instead of changing the Voyagers, just buy some spare KC-135 tankers

you'd then have a degree of commonality of spares, and could use them for aircrew training so reducing hours on the Rivit Joints

BEagle with such clear and incisive thinking like that we better get you signed up again quickly ... :ok:

Oddly enough, that's precisely what we've provided to the Luftwaffe / RCAF A310 MRTT progamme - which has now been in operational service (including combat proven experience in both Libya and Mali) for over 4 years...and is now being upgraded to include further mission planning / management options in support of more complex mission scenarios.

Which is more than can be said for a certain other MRTT programme....:rolleyes:

Hecho en España = no funciona!

BGG
have you never heard of humour? or sarcasm?
Oh sorry.....you've a monopoly on that haven't you?

Beags,

No truer word spoken. It seems that to get reliable platforms we may need to buy through the "Yankees", even if they are Airbus airframes, to get a working system. Unfortunately, we seem to be in a "cheapest bid gets the contract" situation these days. The race for the bottom.

"toDSaH political neH pol motlh, Quch" :rolleyes:

Smudge

My error.
 

I meant Fairford, of course.

Airbus Boom Problems
 

Could the decision be tied to the problems Airbus was having with their boom development?

This isn't 'new' news? As far as I knew it was always just going to have a boom system - shame the usual ranters on here didn't pick up on that when the original contract was issued and maybe they could have individually contacted the MOD to point out the error of their ways.... they could have re-written the contract! If they bothered to read this stuff.. :rolleyes:

Any news on why the KC 135 blew up mid air over the Stans a few weeks ago?

How's the RTS going?

Where will the RJ be delivered to? Waddo bolt hole soon?

The answer to one of these questions was posted on this thread less than 24 hours before your post. If there are any answers/updates on the other two issues, they will be equally easy to find...

Beags,
We don't need to AAR our C-17's. We do fine without. Even with our own Sim, the proposed Trg burden is beyond our current and forecast resourced funding. Personally I'd love to do it. There's just no appetite to pay for it.

UK RJ is moving under it's own power at Greenville Tx!

It has now completed first flt. Hurray!!!!

As in, first flight since refurb and 30 years sat gathering dust in the desert?

TorqueOfTheDevil wrote

Have they been sitting in the desert for 30 years?

ZZ664 Boeing RC-135W (64-14833)

Here is 64-14833 pictured operational with the USAF during May 2009.

Photos: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (717-148) Aircraft Pictures | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ZZ665 Boeing RC-135W (64-14838)

Here is 64-14838 pictured operational with the USAF during November 2011

Photos: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (717-148) Aircraft Pictures | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ZZ666 Boeing RC-135W (64-14830)

Here is 64-14830 pictured operational with the USAF during April 2013

Photos: Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker (717-148) Aircraft Pictures | !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Serials from

http://www.militaryaircraftmarkings....ate68-2011.pdf

well that shot his fox and no mistake ;)

I do love people who post without knowing the facts.

Great news that it flew yesterday. When does 51 squadron get it?

Ah, so they are war-weary?

Crew Door
 

Great pictures Oaf. One question from me - Will the formation eating team have to enter though the crew door in front of the nose wheel? I assume the large cargo door is panelled over to mount that sideways looking thingy. We used to have a devils own job to get some of the racks into the Nimrod. how do they manage on this thing? I guess that Astral Box is now smaller than a match box!
Drag