Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Voyager has successfully completed its first air-to-air refuelling sortie.

Taking off from RAF Brize Norton, ZZ331 completed its first operational air-to-air refuelling (AAR) flight over the North Sea on Monday 20th May.

It comes after Voyager was given the green light to begin AAR with Tornado by the Ministry of Defence on Thursday 16th May.

Phill Blundell, CEO of AirTanker, said: “We’re delighted to have achieved a significant milestone against the programme, something that has been made possible by the hard work of all of those involved. It represents another important step towards full service capability.”

With Voyager expected to get the go-ahead to refuel Typhoon later this summer, the build-up of operational capability continues at pace.

Voyager 04, the first of seven three-point capable tankers flew into RAF Brize Norton at the end of April. We will take receipt of Voyager 05 later this month [May], with Voyager 06, expected around the middle of the year.

Voyager in flight testing with an RAF Tornado

The first group of our RAF embedded engineers have been awarded their civilian licences marking a milestone in the Voyager Programme.
Selected from more than 700 applicants, the 11 strong-group were the first team to undergo a … read more

AirTanker Services and RAF-embedded employees completed a battlefield tour of Normandy at the end of May:
The sky overhead was a perfect blue. Walkers strolled along a vast expanse of golden sand, while children trailed behind … read more

AirTanker has taken receipt of its first ‘three-point’ tanker, marking a significant step forward in the Voyager programme.  
The first of seven ‘three-point capable’ tankers that will be delivered to the RAF as part of … read more