Despite increasing difficulties, we're still able to train our tanker crews to work as an effective 'can-do' team, supported by an equally dedicated 'can-do' ground crew team.
Regrettably our 'squadron engineers' are being swept away by the bean counters who don't understand intangible assets and we're being forced to go back to the universally-despised archaic centralised servicing concept; add that to the ludicrous PFI so beloved of the DPA suits and the future looks pretty bleak....
So wouldn't it be a really excellent idea to buy up a couple of dozen ex-BA 767s, get them modded to carry 94 tonne of fuel, fit a full-up military flight deck with a 3rd crew station for the Systems Panel Operator and return to 2 dedicated tanker transport squadrons having nothing to do with daft PPP procurement .....bet no-one has said that before!
"Bah, wibble....purple jointery...I hear what you say...blue water of defence thinking...inter alia...smart procurement...consultancies...non-executive directorships...baaaah" quoth A Military Spokesperson....