Airliner. It is designed as a dual role air-to-air refuelling and air transport aircraft.

The aircraft is equipped with two underwing pods for refuelling fast jets and Fuselage Refuelling Unit (FRU) giving Voyager the capability to also refuel large aircraft, such A400M.

Voyager has a payload of 43 tonnes of freight and 291 seat passenger capacity plus aeromedical evacuation capability (up to 40 stretchers and three critical care patients).

Voyager provides a vital connection between the UK and the Falkland Islands, through the South Atlantic Air Bridge (SAA). The twice-weekly service transports military personnel and civilians from RAF Bridge Norton to the Falklands.

Voyager came into service in 2014 and is currently supporting operations at home and abroad. It will remain in service until 2035. There are a total of 14 aircraft, nine of which are held in the core fleet with a further five held in reserve to meet demand as required.

About the A330 Voyager

One aircraft bears the Union Jack and is fitted with business class seating for VIPs, such as the Prime Minister and members of the Royal Family. However, it remains fully capable of aerial refuelling.

In June 2022, Voyager set two new records for non-stop flights between the UK and the Falkland Islands. These record-breaking flights confirmed the capability of the Voyager service to sustain the SAA to the Falklands without having to land for refuelling. The non-stop flights carrying passengers and freight were only possible thanks to DE&S’ cost-effective installation of a Crew Rest Facility on the civil registered Voyager so that relief aircrew could travel on board the aircraft.

In November 2022, DE&S worked with the RAF and industry partners to carry out a world-first 100% sustainable fuel flight using an A330 Voyager. This was the first flight powered completely by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel for a military aircraft of its size, and the first of any aircraft type in the UK. The flight was a joint endeavour between the RAF, DE&S and our industry partners Airbus, AirTanker and Rolls-Royce, with the fuel purchased from Air bp.

A330 Voyager has a colossal 60-metre wingspan and is the largest aircraft ever used by the Royal Air Force.

How is Voyager delivered?

DE&S manages the Voyager Private Finance Initiative contract. This is a 27-year contract awarded to the AirTanker consortium to manage the maintenance, infrastructure, and spares needed to sustain the Voyager programme. The scope of the contract also covers aircrew and ground crew training, including training school instructors and fleet management.

Voyager is one of the highest value private finance initiative (PFI) contract in Government. DE&S plays a crucial role in ensuring maximum value and benefit from the services available, working closely with our industry partners.

Meet the DE&S Voyager delivery team

Become part of the team.

The DE&S Voyager Delivery Team is made up of 40 personnel at MOD Abbey Wood Bristol and RAF Brize Norton. The team manages a contracted service to supply Voyager to the RAF.

Voyager is operated by 10 Squadron and 101 Squadron in the RAF.

Voyager sets new records with non-stop flights to and from the Falkland Islands

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Delivering a programme of work of over £13bn annually, we ensure the UK Armed Forces have all the equipment and support they need for their operations.

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AirTanker Voyager (A330 MRTT)

In-flight refueling tanker aircraft, united kingdom | 2012, "the royal air force expects to lease some fourteen french airbus a330 mrtt tankers under the voyager kc2 and kc3 designations.".

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RAF A330MRTT: The Voyager in Action

The RAF variant of the A330MRTT is called the Voyager and was purchased through a public-pirvate partnership approach.

According to the RAF website , the Voyager and its role within the RAF is described as follows:

Voyager is the RAF’s sole air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tanker and also operates as a strategic air transport.  The aircraft is in service as the Voyager KC.Mk 2, equipped with two underwing pods for refuelling fast jets, and as the Voyager KC.Mk 3, with an additional centreline hose for use by large aircraft. 

Fuel offloaded during AAR is taken from the aircraft’s standard wing and fuselage tanks, leaving the cabin free for up to 291 personnel and the hold available for freight.  As a tanker, capabilities include the ability to operate a ‘towline’, where the Voyager orbits around a prescribed area awaiting ‘receivers’, or in a ‘trail’, where it flies with a number of fast jets, refuelling them over long ranges while taking responsibility for the formation’s fuel and navigation.

Alternatively, it can operate as a passenger aircraft in much the same way as a civilian airliner, but delivering personnel safely into theatre thanks to its defensive aids suite.  Voyager also offers considerable capacity for the movement of palletised and/or bulk freight in its lower fuselage hold.  A versatile aeromedical configuration, including the ability to carry up to 40 stretchers and three critical care patients is available, as is a modest VIP passenger fit. 

TYPE HISTORY

Airbus Industrie launched its combined A340/A330 programme on June 5, 1987.  It aimed to produce a family of closely related widebody airliners based on the four-engined, long-haul A340 and twin-engined, medium-haul A330.  The latter achieved its first flight, with General Electric engines, on November 2, 1992, with the initial Rolls-Royce Trent-powered machine following on January 31, 1994.

Typically for Airbus, the A330’s pilots interact with its fly-by-wire system via sidestick controllers rather than the yoke traditionally associated with large aircraft.  The basic A330-200 and longer A330-300 have been developed into a wide range of subvariants offering revised performance and different maximum take-off weights.

The earlier A310 widebody had found favour with several air arms as the basis for conversion into a military transport or multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), and Airbus recognised the type’s potential as a possible TriStar/VC10 replacement in the early 1990s, trialling a modified aircraft alongside RAF fast jets in 1995.  

It was subsequently expected to offer the A310 MRTT against the UK’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) requirement, announced as a likely private finance initiative (PFI) programme in 2000.  In the event, the procurement process was delayed and although Airbus did not tender, in 2004 the Ministry of Defence announced its intention to acquire a variant of the A330 MRTT.

Under a March 2008 agreement, the AirTanker consortium was selected to provide 14 aircraft under a 27-year contract.  This includes a so-called ‘Core Fleet’ of eight military serialled and one civilian-registered aircraft, supplemented by a ‘Surge Fleet’ of five civilian-registered aircraft that AirTanker uses commercially to generate additional revenue.  The surge aircraft are demodified very close to A330-200 standard and can be recalled for military use if required.

AirTanker owns, manages and maintains the aircraft and provides infrastructure,  support, training facilities and some personnel, in particular Sponsored Reserve pilots and engineers.  Named Voyager in service, the A330 MRTT began RAF operations with 10 Sqn on May 12, 2012, flying an air transport sortie from its Brize Norton home base to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus.

Issues with the drogues, or ‘baskets’ into which receivers insert their probes during refuelling operations delayed Voyager’s debut in the tanker role, but these had been overcome by summer 2013 and the aircraft’s ability to deliver fuel to a variety of RAF and allied aircraft expanded very quickly.  Also in 2013, 101 Squadron retired the RAF’s final VC10s and began flying Voyager alongside 10 Sqn and AirTanker’s reservists.

Although it ranges worldwide, Voyager remains home-based at Brize Norton.  One aircraft is always available on the Falkland Islands, primarily in support of the Typhoon QRA jets, but also available to the Hercules.  Another of the type operates the regular airbridge to and from the Falklands and Voyager is making a major contribution to Operation Shader, offloading fuel to RAF Tornados and Typhoons, and a variety of Coalition jets, including US Marine Corps Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets.

The Voyager has provided global reach for the RAF as they have operated their Eurofighters globally.  As then RAF Lossiemouth base commander, Group Captain and now Air Commodore Paul Godfrey put it with regard to their global deployments:

“In my entire time in the Royal Air Force, I’ve not seen a global deployment as we managed at the end of last year with our deployment to Malaysia, Japan and Korea.

Throughout the period we visited the United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Brunei and back through India, UAE and Greece which is about as global a deployment as you can get.”

And flying with their Voyager is a key part of the global reach effort.

For example, in 2016, RAF Typhoons fly to South Korea to exercise with US and South Korean forces.

According to a news item on the RAF website published on November 8, 2016, between 4 and 10 November 2016, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force hosted “Invincible Shield,” the first ever combined air exercise with the US and the UK.

Four Eurofighter Typhoons from Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 2 Squadron deployed to Osan Air Base in Korea after conducting exercises in Malaysia and Japan. C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, Voyager tanker aircraft, and around 200 RAF personnel will also participate.

And the Voyager carried personnel inside the aircraft and refueled during the deployment from its wings to provide both a lift and tanking capability during the flight to the mission.

Clearly, the Voyager and the A330MRTT are now part of the global allied tanking efforts.

For example, this May, RAF Mildenhall hosted the 5th annual European Tanker Symposium where Voyager was a key participant.

The symposium, held every year since 2012, allows NATO allies to share their experiences, discuss mixed tanker formation standards, and build on tanker integration.

The week-long event included mixed formation academics, discussions and flights in a KC-135 Stratotanker and a Royal Air Force Voyager. Ultimately, the event was to establish and initialize best practices when flying in a multinational formation, and the goal was once again achieved.

“This is one of the first times that we’ve gotten together as European partners to specifically concentrate on these tactics, techniques and procedures on how we operate together,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Mach, 100th Operations Group deputy commander. “Being able to fly on the airplanes, we can all get an idea of the countries that don’t normally do formation flying together, and we can start building those procedures.”

Flying in a multinational tanker formation is something the ETS is trying to safely create. During the days leading to the formation flight, aircrew shared differences in the terminology and procedures they each use.

“I think the procedures have remained largely the same,” said RAF Flt. Lt. Elizabeth Herbert, RAF Voyager captain. “It’s the fundamental basics that are important — remaining a safe distance from each other when you meet up, and ensuring that you can remain in a close formation. It doesn’t really matter what large aircraft you have in that scenario; providing we maintain these techniques, the type of large aircraft – whether currently or in the future – doesn’t matter.” 

The featured photo shows the Voyager bringing the first four F-35s home to Britain from the United States.

The first of Britain’s next-generation fighter jets are set to arrive home tonight, two months ahead of schedule, in a major milestone for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

The F-35s took off from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and were flown by British pilots of the newly-reformed 617 Squadron, which was immortalised by the famous Dambusters’ raid during World War II.

• RAF Voyagers on patrol

An article from the AirForces Monthly Yearbook 2024, where Alan Warnes interviews the Officer Commanding of 101 Sqn about the increased taskings of the RAF’s Voyagers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

The A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Voyager has revolutionised the way the RAF does its business. Not only can it fulfil a strategic transport role, but the RAF’s ten air-to-air refuelling-configured (AAR) MRTTs can each carry 111 tons of fuel with the capacity to offload a lot to thirsty fighters and larger transport aircraft.

Some of its most notable work in recent years has included Operation Pitting in August 2021, when the Voyager took part in the RAF’s evacuation of Kabul. There have also been regular annual deployments refuelling fighters flying to the likes of Exercise Red Flag at Nellis AFB in the US, while Exercise Pitch Black saw a Voyager escort four Eurofighters around the world to Australia last summer; that was no walk in the park. 

These are all in addition to the standing RAF commitments, supporting air defence quick reaction alerts at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, and Mount Pleasant Airfield, Falkland Islands, as well as Eurofighters detached to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus for Op Shader missions over Iraq and Syria.

Full on with AAR

On February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the Voyagers were called upon to support the RAF Typhoon combat air patrols in two completely different areas of Eastern Europe.

Wg Cdr Udall, Officer Commanding of 101 Sqn based at RAF Brize Norton, said of the step up in requirements: “While we are always busy, what we saw was a rapid change in our prioritisation. Whereas in the past we had a balance in our standard air refuelling commitments, and moving people around the world, we suddenly needed to go heavily towards providing AAR into eastern Europe.

“We saw a spike, but the greater challenge was adapting to working under different command and control and in different air space, not knowing what would come next. But we didn’t have to alter our AAR standard operating procedures significantly, it was more of how we got to our area of ops, the routing, flight plans and timings rather than the mechanics of the job. We saw a controlled surge, which we were ready for and our NATO allies supported us very well in their airspace.”

The Voyager Force (VF) had the capacity to confront NATO’s AAR requirement by committing to fewer transport responsibilities. These can be flown by airlines, and, as the VF went all in for AAR, the transport side almost stopped. Wg Cdr Udall added: “The benefits of working with Air Tanker is that their three white aircraft, if available, can easily step up because the company is very familiar with the way we work and there are contractual mechanisms for that. So, in the early days we saw the white fleet taking more of the transport, while the grey fleet got on with AAR.”

The first Voyager sortie to NATO’s eastern flank came at 0721hrs on February 24, 2022 to refuel RAF Typhoons on combat air patrol (CAP) in northeast Europe, just hours after Russia’s invasion. Providing reassurance to other NATO members on the eastern flank is what these missions are still all about. The Voyagers can come under the auspices of NATO or under national command. When they are working with NATO, the likes of French Rafales, German Tornados, Spanish F/A-18 Hornets, US Navy Hornets and all European variants of Eurofighters are refuelled. However, the RAF Voyagers are limited by the fact they are hose and drogue equipped, which means F-16s and other aircraft that are boom-fed, cannot be supplied. It is obviously a disadvantage, but Wg Cdr Udall would not be drawn on whether there are any prospects of that changing. Under national command, which is where the bulk of the work is, it’s not such a problem because most RAF aircraft are fitted with probes to access the drogues.

In the early days there was lots of effort put into integration during the NATO Eastern Flank ops, but progressively the RAF is getting involved in more complex ways. “Quite often we will take Typhoons to Baltic states; we will top them off, so they are pretty full of fuel. They will then do some air-to-air or air-to-ground training – and learn to interoperate [with the likes of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers]. They might do that for a couple of hours, then we will bring them back.

“It’s an easy way for them to train together, without taking a lot of people, or basing spare parts and logistics at another base – it allows them to operate with different nations and achieve that effect from our main bases.”

Of the time in the air, three hours is transiting with the fighters, and that’s because the Voyager is flying between 26,000 and 28,000ft. If they flew higher, as they normally do, then they would reach their destination faster. Three hours allows the Voyager to meet up with the Typhoons over the North Sea, east of RAF Coningsby, and if they are from RAF Lossiemouth that’s a bit further north. Wg Cdr Udall explained: “We give them fuel when they are still close to the UK and top them up when they are a bit closer to the combat air patrol. To make life easier and in case of an issue, we will stick with them, provide weather reports et cetera along the way for nearby airfields, and it’s easier than trying to rendezvous with them again when we get to the CAP.”

Then of course it is another three hours to get back to the UK. The largest amount of fuel to be offloaded to date, is 44 tons, to Typhoons over Poland on CAP.

Wg Cdr Udall added: “There is always a trade off with the longer the Voyagers are airborne because it means they have to give less away. We did consider forward deploying in early stages but we wanted to get the most out of Voyager and the fast jets. We have more flexibility at the main base, we can flip different crews on different tasks, use the aircraft overnight for other activities. Running things from main base is much more efficient. If the CAPs were further afield, there would be a stronger case to forward deploying, as we do at RAF Akrotiri.

“It was felt that the UK to Poland and Baltics was do-able in the flying time the crews were restricted to. If you consider the maximum amount of time the Typhoons are operating (with the discomfort of sitting for hours in an ejection seat) their mission length fits nicely into the maximum flying hours regulation for our tanker crews.”

For NATO missions, the average Voyager sortie is 7hrs 40mins; the longest has been 9hrs 50mins. While they generally stick with the fighters all that time, the near ten hours mission would have meant the Voyager was given another tasking on top of looking after the Typhoons.

When on-station, the Voyager usually has a race-track course in eastern Europe of about 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, the 101 Sqn OC said: “If it’s any smaller, then the tanker is turning a lot and refuelling in the turn is more difficult for the fighter.”

By mid-December, the Voyager Force had flown more than 270 missions (around 1,900 hours) in support of NATO’s reassurance ops. Around 170 missions have been flown from the UK (known as the ‘northern tanker’) and 100 from RAF Akrotiri (‘southern tanker’). With the latter, the Typhoons tend to fly up to the Black Sea around Bulgaria and Romania and the Voyagers support them through Turkey/Greece and bring them back.

Hoses and drogues

There are ten A330 MRTT Voyagers serving the RAF, fitted with two or three hose/drogues, although the Wg Cdr wouldn’t give the precise split. All ten are capable of accommodating the three hose/drogue fit. Of the additional four in the Air Tanker contract, one is used for the Falklands air bridge flown by Air Tanker crews or reservists while the other three are strategic reserves. “They are used by Air Tanker to earn additional revenue to decrease the cost of the contract, but we can use them if required. We could also charter other aircraft for air transport, but we can’t do that with AAR, which is solely our business. The balance varies, but the overall demand is quite high.

The three hose and drogues are never used at the same time, because the RAF doesn’t have the clearances (certification) and as the fighters normally operate in pairs that’s not an issue according to Wg Cdr Udall. The centre hose is used for the heavies like the A400Ms, C-130Js but not the C-17As.

The fleet leader for the NATO ops is ZZ330, which by mid-December had flown more than 56 sorties from RAF Akrotiri, when it was based there. For efficiency, the missions are flown with a standard crew.

Southern tanker

For a long time now, the VF has had an aircraft in Akrotiri, Cyprus and Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, offering a supporting role to the Typhoons there. They are also in the latter to offer an aeromedical evacuation and every now and again they ‘flex’ (as the RAF refers to it) because one might be needed elsewhere or they need to be augmented. “For quite a bit of last year we were conducting Black Sea ops, [around Bulgaria and Romania] so we put an extra aircraft in Cyprus to support NATO’s Black Sea flank,” said Wg Cdr Udall.

“We helped the Typhoons get to/back but during the Typhoon deployment to Mihail Kogalniceanu in Romania last year we were seldom required. While based forward, they didn’t tend to need us as much.

“If they are launching from RAF Akrotiri, we tend to route via Turkish/Greek air space and bring them back again. It’s always better to get them back, than having them land somewhere for fuel to make the most of the assets and reduce the chances of technical issues.”

The Voyagers are an incredibly sought-after aircraft, with around eight of the ten currently being flown by VF almost every day, heavily biased towards AAR, although in the past it has been more evenly balanced. There have been times when it had to skew the other way too, as Wg Cdr Udall explained: “One case was during Op Pitting, when we still had to keep our standard commitments going. During the evacuation of Kabul, the tactical airlifters went forward, and we ensured there was a short notice air bridge into a common safe location, so people could be flown to UK. A lot of the soldiers and RAF personnel enabled the extraction of evacuees, some of whom had never been in an aircraft and were very anxious and often distressed. The tactical air transport aircraft are designed to go into hostile areas fly them back to a safer area, and we provide the air bridge to the UK, because we have the capacity and reach for that strategic lift.”

The A330 MRTT Voyager KC2/3 is an unsung hero, proven over its 11 years of operations, in the strategic airlift and air refueller role – even if it doesn’t have a refuelling boom! afm

A330 MRTT crew

On AAR missions there is a minimum of three personnel in a crew, and if it’s busy it can also include a cabin supervisor. The third member is the boom operator who is a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) who will control the hoses via the boom frequencies – clear the fighters behind the hose and monitor how it is going, while the pilots will not just fly the aircraft but monitor air traffic and navigation. The cabin supervisor (also an NCO) will support the three-man crew, with food and drink during the longer missions allowing them to take a break and go to the toilet if required.

Pitch Black

While the 101 Sqn Executive Officer went to lead the Voyager during the exercise at Darwin in Australia from August 19 to September 8, a lot went via the Wg Cdr’s desk. “It was quite audacious to get the [four] Typhoons out there. The Voyager left on August 12, then night-stopped at Akrotiri, Cyprus [before] heading off.”

The next stop was Al Dhafra, UAE (although the RAF would not confirm this due to local sensitivities), Delhi in India, then Paya Lebar, Singapore, arriving at Darwin on the 18th. Returning, the aircraft stopped at, Penang in Malaysia, Delhi, a location in the Middle East, RAF Akrotiri and RAF Lossiemouth. It was obviously a complex long-range mission.

The 101 OC picks up: “While there we had some key successes – we performed cell refuelling – when tankers orbit with a half mile separation, and refuel the fighters, which we did with NATO’s MMU [Multinational Multirole tanker transport Unit) A330 MRTTs. To us Pitch Black demonstrated our freedom of manoeuvre and proved we have rapid worldwide reach. It’s not easy, but it is achievable.

“We always prefer to refuel during the day, so we can see the massive thunderstorms over the Indian Ocean!” Daytime is also better for emergencies: “You don’t want to do that at night, particularly if it includes an ejection. You fly four to six hours during the day, then land and the engineers prep the aircraft for the mission the next day, and you get on your way. You can pre-position tankers to en route stops but then you have to confront other issues.

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RAF’s A330 Voyager fleet secures approval for extended operations

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has permitted the extended range operations accreditation (ETOPS 180) clearance to the Royal Air Force's (RAF) A330 Voyager future strategic tanker aircraft (FSTA) fleet.

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The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has permitted the extended range operations accreditation (ETOPS 180) clearance to the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) A330 Voyager future strategic tanker aircraft (FSTA) fleet.

Awarded following the implementation and successful review of enhanced procedures in the maintenance and flight crew operations, the approval provides the civil-registered aircraft with greater flexibility and efficiency during long distance flights, including those across to North America.

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The flight crews have received additional training in the classroom and simulator, in addition to a check onboard the Voyager.

AirTanker Services flight operations director Iain Cullen said the approval confirmed the aircraft’s ability to offer the same high-level of safety to crew and passengers in a three-hour flight as it would provide during a one-hour journey.

"It also means shorter flight times as we will be able to take more direct routes and reduce fuel consumption, saving money for the UK MOD," Cullen said.

The RAF expect to gain ETOPS clearance in accordance with the military aviation authority in late 2013.

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Having signed a 27-year, £10.5bn private finance initiative contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) in March 2008 for the delivery of 14 Voyagers, AirTanker has so far handed over four aircraft to the RAF.

A derivative of Airbus Military’s A330 multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), Voyager is designed to replace the RAF’s existing L-1011 and VC10 tanker/transport aircraft, which are approaching the end of their service life, for air transport and tanker operations.

Primarily operated by the service’s 10 Squadron, the twin Rolls-Royce Trent 772B jet engine-powered aircraft is also flown by AirTanker Services as a certified civilian aircraft for charter flights, when not in military use.

Image: A Royal Air Force’s Airbus A330 Voyager aircraft stationed at Airbus facility in Getafe, Spain. Photo: courtesy of Angel Nikolov.

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Simple Flying

Royal air force completes first 100% sustainable fuel a330 mrtt flight.

The RAF worked with Airbus, Rolls-Royce, and others to achieve the first flight powered entirely by SAF with an RAF Voyager.

The United Kingdom's Royal Air Force (RAF), alongside industry partners including Airbus and Rolls-Royce, have carried out the world's first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) flight using an operational military aircraft. The flight took place using an RAF Voyager, the military variant of the Airbus A330 commercial jetliner, and marked the first 100% SAF flight of any aircraft type carried out in UK airspace.

The mission was a joint endeavor between the RAF, aircraft manufacturer Airbus , the UK Ministry of Defence's Defence Equipment and Support agency, British aircraft leasing company AirTanker and engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce, with the fuel supplied by Air bp. Senior RAF, Ministry of Defence (MoD), and industry representatives were on hand to witness the event, with British Defence Minister Baroness Goldie expressing her excitement for the moment:

"The Royal Air Force has flown the UK’s first military air transport flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel on one of their operational Voyager aircraft. They should be rightly proud of this achievement; it is a breakthrough moment for the RAF and an exciting development for the MOD. "Through the RAF’s pioneering spirit, expertise and partnership with UK industry, British science and engineering is leading the way in improving operational resilience and developing future operating capability in a climate-changed world."

The RAF flies 10 Voyagers in total, including one with a particularly patriotic paint scheme used for state visits worldwide.

90 minutes with no fossil fuels

On Wednesday, the groundbreaking flight departed RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, England, powered entirely by 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel on both engines. A combined RAF, Rolls-Royce, and Airbus flight test crew flew the aircraft for the test mission.

The demonstration flight took approximately 90 minutes and replicated an air-to-air refueling sortie, a vital and common mission for Air Forces worldwide. The RAF said the mission demonstrated the potential for its future operational capability, ensuring the ability to contribute to UK defense wherever and whenever, as the RAF hurtles towards its goal of being Net Zero by 2040. Experimental test pilot and Captain of the flight, Jesus Ruiz, confirmed the flight went smoothly:

“From the crew perspective, the SAF operation was ‘transparent’, meaning that no differences were observed operationally. The Test Plan was exhaustive and robust and has allowed us to compare SAF with JET1 culminating in a flight without a single drop of fossil fuel. "Teamwork was a key contributor, harmonsing experience from Airbus, Rolls-Royce and the RAF. We feel very proud to be a small part of this huge step for sustainable aviation.”

The mission is a part of the Government's Net Zero 2050 goal and Jet Zero Strategy, which includes plans for the RAF's first Net Zero airbase by 2025.

Want to know more about sustainability in aviation ?

SAF on the rise

Sustainable Aviation Fuel reduces lifecycle carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to the conventional fuel it replaces, with the SAF used on the flight made from used cooking oil. The RAF seeks to reduce its reliance on global supply chains and improves operational resilience by reducing the necessity for fuel resupplying.

SAF , created from waste-based sustainable feedstocks, is one of several approaches currently being researched by the MoD, which found that different approaches will suit other platforms and environments. Resulting in a range of alternative fuel options being looked at to ensure the UK is at the forefront of this developing technology.

Engineers from Airbus' Commercial Aircraft and Defence and Space divisions worked with the RAF, Rolls-Royce, and Airtanker to test the aircraft's performance and handling on the ground and in the air in preparation for the final flight with both engines powered by 100% SAF. Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, highlighted just how vital the flight was to meeting climate objectives:

"Climate change is a transnational challenge that threatens our resilience, our security and our collective prosperity. That is why I have set the RAF the ambitious challenge of becoming the world’s first net-zero Air Force by 2040. The way we power our aircraft will be key to meeting that challenge and the RAF is already thinking about how we will operate beyond fossil fuels. "This exciting trial flight of a Voyager from RAF Brize Norton powered entirely by Sustainable Aviation Fuel is an important milestone on that journey, and marks another technological first for the RAF alongside our industry partners."

Wednesday's success follows The RAF and Zero Petroleum obtaining a Guinness World Record for the world's first successful flight using only synthetic fuel last November. The Ikarus C42 microlight aircraft completed a short flight powered by 15 liters of synthetic gasoline at Cotswold Airport.

The synthetic UL91 fuel is manufactured by extracting hydrogen from water and carbon from atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is then put under pressure, and an electric current is run through it.

UK Defence Forum

• Home Equipment Royal Air Force

Airbus A330 Voyager (MRTT) (RAF)

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Post by SKB » Fri May 29, 2015 11:15 pm

Re: Airbus A330 Voyager (MRTT) (RAF)

Post by SKB » Fri May 29, 2015 11:16 pm

Post by arfah » Sat May 30, 2015 6:09 pm

Post by The Armchair Soldier » Wed Jun 24, 2015 3:48 pm

Post by sea_eagle » Wed Jun 24, 2015 5:03 pm

Post by Pymes75 » Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:08 pm

The Armchair Soldier wrote:

Post by Little J » Sun Jun 28, 2015 3:13 pm

sea_eagle wrote: Can anyone advise what happens if we ever need the 5 which are leased out to thecommerical sector? How soon can we get them back and does that mean we would fly them to Afghanistan (or wherever) in Thomas Cook colours? What about the military kit - comms, DAS, which presumably aren't fitted while they are leased out. So realistically how soon can they be called up for service and do we then have trained crews to fly them?

Post by shark bait » Mon Jun 29, 2015 7:49 pm

Post by jonas » Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:38 pm

Post by marktigger » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:00 pm

Post by downsizer » Mon Jul 20, 2015 5:33 pm

Post by -Eddie- » Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:13 pm

Post by Gabriele » Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:52 pm

Post by marktigger » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:25 pm

Post by 1911 » Wed Jul 22, 2015 2:36 pm

Post by Ianmb17 » Wed Jul 22, 2015 4:50 pm

Post by shark bait » Wed Jul 22, 2015 5:48 pm

Post by downsizer » Wed Jul 22, 2015 6:04 pm

shark bait wrote: Yes that's a private finance initiative, they pay for it, then we pay for it later.

Post by S M H » Mon Aug 24, 2015 7:23 pm

Post by Ron5 » Thu Aug 27, 2015 6:59 pm

S M H wrote: The elephant in the room is the payment of deprecation of equipment paid to the treasury. Making leasing the aeroplanes not that different than paying deprecation to the treasury on the aircraft that was paid for by the Equipment budget (hence why the B B C saying we will pay 6 billon for the one carrier.)

Post by shark bait » Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:31 pm

Post by arfah » Sun Nov 01, 2015 10:28 am

Post by Ianmb17 » Mon Nov 02, 2015 9:30 pm

Post by The Armchair Soldier » Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:10 pm

Post by arfah » Wed Nov 18, 2015 11:16 pm

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• Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)

26 October 2020

A330 mrtt and a400m.

The Royal Air Force A330 MRTT ‘Voyager’ achieves clearance to refuel A400M aircraft 

The Spanish National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) has granted the Voyager Air-to-Air Refuelling (AAR) clearance for the A400M using the centreline hose and drogue system, known as the Fuselage Refuelling Unit (FRU). The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the only MRTT customer to make use of this system, which is used to refuel large probe-equipped aircraft such as the A400M or C295. 

This AAR clearance is the culmination of several ground and flight testing campaigns to develop and evaluate the two aircraft and their pairing in many different conditions. Supplementing this work, the Airbus teams have performed intensive engineering analysis and documentation to demonstrate the AAR compatibility between the two aircraft. 

Bringing out the creativity

"I would love to highlight the great teamwork during the flight test campaign as well as during the entire clearance process both internally and with INTA. It has been a particularly rewarding campaign, as the challenges we faced brought out our best creative instincts"

Gemma Martin Ferrer, FSTA Programme Manager at Airbus Defence and Space

Under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme, Airbus Defence and Space has delivered 14 Voyager aircraft to British aircraft leasing company AirTanker. These tankers are delivered in two military configurations: with two AAR underwing pods – to refuel probe-equipped receivers such as the Eurofighter and the F/A-18 – and with two underwing pods plus the FRU system. The Voyager MRTTs are operated by the RAF under a service contract (a private finance initiative), and can also be rolled into a civil configuration.

The Voyager fleet is cleared by INTA to refuel Tornado, Eurofighter, C-130J Hercules, E-3D Sentry, F-35B Lightning II and now the A400M.

INTA, the technical body of the Spanish Airworthiness Authority (DGAM), is the contractual certification entity of the A330 FSTA and MRTT aircraft. Their certifications are then endorsed by the airworthiness authorities.

• Military Aircraft