MINISTRY OF DEFENCE 6 June 2007
New RAF tanker and transport aircraft programme approved by MoD
Defence Minister Lord Drayson today announced that the Government had
approved a PFI solution as the most cost-effective way of replacing
the RAF's fleet of VC10 and TriStar aircraft. The Ministry of Defence
will now proceed towards the financial and contractual close of the
FSTA (Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft) PFI deal with AirTanker Ltd.
AirTanker Ltd is expected to begin the fund raising process shortly.
Lord Drayson said:
"FSTA will provide the RAF with a modern air-to-air refuelling and
strategic air transport capability which is crucial in this era of
expeditionary operations. It will replace the RAF's fleet of VC10 and
TriStar aircraft. A PFI solution is the best way to provide our Armed
Forces with significantly improved capability." "The Ministry of
Defence and AirTanker Ltd will now work together to secure financial
and contractual close on a PFI deal as quickly as possible."
Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff added:
"This announcement represents an enormous step forward in this vital
programme for the RAF and UK Defence. Air-to-Air refuelling and
strategic airlift are fundamental to the UK's expeditionary
capability and FSTA is a crucial part of that. Although our current
fleets of VC10 and Tristar aircraft are doing a superb job, both
fleets are coming towards the end of their useful lives. I am,
therefore, delighted that this key milestone has been achieved, and I
look forward to getting the new aircraft and facilities into service
as soon as possible."
ENDS
Notes
1. The MoD's website can be found at
http://www.mod.uk
2. AirTanker Ltd was selected as Preferred Bidder through competition
and its shareholders, consist of Cobham EADS, Rolls-Royce, VT and
Thales.
3. FSTA is a project to assess the feasibility of a PFI solution to
replace the RAF's Fleet of VC10 and TriStar aircraft.
4. AirTanker Ltd's service solution is predicated on provision of
Airbus A330-200 aircraft plus associated training, infrastructure,
and through life maintenance support.