The Air Transport and Refuelling capabilities of any modern air force are arguably the most important capabilities they can field and also the most relevant in modern times. The reasons for this are obvious, for instance transport assets can be used much of the time outside of normal military operations where other capabilities cannot. Military transport assets are extremely useful to organisations trying to help after a disaster as they can transport large quantities of supplies, material and equipment to anywhere it is needed and fast. When it comes to fighting a war transport capabilities can really determine strategy especially since many modern wars are far from our own shores. Furthermore conflicts in the modern world often appear and escalate quickly much like the rest of the modern world fast responses are needed which only Air Transport can provide. Air Refuelling is in many ways an enabler of long range air transport as facilities are rarely available when needed to allow staging of resources. In addition AAR is also needed once in theatre as In my opinion modern air power is simply not possible without AAR capabilities. Therefore there are many strong reasons for attention and resources to be paid to this area.

Sadly however Air Transport and Refuelling capabilities are often neglected in favour of other systems that we could argue are ‘sexier ’ I refer particularly to fast jet aircraft. In Europe especially these capabilities have been neglected as historically strategy was based on a massive conflict in Europe with the Soviet Union. The RAF has better capabilities than many European air forces thanks to the long history and legacy of supporting operations far from home however these capabilities have always come further down the priorities list. This neglect or misguided setting of priorities looks set to continue even as current and likely commitments to operations far from home continue to escalate. In grand scheme of things as I believe forces should be concentrated towards a strategy of strategic raiding AAR and air transport grow in importance.

The prime example of stupidity in this area would be the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft program (FSTA) also known as “Fu*king Short of Tankers Again” that should give some clues as to the problems. While the aircraft will be more capable than its predecessors the numbers of aircraft to be procured falls short of what is needed and will even fall short of the current aircraft fleet. This seems like madness particularly when the fleet is being well utilised in operations abroad and I would also like to note operations that do not require the fleet to support large numbers of aircraft. The aircraft are also being procured under a private finance initiative which means the aircraft are not actually RAF assets and are effectively wet leased the main reason for this is simply to keep the upfront costs off the national credit card statement. The problem however is that the costs will be many times higher over time than if the aircraft were bought outright and operated by the RAF. I propose that if possible the contract be cancelled outright and aircraft procured in a conventional manner with of course additional airframes added to the order to ensure an adequate fleet size. However if this were not deemed cost efficient then I would suggest the contract be changed to a ‘power by the hour’ type contract. I would also suggest the possibility of used A330-200’s being bought and re-built into tanker aircraft if this were deemed cost effective the reason I suggest this is used airframes would cost much less. Furthermore airframe life is not a real issue as large military aircraft usually retire from other reasons than airframe life running out. The reason is that compared to the same aircraft operated in commercial service they fly only a small fraction of the hours over the same period therefore used aircraft would be a viable cost effective solution. I would also advocate the aircraft be fitted with their own AAR probes so that they can receive fuel from other aircraft, I would suggest both types of probes are fitted. If it were deemed cost efficient I would also suggest equipping aircraft with the EADS flying boom refuelling system as this would enable higher fuel transfer rates to larger aircraft and enable extended range operations to be carried out. By adding the boom system it would also allow better compatibility with the USAF and all of their substantial aircraft fleet.
The next item I would like to cover is the fabled A400M which has been commented on quite a bit as it continues to cause discussion. My opinion on this aircraft largely depends on whether or not it actually works and what I mean by that is if it hits original specifications for range and payload. Furthermore possibly the largest factor currently is schedule, these aircraft are needed sooner rather than later to replace decades old C-130K which are at the end of their life. I suspect further delay will result eventually in aircraft maintenance costs rocketing and since the MoD does not like to spend money people being killed as aircraft start falling from the sky. The only reason I support this aircraft is its potential to lift loads such as future FRES variants which the C-130J will be unable to do. Therefore it is in some ways needed to ensure the ability of the UK to move armoured forces swiftly to where they are needed and as trends continue to show vehicles will continue to grow in weight. The Air Refuelling ability of the A400M is also another area that wins some points of support although it is extremely limited in its capability and in many circumstances irrelevant to the UK due to varying factors. Ideally as the A400M deliveries to the RAF near the end additional airframes should be purchased to replace the current C-130J fleet which should by that time be nearing a possible retirement date. Savings from operating a common fleet could also justify a small fleet expansion.

The largest and most capable transport in RAF service is the C-17 Globemaster which is reputed to be the best investment made by the MoD in any aircraft. Having this aircraft available gives the UK a true strategic transport capability with the capability to move main battle tanks and just about anything else across large distances. I fully support any addition to the current fleet and would like to see it grow ideally to around 12-18 aircraft as these would be ideal for transporting bulky equipment to where it is needed. The addition of more aircraft would also make the current fleet more viable spreading the maintenance and support costs over more aircraft rather than on a tiny fleet of 6 aircraft. Furthermore additional airframes should be available at a lower price with the looming possibility of the C-17 line closing and the pressure to keep the line open from congress and the desire of Boeing to keep key jobs and money coming in. Boeing should be willing to offer an attractive price and the possibility of additional UK orders could find support in the US Congress further helping prospects of a good deal.

The final area I think I should cover is VIP transport which could be said to be somewhat lacking. In this area we currently have a fleet of small business jets that are in many ways unsuited to the role the principle reason being the range that the aircraft can fly. Any trips beyond the range of the current aircraft are currently undertaken usually by leasing an aircraft that is suitable from a private company or flying first class on British Airways. Frankly I find this embarrassing that the nation’s leaders should be travelling in this manner of course they may deserve nothing better but from a different perspective there are better options. The UK is the 6th or 7th richest nation yet our leaders travel in a fashion that even business managers, celebrities and many others are above, many other smaller and much poorer nations have far better VIP travel provision. I would suggest that a small fleet of VIP equipped business jets be purchased and operated by the RAF for those who require the use of the aircraft. The best choice of aircraft would be most likely be in my opinion the Bombardier Global Express which the RAF already operates a modified version as the Sentinel R1. This aircraft has the range and comfort to connect London with most destinations non-stop and the ability to reach anywhere on the planet with one stop. I feel this aircraft alongside the current helicopter fleet should be adequate to meet the VIP transport needs without additional smaller aircraft.

Dominic that’s an easy one to be honest depends on the Aircraft, for instance the A330 MRTT will only be using internal fuel. The KC-135 all versions use internal tanks same with the VC-10 not sure about the Tristar but I would imagine it has some internal tanks. I would honestly prefer the A330 to be procured with some fuselage tanks removable of course but would be handy when additional fuel is needed.

Jed just guessing here but I would imagine all the A400M’s have the ducts for the wiring and the space for the pipes to be placed although I’m pretty sure they lack both unless specified. I wouldn’t see the point in having them fitted unless they were going to be used as they would still need to be maintained and people trained to maintain them even if they are not going to be used.

I’m going to write up a bigger better comment on the transport/tanking subject at some point but I saw your comments and though I would give my 2 pennies.

Question.
Is a tanker just a normal aircraft with a bit of hose glued on, or is its cargo space converted to store more fuel?

Something I did not know about the A400M, apparently they are all “fitted for” tanker duty, from the Ares blog:

“Also still to be settled is whether the military designation should be a C-something or KC-something. While all A400Ms will be capable of acting as a tanker, not all countries are exercising the option”

I’ve not done my research on the FSTA PFI so I’m not going to comment on that aside from noting that the FSTA seems to deliver both a tanker aircraft and a long range personnel transport, both needed.

Firstly, I think fitting the A400 with AAR is a stroke of genius. not only would it provide helicopters with AAR but it would also serve the fast jets in limited cases/emergencies and other A400′s if they were required to do a non-stop strategic flight.

Lastly I also see the STOL transport as a solution without a problem. Even a STOL aircraft needs a makeshift runway made for it, even if it is a smaller one. And if it’s possible to create a makeshift runway then it may as well be made big enough for the A400. Especially when the proposed aircraft have a transport capacity that is at most not much more than a Chinook/CH-53K. The only advantage left is their range, solved by a large helo and an A400 with AAR.

I accept they wouldnt work as oilers, but could we use only C17s for transport?

I’m not really getting the Tactical Transport role that requires 37,000kg

Agree with everything you say about PFI, not A400M though (I really, really wanted it 5 years ago with no more Hercs !) so in light of tight budgets etc

1. Concentrate on C17, make it something we bring to the European NATO party, up the additional buy to 6

2. Continue with PFI but…..

3. Also buy outright a small batch of Airbus fitted as tactical tankers with boom and defensive aids – say 8 ?

4. Buy more C130J to replace current C130K. Buy a few more – say 6 fitted with AAR kit to provide AAR to probe equipped helo’s (Chinooks and Merlins).

5. Do NOT add small STOL aircraft to fleet – intra-theatre tactical airlift is the role of the Hercs, buy more Hercs or Chinooks before inserting small numbers of a new aircraft type.

6. Agree ref VIP transport – this is the area where PFI would seem to work, especially on that “power by the hour” type contract ?