Howard Wheeldon
New Member
News that returning British troops were stuck in Basra due to RAF TriStar serviceability problems highlights the need to speed up contract negotiations beteen the Air Tanker consortium [made up of Airbus, Thales, Rolls Royce, VT Group, Cobham] and the MoD. Of course, this is a huge contract worth £13 billion spread over twenty odd years and as the largest ever PFI [Private Finance Initiative] the MoD is right to ensure it gets the right deal. But can the RAF afford to wait until the new joint tanker/transports come into service from 2010? The answer has to be no.
The VC10's and TriStars are still superb aircraft mind you but they are being hammered to death on daily flights to Basra and a host of other places where British troops serve. Age isn't the point and although the RAF fleet of VC10's began entering service with BOAC back in March 1964, they are still excellent aircraft. Indeed, to the best of my knowledge the VC10 is still the fastest commercial aircraft still in the air. Comfortable too, as I recently found travelling to Basra via Larnaca only to have to finish the last three and a half hour journey in the back of a J series Hercules - mostly in pitch black. VC10 serviceability isn't too bad though the same can't be said of the somewhat younger 30 year old TriStars.
The answer has to be compromise. Either the MoD should purchase a few more of the many redundant TriStars still available or it should lease some used A330-200's pureley as Transport to fill the gap. If the latter course was chosen these could perhaps be built in to FSTA. The adavantage is also that pilots would get an earlier opportunity to get ready for the new aircraft type before it comes into full service through the proposed FSTA. Even if the 17 VC10's and 8 TriStars that provide U.K. tanker and transport needs were all serviceable at the same time (a very unlikely prospect given the problem of spares) there would still not be enough aircraft based at Brize Norton (closed until January except for checking in as a major runway upgrade takes place - flight operations transferred to nearby RAF Fairford) for current needs. Another alternative would be for the U.K. to lease or acquire additional Boeing C17 Globemasters. Though this would perhaps be a prefered solution for the RAF, with the vast amount of money being wasted on the A400M, other than one additional C17 already proposed this isn't an option the government is likely to take.
Flogging the VC10's and TriStars beyond there endurance can only lead to major logistical headaches in the months ahead. Great aircraft though they both are, there are limits to how much the U.K. government can expect if they want these aircraft to stay in service for both flight refuelling and transport needs until FSTA comes in.
Perhaps of course, that's why FSTA contracts haven't yet been signed. Perhaps the U.K. government really is having second thoughts about the whole FSTA PFI adventure. I have nothing against PFI - it's a process that generally works to the benefit of supplier and user but perhaps this one is a little too big. Even from a supplier basis it's always been hard to envisage the private sector would want to take the aircraft when they are not needed by the RAF. Time to think again then but from a logistical angle the MoD needs to be quick. After a few very interesting days at the British forces camp in Basra, having to spend seven hours 'sleeping' at a hot and sticky Basra airport is something no one really deserves - especially all those returning home personnel engaged in Operation Telic.
Howard Wheeldon
The VC10's and TriStars are still superb aircraft mind you but they are being hammered to death on daily flights to Basra and a host of other places where British troops serve. Age isn't the point and although the RAF fleet of VC10's began entering service with BOAC back in March 1964, they are still excellent aircraft. Indeed, to the best of my knowledge the VC10 is still the fastest commercial aircraft still in the air. Comfortable too, as I recently found travelling to Basra via Larnaca only to have to finish the last three and a half hour journey in the back of a J series Hercules - mostly in pitch black. VC10 serviceability isn't too bad though the same can't be said of the somewhat younger 30 year old TriStars.
The answer has to be compromise. Either the MoD should purchase a few more of the many redundant TriStars still available or it should lease some used A330-200's pureley as Transport to fill the gap. If the latter course was chosen these could perhaps be built in to FSTA. The adavantage is also that pilots would get an earlier opportunity to get ready for the new aircraft type before it comes into full service through the proposed FSTA. Even if the 17 VC10's and 8 TriStars that provide U.K. tanker and transport needs were all serviceable at the same time (a very unlikely prospect given the problem of spares) there would still not be enough aircraft based at Brize Norton (closed until January except for checking in as a major runway upgrade takes place - flight operations transferred to nearby RAF Fairford) for current needs. Another alternative would be for the U.K. to lease or acquire additional Boeing C17 Globemasters. Though this would perhaps be a prefered solution for the RAF, with the vast amount of money being wasted on the A400M, other than one additional C17 already proposed this isn't an option the government is likely to take.
Flogging the VC10's and TriStars beyond there endurance can only lead to major logistical headaches in the months ahead. Great aircraft though they both are, there are limits to how much the U.K. government can expect if they want these aircraft to stay in service for both flight refuelling and transport needs until FSTA comes in.
Perhaps of course, that's why FSTA contracts haven't yet been signed. Perhaps the U.K. government really is having second thoughts about the whole FSTA PFI adventure. I have nothing against PFI - it's a process that generally works to the benefit of supplier and user but perhaps this one is a little too big. Even from a supplier basis it's always been hard to envisage the private sector would want to take the aircraft when they are not needed by the RAF. Time to think again then but from a logistical angle the MoD needs to be quick. After a few very interesting days at the British forces camp in Basra, having to spend seven hours 'sleeping' at a hot and sticky Basra airport is something no one really deserves - especially all those returning home personnel engaged in Operation Telic.
Howard Wheeldon
