Originally Posted by
Davef68
And how many of them were envisioned for RAF service when the Voyager PFI was drawn up....
you can run with this line of reasoning but the decision not to fit a boom is IMO a poor one, inwards looking at best.
two main reasons:
firstly it it has been shown to be short sighted in RAF service alone.
Secondly a very large percentage of the operations the RAF undertake are coalition ops. As such the ability to refuel coalition aircraft adds to the flexibility and usefulness of the platform. Recently for example was routine for RAF fast air on SHADER to receive gas from coalition tankers, equipped with both boom and hose/drogue capabilities. At present the RAF voyager is excluded from a large percentage of operational assets due to lack of a boom. I imagine this has caused a level of consternation at times when other refueling assets have gone U/S, where an equivalent MRTT could have filled the gap.