P R E S S R E L E A S E
FSTA WINGS TAKE FLIGHT
Broughton, UK , 25 February 2009 – AirTanker announces the completion of the first set of Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) wings today. Witnessed by Quentin Davies MP, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, these wings will be loaded into a Beluga transport aircraft at Airbus in the UK's Broughton facility for their onward journey to Bremen, Germany, for final equipping (which includes the fitment of the high lift devices) and then Toulouse, France, for final assembly.
The FSTA fleet of 14 new Airbus A330-200s will replace the RAF’s TriStar and VC-10 aircraft, under a £13 billion PFI deal signed on 27 March 2008. The aircraft – which will be owned and operated by AirTanker under the terms of the deal - will undertake air to air refuelling and passenger air transport tasks. The aircraft will enter service in 2011, to serve for three decades.
Witnessing the wings leaving Broughton, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support Quentin Davies MP said:
“Today’s wing ceremony marks a significant stage in the life of the Future Strategic Air Tanker and is good news for the RAF and good news for industry and UK jobs.
These state-of-the-art tanker aircraft will provide an important contribution to operations, enabling the RAF to continue its essential air to air refuelling tasks, as well as providing more reliable and economical transport for our personnel, delivering them to the heart of our operations around the world.”
Phill Blundell, AirTanker CEO, said:
“We are all delighted to see the completion of this early milestone in the delivery of the FSTA programme. Everyone has worked extremely hard to ensure that we meet our targets and we are all very excited to see the first aircraft taking shape.
“The FSTA programme will provide the MOD and the RAF with the most advanced transport and refuelling equipment, representing a step-change in performance. The new Airbus A330 FSTA fleet will deliver unrivalled levels of capability, and AirTanker Services, working with the MOD, will put the new fleet and service in place.”