Tanker Issues
The RAF itself illustrated the utter unsuitability of the Airtanker PFI contract when it tweeted this picture
Royal Air Force fighter aircraft have begun a four-month @NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic region after replacing their German @luftwaffe colleagues. Read More: http://ow.ly/X0JQ30oCLGj #RAFOps #WeAreNATO
So, according to the RAF, its Typhoons can refuel from a Luftwaffe A400M, but not from its own Atlases. OK, I know the Typhoons are not actually connected here, but presumably they could be.
I give up....
airsound
Royal Air Force fighter aircraft have begun a four-month @NATO Air Policing mission in the Baltic region after replacing their German @luftwaffe colleagues. Read More: http://ow.ly/X0JQ30oCLGj #RAFOps #WeAreNATO
So, according to the RAF, its Typhoons can refuel from a Luftwaffe A400M, but not from its own Atlases. OK, I know the Typhoons are not actually connected here, but presumably they could be.
I give up....
airsound
Last edited by airsound; 7th Jun 2019 at 16:12. Reason: clarification
Thread Starter
Hypothetically speaking, if the RJ was trying to depart Waddo for a sortie but was prevented from taking off with full fuel due to the runway, I assume it would be a USAF Tanker that would provide the fuel.
I could be wrong (and happy to be corrected if I am) but I seem to recall that the contract states the MoD must use AirTanker, but can use other national or international assets if no AirTanker aircraft is available (hence the image with the German A400M here). Perhaps there is scope there to equip some Atlases with AAR kits to service RAF/RN receivers for when and where there are no Voyagers available (in the Falklands or Baltics, for example)?
