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-   -   101 Squadron Op Granby (Gulf War I) statistics (https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/642566-101-squadron-op-granby-gulf-war-i-statistics.html)

Tengah Type 11th Sep 2021 08:29

The RAF also refuelled the Italian Tornado GR1s, but that may have only been the Victor force, they also refuelled from the Canadians.
Some of the RAF Tornado GR1s were GR1As.

BEagle 11th Sep 2021 16:34

Photo of the Nimrod R1P banking away after refuelling can be seen on p.57 of AFM Gulf Special.

On the same page, there is also a photo of the 'nose art' applied to XV235 'Muscat Belle'.

Jhieminga 11th Sep 2021 20:48

Added the Tristar and the Nimrod R1 to the list again. Thanks everyone! Any thoughts on the number of missions for the VC10K2/K3s?

BEagle 11th Sep 2021 22:39


Originally Posted by Bunker Shot (Post 11109387)
I have a trip logged on Mar 1, 1991 (cease-fire +1) in ZA147 as receiver training with a Tri* day into night 2:00D/1:30N, which I recall was receiver training for the Tri*, but I don't recall where he operated from.

I would be amazed if any TriStar prodded a VC10K during OP GRANBY.

BEagle 11th Sep 2021 23:01


Originally Posted by Jhieminga (Post 11109807)
Added the Tristar and the Nimrod R1 to the list again. Thanks everyone! Any thoughts on the number of missions for the VC10K2/K3s?

According to my article in the RAF Yearbook special, 981 VC10K sorties with a 99% success rate.

vascodegama 12th Sep 2021 06:28

Like BEags I would be amazed if there were any prodding by a Tristar against a VC10 during Granby. Only 2 pilots on the sqn ever did it (AB and DF), one had already left by the time Granby came along and the other would have been way out of currency -since we didn't have an AARI on 216 for that how could he get back in currency?

The other thing I noticed is that the 2 lots of hours don't match!

mole man 12th Sep 2021 14:42

I was the ALM on the Tristar receiver training at Brize with a pilot from the test pilot school I think, I am not at home to check my log book.
The Tristar pushed the nose of the VC10 down as we approached and made contact and after the flight it was said it would only be done in dire emergency.
I was on the Sqn during GW1 and I do not remember any other receiver training being done.




BEagle 12th Sep 2021 16:23


Originally Posted by mole man (Post 11110118)
I was the ALM on the Tristar receiver training at Brize with a pilot from the test pilot school I think, I am not at home to check my log book.
The Tristar pushed the nose of the VC10 down as we approached and made contact and after the flight it was said it would only be done in dire emergency.
I was on the Sqn during GW1 and I do not remember any other receiver training being done.

I recall a TriStar Boscombe Down receiver trial in my early days on the VC10K. The main problem was that the TriStar had a significant bow wave and we also had to be quite adept at maintaining the briefed IAS once contact was made - which led to queries from the TriStar crew as the RB211 was never intended to be handled in the manner necessary for operation in the receiver role.

Jhieminga 12th Sep 2021 19:51

Based on all this, I guess it is safe to leave the Tristar off this particular list. vascodagama, thanks for pointing out that the hours don't match, that's another strange thing. I'll have a look at that one too.

Jhieminga 13th Sep 2021 07:56

I did a quick calculation using Excel and the numbers on that insert do not match up completely, but they're pretty close:
  • Adding the Day and Night hours gives 1359 hours 20 mins
  • Adding up all the hours for the different airframes comes to 1352 hours 45 mins
It should be exactly the same I guess, but it's not a massive difference in the whole scheme of things.
Adding up all the sortie numbers for the different airframes I get a total of 382 sorties, which is a lot less than the 981 sorties from BEagle's RAF Yearbook. Perhaps the Yearbook total includes all the flights carried out while this just lists the sorties where fuel was dispensed to aircraft engaged in combat operations. In his VC10 bookazine from 2015, Stephen Skinner mentions that the VC10Ks flew 381 sorties during OP GRANBY, dispensing 6000 tonnes of fuel with 100% serviceability. That is pretty close to the numbers I'm seeing on this overview. In his article for Air-Britain's AeroMilitaria about the VC10's RAF career, John McCrickard lists 381 sorties, nearly 1,400 flying hours and almost 8,000 tonnes of fuel dispensed. I will see if I can check some other books and magazines, but that is all secondhand information of course.

BEagle 13th Sep 2021 10:42


The VC10K had proved to be highly reliable and over the seven month period the squadron achieved a sortie success rate of over 99%. A total of 600 sorties (2300 hr) were flown prior to 16 January, off-loading 14000 tonnes of fuel; after 16 January 381 sorties (1350 hr) were flown with a further 6800 tonnes given away.
From my article in RAF Yearbook special Air War in the Gulf.

Jhieminga 13th Sep 2021 18:57

Thanks! I guess the 981 in post #25 was a typo.... ;) We'll go with 381 sorties as that number keeps turning up. Seeing as the various sortie numbers don't match up with the mission markings on the various aircraft anyway... at least we can have an agreement on the total.

BEagle 13th Sep 2021 21:22

No, it was 600+381 = 981!!

mole man 14th Sep 2021 10:15

The Pink Tristar was also giving away fuel!!

Jhieminga 14th Sep 2021 10:37


Originally Posted by BEagle (Post 11110739)
No, it was 600+381 = 981!!

Note to self: learn to read...:ugh:
My apologies, I've got it now!

Motley5 14th Sep 2021 11:08


Originally Posted by mole man (Post 11110936)
The Pink Tristar was also giving away fuel!!

Both 'pink' Tristar K1's ZD949 and ZD951 were used during GW1 commencing, with 949 on a 5.00hr night sortie January 11th 1991.

BEagle 14th Sep 2021 11:38

You can also add C130P to the list!

I think it was on 21st February and we were both in the hold at KKIA waiting for the weather to improve. The C130 was going to be very late for his next mission if he had to refuel on the ground, so we offered to refuel him instead. That meant he could then be on time for his next trip after an engines-running load change. So much to the surprise of the air traffickers, he plugged in and round the hold we went together!

The weather then picked up; we both landed and off he went after a quick load change.

Jhieminga 14th Sep 2021 13:53

I have added the C-130 to the list, as well as the S-3A Viking, which turned up in an Aeromilitaria article about the RAF VC10s.


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