raf voyager pilot

RAF pilot Andrew Townshend dismissed over nosedive

• Published 3 March 2017

An RAF pilot who caused his plane to nosedive while using a digital camera has been dismissed by a military court.

Flt Lt Andrew Townshend cost the Ministry of Defence millions of pounds when he deactivated the autopilot of the military passenger jet.

The Voyager aircraft, which had 198 passengers and crew on board, plummeted 4,400ft (1,341m) over the Black Sea.

Townshend pleaded guilty to negligently performing a duty and was also handed a four-month suspended prison sentence.

The court martial heard that during a flight from RAF Brize Norton to Afghanistan on 9 February 2014 the 49-year-old pilot's camera was pushed into the aircraft's control stick as he moved his seat, switching off the autopilot.

'Stranded in Afghanistan'

A board of RAF officers at Bulford, Wiltshire, heard crew and passengers thought they were going to die during the flight, and some were thrown weightless into the air and smashed into the ceiling.

Nigel Lickley QC, prosecuting, said the incident led to the grounding of the military fleet of six Voyager aircraft for 13 days while the cause of the nosedive was investigated.

This led to service personnel being stranded in Afghanistan while they waited for the aircraft to be brought back into service, he added.

He said up to 48 personnel were left unfit for duty and the co-pilot, Flt Lt Nathan Jones, who suffered fractures to his spine, is still unable to resume flying duties.

Mr Lickley said: "Their lives and health and welfare were put at significant risk by Flt Lt Townshend's negligence."

The experienced pilot - who has served with the RAF for 30 years and completed 5,500 flying hours - had been using his camera to photograph other aircraft from the cockpit and had taken 95 shots that day.

He also told the court that he had been viewing the star-filled sky moments before the incident, as he had a passion for star-gazing.

Judge Advocate Alan Large told Townshend: "This was not a momentary lapse of concentration, your eye was well off the ball."

On Wednesday, Townshend was found not guilty of perjury and making a false record, after being accused of dishonestly claiming the dive was caused by a technical fault.

More on this story

RAF pilot cleared of lying over nosedive

• Published 1 March 2017

RAF pilot 'devastated' after nosedive

• Published 22 February 2017

Related Internet Links

Special Features

Vendor voice.

This article is more than 1 year old

RAF pilot sacked for sending Airbus Voyager into sudden dive

Also handed four months' chokey, suspended for 12.

The Royal Air Force officer who sent his Airbus Voyager into an accidental dive from 33,000 feet, injuring passengers and crew, has been dismissed and given a suspended prison sentence.

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Townshend was captain of an Airbus A330 Voyager which dropped 4,400 feet in about 30 seconds during a flight from the UK to Afghanistan in 2014. Townshend was bored and taking photos with a DSLR on the flight deck while his co-pilot was making a cup of tea in the galley.

The camera became wedged behind the control stick and sent the militarised airliner plummeting after Townshend moved his seat forwards. The fly-by-wire aircraft’s control logic pulled it out of the dive while the two pilots fumbled with the controls, believing that the autopilot had malfunctioned.

This afternoon a court martial at Bulford Camp sentenced Townshend to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and dismissed him from the Air Force, Forces.TV reports .

Prosecutor Nigel Lickley QC told the court martial that Townshend’s actions cost the RAF almost a million pounds: £207,000 on repairs to the aircraft, tail number ZZ333, and £827,000 on chartered civilian aircraft to replace the rest of the RAF Voyager fleet for the 13 days they were all grounded as a safety precaution.

As reported earlier on The Register , Townshend was cleared of two charges of perjury and one charge of making a false entry in the aircraft’s tech log after the incident.

Townshend’s co-pilot’s back was broken and he also suffered nerve damage and a ruptured disc. ®

Send us news

Other stories you might like

Openstack pushes its first easy-to-upgrade release out the door, tsmc shrugs off impact of taiwan earthquake, infosys announces 'in-person collab' weeks, reducing the cloud security overhead.

Nearly 1M medical records feared stolen from City of Hope cancer centers

Pcie 7.0 first official draft lands, doubling bandwidth yet again, cyberattack hits omni hotels systems, taking out bookings, payments, door locks, aws severs connection with several hundred staff, uber eats to rid itself of pesky human drivers with food delivery by robo waymo, fcc to reinstate net neutrality in the us until someone decides to scrap it again, iowa sysadmin pleads guilty to 33-year identity theft of former coworker, software engineer helped put sam bankman-fried behind bars, say prosecutors.

• Advertise with us

Our Websites

• The Next Platform
• Blocks and Files

Your Privacy

• Cookies Policy
• Privacy Policy
• Ts & Cs

Copyright. All rights reserved © 1998–2024

Cookies on GOV.UK

We use some essential cookies to make this website work.

We’d like to set additional cookies to understand how you use GOV.UK, remember your settings and improve government services.

We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services.

You have accepted additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

You have rejected additional cookies. You can change your cookie settings at any time.

• Defence and armed forces

RAF's largest aircraft officially named Voyager

The RAF's largest ever aircraft has been officially named Voyager after being flown by an RAF pilot today at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford - its first public appearance.

Voyager - the RAF's new strategic tanker aircraft [Picture: Andrew Linnett, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Fourteen Voyager aircraft and a complete support package are being provided to the RAF under a 27-year £10.5bn Private Finance Initiative contract signed with the AirTanker consortium.

In addition to the aircraft, training, maintenance and brand new purpose-built buildings at RAF Brize Norton, the RAF’s air transport hub, will be provided as part of the initiative.

The Defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, who attended today’s naming ceremony of the new strategic tanker aircraft, said:

I am delighted to see the new Royal Air Force Voyager aircraft formally presented to the public.

This magnificent aircraft is the future for the RAF’s air-to-air refuelling and passenger transport capability for the coming decades.

Voyager, together with the C-17, C-130J and the A400M transport aircraft, will provide the RAF with a truly world class fleet of aircraft, underpinning the global reach that is vital to our operations.

Voyager has a colossal 60-metre wingspan and is nearly 60 metres long. It is a dual role air-to-air tanker and transport aircraft and will replace the long-serving VC10 and TriStar.

It is a considerable capability boost, able to carry almost 300 troops over 6,000 miles (9,700km) and to air-to-air refuel other aircraft with 100,000 litres of fuel - greater than two large petrol tankers.

The RAF'S new strategic tanker aircraft, officially named Voyager, arrives at RAF Fairford [Picture: Andrew Linnett, Crown Copyright/MOD 2011]

Voyager can refuel aircraft at a rate of 5,000 litres per minute - a garage forecourt petrol pump delivers fuel at 40 litres per minute.

The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, who also attended the ceremony, said:

As we have seen in Afghanistan and Libya, an effective air-to-air refuelling and transport fleet is an essential force multiplier in this era of expeditionary warfare.

Voyager, when it enters service later this year, will excel in these roles by not only increasing our air-to-air refuelling capability, but also by substantially improving our strategic airlift capacity.

Voyager is the airborne part of a flexible and cost effective whole-service contract which will enable the rapid movement of personnel around the world and provide unprecedented global reach to our combat aircraft.

We can be justifiably proud of this magnificent addition to the RAF’s fleet; it will serve our Armed Forces well for many years to come.

Voyager is expected to enter service later this year.

Share this page

The following links open in a new tab

• Share on Facebook (opens in new tab)
• Share on Twitter (opens in new tab)

Is this page useful?

• Yes this page is useful
• No this page is not useful

Help us improve GOV.UK

Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details.

To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Don’t worry we won’t send you spam or share your email address with anyone.

About Voyager

A cutting-edge technology provided by AirTanker, deployed by the RAF, to deliver a new strategic capability in support of UK Defence and global interests.

Voyager delivers

Voyager brings new operational flexibility to the RAF, picking-up roles previously performed by the legendary VC10 and TriStars. Providing increased reliability and range, it gives the RAF an enhanced capability in support of troop mobility, the movement of military assets, UK air defence and humanitarian operations.

This includes a state-of-the art air-to-air refuelling capability (AAR), supporting the movement of other air assets through AAR trail and towline operations.

With a payload of 43 tonnes of freight and 291 seat passenger capacity, plus an aeromedical evacuation capability, Voyager also delivers new flexibility in air mobility to the UK Armed forces in support of military or humanitarian operations.

The Voyager Fleet

The full fleet of 14 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) aircraft have all been delivered and Full Service Date was achieved on 30th September 2016.

The 14-strong fleet provided to the RAF consists of seven two-point and seven three-point capable tankers and all nine aircraft within the ‘core fleet’ are operating from Voyager’s Oxfordshire home-base at RAF Brize Norton. Capable of performing Air Transport, Aeromedical and Air-to-Air Refuelling roles simultaneously, the Voyager delivers a step change in capability to the UK Armed Forces. Click here for a breakdown of our capabilities.

The ‘Core’ fleet

The 'Core' fleet of 9 aircraft consists of 8 Voyager MRTT aircraft on the Military Aircraft Register (MAR) and one civilian A330 aircraft on the Civil Aircraft Register (CAR). Operated by AirTanker civilian pilots and cabin crew, this civilian A330 aircraft is exclusively available to the MOD and forms the basis of AirTanker’s ‘charter’ service in maintaining the South Atlantic Airbridge to the Falkland Islands.

The ‘Non-Core’ Fleet

When not required by the RAF, the ‘Non-Core’ fleet of 5 aircraft are available to AirTanker to utilise within the military and civil leasing markets. Three of these aircraft have been reconfigured to commercial use and are on the CAR, used within the Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance (ACMI) market. Now that the aircraft are coming into a busier maintenance schedule due to their age, to ensure that nine aircraft are always provided to the RAF, two aircraft from the ‘non-core’ fleet are kept in their military configuration and on the MAR, to continue smooth running operations.

• RAF Voyagers on patrol

An article from the AirForces Monthly Yearbook 2024, where Alan Warnes interviews the Officer Commanding of 101 Sqn about the increased taskings of the RAF’s Voyagers since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine

The A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) Voyager has revolutionised the way the RAF does its business. Not only can it fulfil a strategic transport role, but the RAF’s ten air-to-air refuelling-configured (AAR) MRTTs can each carry 111 tons of fuel with the capacity to offload a lot to thirsty fighters and larger transport aircraft.

Some of its most notable work in recent years has included Operation Pitting in August 2021, when the Voyager took part in the RAF’s evacuation of Kabul. There have also been regular annual deployments refuelling fighters flying to the likes of Exercise Red Flag at Nellis AFB in the US, while Exercise Pitch Black saw a Voyager escort four Eurofighters around the world to Australia last summer; that was no walk in the park. 

These are all in addition to the standing RAF commitments, supporting air defence quick reaction alerts at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland, RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire, and Mount Pleasant Airfield, Falkland Islands, as well as Eurofighters detached to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus for Op Shader missions over Iraq and Syria.

Full on with AAR

On February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the Voyagers were called upon to support the RAF Typhoon combat air patrols in two completely different areas of Eastern Europe.

Wg Cdr Udall, Officer Commanding of 101 Sqn based at RAF Brize Norton, said of the step up in requirements: “While we are always busy, what we saw was a rapid change in our prioritisation. Whereas in the past we had a balance in our standard air refuelling commitments, and moving people around the world, we suddenly needed to go heavily towards providing AAR into eastern Europe.

“We saw a spike, but the greater challenge was adapting to working under different command and control and in different air space, not knowing what would come next. But we didn’t have to alter our AAR standard operating procedures significantly, it was more of how we got to our area of ops, the routing, flight plans and timings rather than the mechanics of the job. We saw a controlled surge, which we were ready for and our NATO allies supported us very well in their airspace.”

The Voyager Force (VF) had the capacity to confront NATO’s AAR requirement by committing to fewer transport responsibilities. These can be flown by airlines, and, as the VF went all in for AAR, the transport side almost stopped. Wg Cdr Udall added: “The benefits of working with Air Tanker is that their three white aircraft, if available, can easily step up because the company is very familiar with the way we work and there are contractual mechanisms for that. So, in the early days we saw the white fleet taking more of the transport, while the grey fleet got on with AAR.”

The first Voyager sortie to NATO’s eastern flank came at 0721hrs on February 24, 2022 to refuel RAF Typhoons on combat air patrol (CAP) in northeast Europe, just hours after Russia’s invasion. Providing reassurance to other NATO members on the eastern flank is what these missions are still all about. The Voyagers can come under the auspices of NATO or under national command. When they are working with NATO, the likes of French Rafales, German Tornados, Spanish F/A-18 Hornets, US Navy Hornets and all European variants of Eurofighters are refuelled. However, the RAF Voyagers are limited by the fact they are hose and drogue equipped, which means F-16s and other aircraft that are boom-fed, cannot be supplied. It is obviously a disadvantage, but Wg Cdr Udall would not be drawn on whether there are any prospects of that changing. Under national command, which is where the bulk of the work is, it’s not such a problem because most RAF aircraft are fitted with probes to access the drogues.

In the early days there was lots of effort put into integration during the NATO Eastern Flank ops, but progressively the RAF is getting involved in more complex ways. “Quite often we will take Typhoons to Baltic states; we will top them off, so they are pretty full of fuel. They will then do some air-to-air or air-to-ground training – and learn to interoperate [with the likes of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers]. They might do that for a couple of hours, then we will bring them back.

“It’s an easy way for them to train together, without taking a lot of people, or basing spare parts and logistics at another base – it allows them to operate with different nations and achieve that effect from our main bases.”

Of the time in the air, three hours is transiting with the fighters, and that’s because the Voyager is flying between 26,000 and 28,000ft. If they flew higher, as they normally do, then they would reach their destination faster. Three hours allows the Voyager to meet up with the Typhoons over the North Sea, east of RAF Coningsby, and if they are from RAF Lossiemouth that’s a bit further north. Wg Cdr Udall explained: “We give them fuel when they are still close to the UK and top them up when they are a bit closer to the combat air patrol. To make life easier and in case of an issue, we will stick with them, provide weather reports et cetera along the way for nearby airfields, and it’s easier than trying to rendezvous with them again when we get to the CAP.”

Then of course it is another three hours to get back to the UK. The largest amount of fuel to be offloaded to date, is 44 tons, to Typhoons over Poland on CAP.

Wg Cdr Udall added: “There is always a trade off with the longer the Voyagers are airborne because it means they have to give less away. We did consider forward deploying in early stages but we wanted to get the most out of Voyager and the fast jets. We have more flexibility at the main base, we can flip different crews on different tasks, use the aircraft overnight for other activities. Running things from main base is much more efficient. If the CAPs were further afield, there would be a stronger case to forward deploying, as we do at RAF Akrotiri.

“It was felt that the UK to Poland and Baltics was do-able in the flying time the crews were restricted to. If you consider the maximum amount of time the Typhoons are operating (with the discomfort of sitting for hours in an ejection seat) their mission length fits nicely into the maximum flying hours regulation for our tanker crews.”

For NATO missions, the average Voyager sortie is 7hrs 40mins; the longest has been 9hrs 50mins. While they generally stick with the fighters all that time, the near ten hours mission would have meant the Voyager was given another tasking on top of looking after the Typhoons.

When on-station, the Voyager usually has a race-track course in eastern Europe of about 60 miles long and 20 miles wide, the 101 Sqn OC said: “If it’s any smaller, then the tanker is turning a lot and refuelling in the turn is more difficult for the fighter.”

By mid-December, the Voyager Force had flown more than 270 missions (around 1,900 hours) in support of NATO’s reassurance ops. Around 170 missions have been flown from the UK (known as the ‘northern tanker’) and 100 from RAF Akrotiri (‘southern tanker’). With the latter, the Typhoons tend to fly up to the Black Sea around Bulgaria and Romania and the Voyagers support them through Turkey/Greece and bring them back.

Hoses and drogues

There are ten A330 MRTT Voyagers serving the RAF, fitted with two or three hose/drogues, although the Wg Cdr wouldn’t give the precise split. All ten are capable of accommodating the three hose/drogue fit. Of the additional four in the Air Tanker contract, one is used for the Falklands air bridge flown by Air Tanker crews or reservists while the other three are strategic reserves. “They are used by Air Tanker to earn additional revenue to decrease the cost of the contract, but we can use them if required. We could also charter other aircraft for air transport, but we can’t do that with AAR, which is solely our business. The balance varies, but the overall demand is quite high.

The three hose and drogues are never used at the same time, because the RAF doesn’t have the clearances (certification) and as the fighters normally operate in pairs that’s not an issue according to Wg Cdr Udall. The centre hose is used for the heavies like the A400Ms, C-130Js but not the C-17As.

The fleet leader for the NATO ops is ZZ330, which by mid-December had flown more than 56 sorties from RAF Akrotiri, when it was based there. For efficiency, the missions are flown with a standard crew.

Southern tanker

For a long time now, the VF has had an aircraft in Akrotiri, Cyprus and Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic, offering a supporting role to the Typhoons there. They are also in the latter to offer an aeromedical evacuation and every now and again they ‘flex’ (as the RAF refers to it) because one might be needed elsewhere or they need to be augmented. “For quite a bit of last year we were conducting Black Sea ops, [around Bulgaria and Romania] so we put an extra aircraft in Cyprus to support NATO’s Black Sea flank,” said Wg Cdr Udall.

“We helped the Typhoons get to/back but during the Typhoon deployment to Mihail Kogalniceanu in Romania last year we were seldom required. While based forward, they didn’t tend to need us as much.

“If they are launching from RAF Akrotiri, we tend to route via Turkish/Greek air space and bring them back again. It’s always better to get them back, than having them land somewhere for fuel to make the most of the assets and reduce the chances of technical issues.”

The Voyagers are an incredibly sought-after aircraft, with around eight of the ten currently being flown by VF almost every day, heavily biased towards AAR, although in the past it has been more evenly balanced. There have been times when it had to skew the other way too, as Wg Cdr Udall explained: “One case was during Op Pitting, when we still had to keep our standard commitments going. During the evacuation of Kabul, the tactical airlifters went forward, and we ensured there was a short notice air bridge into a common safe location, so people could be flown to UK. A lot of the soldiers and RAF personnel enabled the extraction of evacuees, some of whom had never been in an aircraft and were very anxious and often distressed. The tactical air transport aircraft are designed to go into hostile areas fly them back to a safer area, and we provide the air bridge to the UK, because we have the capacity and reach for that strategic lift.”

The A330 MRTT Voyager KC2/3 is an unsung hero, proven over its 11 years of operations, in the strategic airlift and air refueller role – even if it doesn’t have a refuelling boom! afm

A330 MRTT crew

On AAR missions there is a minimum of three personnel in a crew, and if it’s busy it can also include a cabin supervisor. The third member is the boom operator who is a Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) who will control the hoses via the boom frequencies – clear the fighters behind the hose and monitor how it is going, while the pilots will not just fly the aircraft but monitor air traffic and navigation. The cabin supervisor (also an NCO) will support the three-man crew, with food and drink during the longer missions allowing them to take a break and go to the toilet if required.

Pitch Black

While the 101 Sqn Executive Officer went to lead the Voyager during the exercise at Darwin in Australia from August 19 to September 8, a lot went via the Wg Cdr’s desk. “It was quite audacious to get the [four] Typhoons out there. The Voyager left on August 12, then night-stopped at Akrotiri, Cyprus [before] heading off.”

The next stop was Al Dhafra, UAE (although the RAF would not confirm this due to local sensitivities), Delhi in India, then Paya Lebar, Singapore, arriving at Darwin on the 18th. Returning, the aircraft stopped at, Penang in Malaysia, Delhi, a location in the Middle East, RAF Akrotiri and RAF Lossiemouth. It was obviously a complex long-range mission.

The 101 OC picks up: “While there we had some key successes – we performed cell refuelling – when tankers orbit with a half mile separation, and refuel the fighters, which we did with NATO’s MMU [Multinational Multirole tanker transport Unit) A330 MRTTs. To us Pitch Black demonstrated our freedom of manoeuvre and proved we have rapid worldwide reach. It’s not easy, but it is achievable.

“We always prefer to refuel during the day, so we can see the massive thunderstorms over the Indian Ocean!” Daytime is also better for emergencies: “You don’t want to do that at night, particularly if it includes an ejection. You fly four to six hours during the day, then land and the engineers prep the aircraft for the mission the next day, and you get on your way. You can pre-position tankers to en route stops but then you have to confront other issues.

• For lots more on the RAF, click here

If you liked this article, the full book is available from Key Publishing Shop

Shopping powered by key publishing shop.

• Royal Air Force (RAF)
• Airbus A330
• United Kingdom (UK)

Originally published in Key.Aero

Become a premium member.

Subscribe to Key.Aero now to enjoy great benefits:

• Access a wealth of aviation content in one place
• Support world-class journalism
• Join a community of passionate aviation enthusiasts
• All completely ad free!

Subscribe to Key.Aero now

Related articles

• How RAF Voyagers made NATO Eastern Flank patrols possible
• AirForces Monthly March 2023
• Runway problems disrupt Voyager ops at RAF Brize Norton
• Atlas supports Red Arrows North American tour

Get the Key.Aero newsletter

Receive exclusive content, offers, competitions and more.

• Air Power Dynamics
• Global Dynamics
• Maritime Dynamics
• Multi-Domain Dynamics
• Re-Shaping Defense & Security
• Re-Thinking Strategy
• Defense Decisions
• Disruptive Technologies
• Autonomous Ground Systems
• MARTAC Maritime Autonomous Systems
• Maritime Patrol Systems
• Missile Systems
• Naval Ships
• Space Systems
• Tron Warfare
• Maritime Unmanned Systems
• Unmanned Air Systems
• Weapon Systems
• Book Review
• Global Partners

Newsletter Signup

In an effort to be in compliance with GDPR we are providing you with the latest documentation about how we collect, use, share and secure your information, we want to make you aware of our updated privacy policy here

• Email Address *
• Consent * I’ve read and accept the terms of the privacy policy . *
• Comments This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

RAF A330MRTT: The Voyager in Action

The RAF variant of the A330MRTT is called the Voyager and was purchased through a public-pirvate partnership approach.

According to the RAF website , the Voyager and its role within the RAF is described as follows:

Voyager is the RAF’s sole air-to-air refuelling (AAR) tanker and also operates as a strategic air transport.  The aircraft is in service as the Voyager KC.Mk 2, equipped with two underwing pods for refuelling fast jets, and as the Voyager KC.Mk 3, with an additional centreline hose for use by large aircraft. 

Fuel offloaded during AAR is taken from the aircraft’s standard wing and fuselage tanks, leaving the cabin free for up to 291 personnel and the hold available for freight.  As a tanker, capabilities include the ability to operate a ‘towline’, where the Voyager orbits around a prescribed area awaiting ‘receivers’, or in a ‘trail’, where it flies with a number of fast jets, refuelling them over long ranges while taking responsibility for the formation’s fuel and navigation.

Alternatively, it can operate as a passenger aircraft in much the same way as a civilian airliner, but delivering personnel safely into theatre thanks to its defensive aids suite.  Voyager also offers considerable capacity for the movement of palletised and/or bulk freight in its lower fuselage hold.  A versatile aeromedical configuration, including the ability to carry up to 40 stretchers and three critical care patients is available, as is a modest VIP passenger fit. 

TYPE HISTORY

Airbus Industrie launched its combined A340/A330 programme on June 5, 1987.  It aimed to produce a family of closely related widebody airliners based on the four-engined, long-haul A340 and twin-engined, medium-haul A330.  The latter achieved its first flight, with General Electric engines, on November 2, 1992, with the initial Rolls-Royce Trent-powered machine following on January 31, 1994.

Typically for Airbus, the A330’s pilots interact with its fly-by-wire system via sidestick controllers rather than the yoke traditionally associated with large aircraft.  The basic A330-200 and longer A330-300 have been developed into a wide range of subvariants offering revised performance and different maximum take-off weights.

The earlier A310 widebody had found favour with several air arms as the basis for conversion into a military transport or multi-role tanker transport (MRTT), and Airbus recognised the type’s potential as a possible TriStar/VC10 replacement in the early 1990s, trialling a modified aircraft alongside RAF fast jets in 1995.  

It was subsequently expected to offer the A310 MRTT against the UK’s Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) requirement, announced as a likely private finance initiative (PFI) programme in 2000.  In the event, the procurement process was delayed and although Airbus did not tender, in 2004 the Ministry of Defence announced its intention to acquire a variant of the A330 MRTT.

Under a March 2008 agreement, the AirTanker consortium was selected to provide 14 aircraft under a 27-year contract.  This includes a so-called ‘Core Fleet’ of eight military serialled and one civilian-registered aircraft, supplemented by a ‘Surge Fleet’ of five civilian-registered aircraft that AirTanker uses commercially to generate additional revenue.  The surge aircraft are demodified very close to A330-200 standard and can be recalled for military use if required.

AirTanker owns, manages and maintains the aircraft and provides infrastructure,  support, training facilities and some personnel, in particular Sponsored Reserve pilots and engineers.  Named Voyager in service, the A330 MRTT began RAF operations with 10 Sqn on May 12, 2012, flying an air transport sortie from its Brize Norton home base to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus.

Issues with the drogues, or ‘baskets’ into which receivers insert their probes during refuelling operations delayed Voyager’s debut in the tanker role, but these had been overcome by summer 2013 and the aircraft’s ability to deliver fuel to a variety of RAF and allied aircraft expanded very quickly.  Also in 2013, 101 Squadron retired the RAF’s final VC10s and began flying Voyager alongside 10 Sqn and AirTanker’s reservists.

Although it ranges worldwide, Voyager remains home-based at Brize Norton.  One aircraft is always available on the Falkland Islands, primarily in support of the Typhoon QRA jets, but also available to the Hercules.  Another of the type operates the regular airbridge to and from the Falklands and Voyager is making a major contribution to Operation Shader, offloading fuel to RAF Tornados and Typhoons, and a variety of Coalition jets, including US Marine Corps Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets.

The Voyager has provided global reach for the RAF as they have operated their Eurofighters globally.  As then RAF Lossiemouth base commander, Group Captain and now Air Commodore Paul Godfrey put it with regard to their global deployments:

“In my entire time in the Royal Air Force, I’ve not seen a global deployment as we managed at the end of last year with our deployment to Malaysia, Japan and Korea.

Throughout the period we visited the United Arab Emirates, India, Malaysia, Japan, The Republic of Korea, Brunei and back through India, UAE and Greece which is about as global a deployment as you can get.”

And flying with their Voyager is a key part of the global reach effort.

For example, in 2016, RAF Typhoons fly to South Korea to exercise with US and South Korean forces.

According to a news item on the RAF website published on November 8, 2016, between 4 and 10 November 2016, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Air Force hosted “Invincible Shield,” the first ever combined air exercise with the US and the UK.

Four Eurofighter Typhoons from Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 2 Squadron deployed to Osan Air Base in Korea after conducting exercises in Malaysia and Japan. C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, Voyager tanker aircraft, and around 200 RAF personnel will also participate.

And the Voyager carried personnel inside the aircraft and refueled during the deployment from its wings to provide both a lift and tanking capability during the flight to the mission.

Clearly, the Voyager and the A330MRTT are now part of the global allied tanking efforts.

For example, this May, RAF Mildenhall hosted the 5th annual European Tanker Symposium where Voyager was a key participant.

The symposium, held every year since 2012, allows NATO allies to share their experiences, discuss mixed tanker formation standards, and build on tanker integration.

The week-long event included mixed formation academics, discussions and flights in a KC-135 Stratotanker and a Royal Air Force Voyager. Ultimately, the event was to establish and initialize best practices when flying in a multinational formation, and the goal was once again achieved.

“This is one of the first times that we’ve gotten together as European partners to specifically concentrate on these tactics, techniques and procedures on how we operate together,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Mach, 100th Operations Group deputy commander. “Being able to fly on the airplanes, we can all get an idea of the countries that don’t normally do formation flying together, and we can start building those procedures.”

Flying in a multinational tanker formation is something the ETS is trying to safely create. During the days leading to the formation flight, aircrew shared differences in the terminology and procedures they each use.

“I think the procedures have remained largely the same,” said RAF Flt. Lt. Elizabeth Herbert, RAF Voyager captain. “It’s the fundamental basics that are important — remaining a safe distance from each other when you meet up, and ensuring that you can remain in a close formation. It doesn’t really matter what large aircraft you have in that scenario; providing we maintain these techniques, the type of large aircraft – whether currently or in the future – doesn’t matter.” 

The featured photo shows the Voyager bringing the first four F-35s home to Britain from the United States.

The first of Britain’s next-generation fighter jets are set to arrive home tonight, two months ahead of schedule, in a major milestone for the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy.

The F-35s took off from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort and were flown by British pilots of the newly-reformed 617 Squadron, which was immortalised by the famous Dambusters’ raid during World War II.

RAF boost flight time with first South Atlantic mid-air refuel

Captain of RAF Voyager says the ‘capability to extend the global reach of our aircraft is remarkable’ after successful transporter test

The RAF can now fly transporter planes thousands more miles without landing to refuel, significantly increasing its ability to re-supply British troops and their allies on the ground.

One of its Atlas C1 (A400M) transport aircraft, which normally have a range of 4,100 nautical miles (4,700 miles) before landing, has been refuelled over the South Atlantic for the first time.

The Air-to-Air Tanking operation was conducted by the RAF Voyager aircraft flying from the Falklands Islands.

The Atlas was flown from RAF Brize Norton to Ascension Island, before then flying on to the Falklands.

During the flight, the transport aircraft was met 900 nautical miles south-west of Ascension Island by a RAF Voyager, which had taken off from Mount Pleasant Airfield, 2600 nautical miles away on the Falkland Islands.

The Atlas aircraft was refuelled using what is known as the probe-and-drogue system, in which a probe extends from the front of the transport aircraft above the cockpit.

The pilot then has to dock this probe into the basket of the drogue that has been extended from the Voyager to allow refuelling.

Defence chiefs say the successful completion increases the capability of the RAF Brize Norton based Air Mobility Force to deliver essential cargo right to where it needs to be.

RAF commanders will not discuss the range such a mid-air manoeuvre will now give its transporter planes as it would reveal specific operational capability.

But experts say it offers the RAF “even greater ‘strategic reach’ – the ability to send forces quickly around the world”, with the A400 highly prized for deploying special forces.

Flight Lieutenant Dane James, Captain of the Voyager aircraft said: “The Voyager’s capability to extend the global reach of our aircraft is remarkable.”

Squadron Leader Al Spence from 30 Squadron, who captained the Atlas: “Being part of any ‘first’ is a big deal and being able to demonstrate what we can do with this aircraft is what it’s all about.”

‘A major milestone for Atlas’

Air-to-air refuelling is one of the most difficult manoeuvres that pilots carry out and requires intense concentration from both the crews. The operation requires the pilot of the receiving aircraft to maintain close formation with the tanker aircraft for the duration of the activity while fuel is transferred by the Mission Systems Operator, flying in the Voyager.

An engineering team based at Mount Pleasant Airfield ensures the RAF Voyager is ready to fly 365 days a year in some of the most challenging conditions faced across the globe.

The officer commanding 30 Squadron, Wing Commander Stu Patton, said: “The execution of long-range air-to-air refuelling by front-line crews is a major milestone for Atlas. The ability of this aircraft to operate at significant range from the UK, demonstrates our enhanced and resilient force sustainment capabilities.”

• Royal Air Force,
• Ascension Islands
• Facebook Icon
• WhatsApp Icon

Listen Live

Nosedive RAF Pilot Found Not Guilty On Three Charges

The pilot of an RAF Voyager that plummeted thousands of feet in a matter of seconds while en route to Afghanistan has been found not guilty on three charges.

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Townshend was charged with two counts of perjury and one of making a false record.

The Voyager departed RAF Brize Norton for Camp Bastion with 189 passengers on board, in February 2014.

Four hours into the journey, the plane went into a nosedive over the Black Sea and plummeted 4,400ft in 27 seconds. 

According to Nigel Lickley QC, "the descent was unannounced so passengers experienced weightlessness. They were thrown to the ceiling and thought they were going to die." 

Following the incident, the RAF grounded all operations with its brand-new transport aircraft for 12 days while an investigation was carried out, which caused delays getting troops to Afghanistan.  

Flight Lieutenant Andrew Townshend, who has served with the RAF for 30 years and completed 5,500 flying hours, was alone in the cockpit after his co-pilot went for a cup of tea.

He was using his camera to take photographs of other aircraft. 

The Nikon DSLR camera became wedged with the plane's controls when Flt Lt Townshend inadvertently moved his seat forward, a court martial heard. Former RAF Voyager engineer, John Sneller, says;

"The armrest caught the back of the camera and pushed the camera and side arm controller forward which caused a sudden change in altitude of the aircraft."

When the side-stick was pushed forward it disengaged the auto-pilot and caused the plane to nosedive.  

Flt Lt Townshend was unable to regain control of the aircraft and according to former RAF Hercules pilot, David Learmount;

"It may well be the pilot didn't realise there was a physical obstruction, so kept pulling back."

Co-pilot, Flight Lieutenant Nathan Jones, endured negative g-force to crawl along the ceiling to enter the cockpit.

He eventually managed to recover the plane by pressing a button on his side-stick which gave him control over the aircraft. The incident report said, 

"As the aircraft pitched up, there were simultaneous side-stick inputs by both pilots."

During the nosedive, Flt Lt Townshend repeatedly swore and later announced to the military personnel on board that he "was not sure" what caused it.

The flight was then diverted to Incirlik Airbase in southern Turkey.  

Flt Lt Townshend allegedly lied in both a technical log and service inquiry, claiming the incident had been caused by a technical fault.

He also later deleted the 28 photographs he had taken from the cockpit shortly before the incident, it is alleged.

The court heard 14 passengers were so badly hurt they were unable to fly back to the UK.

Flt Lt Nathan Jones, the co-pilot, suffered a cut to the head, a fractured back, a prolapsed disc and nerve damage.

The court martial heard Flt Lt Jones was subsequently medically downgraded and so severely hurt by the incident that he competed in Prince Harry's Invictus Games in 2016.

An MoD spokesperson said:

"Our thoughts go out to all those on board the Voyager who were affected by what was a highly distressing experience. The MoD is grateful for the court's thorough consideration of the facts in this matter, lessons have been identified from this incident and training and procedures amended accordingly. 

Related topics

Join our newsletter.

Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe to:

Pilots-eye view of chipmunk aerobatics

Nato allies train as one on exercise allied spirit 24, sneak peek of the block ii chinook helicopter, most popular.

Shapps steps in to ensure Edinburgh Castle's historic One O'Clock Gun won't be silenced

Unhappy landings: Russians making mistakes that give away their own fake aircraft

Commandos' new £10m snowmobiles will enhance Arctic lethality for elite force

Raf parachutes more food and water into gaza, how sikh soldiers wear the turban in the military, head of the army supports new museum plans to house artillery pieces, latest stories.

Nato's 75th anniversary celebrated with Buckingham Palace performance

A cloak of invisibility: How a ghillie suit helps the sniper blend in and go unseen

Editor's picks.

New Wider Service Medal might annoy some but it's a great idea - and this is why

RAF and UK Space Command celebrate their respective 106th and third birthdays

Browse hundreds of jobs for ex-forces.

BFBS, Chalfont Grove, Narcot Lane, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, SL9 8TN Charity Registered in England No. 233480. Company Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England No. 407270

• Forces News Catch-up

Your browser is not supported

Sorry but it looks as if your browser is out of date. To get the best experience using our site we recommend that you upgrade or switch browsers.

Find a solution

• Skip to main content
• Skip to navigation
• hot-topics Trending now
• First Flight - a new podcast
• Singapore Airshow 2024
• Airline Business podcast
• Airline Business Covid-19 recovery tracker
• 2024 World Air Forces directory
• Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2023
• Final Boeing 747 delivery
• 2023 Industry forecast
• 2023 World Air Forces directory
• Sustainable Aviation newsletter
• Covid-19 recovery tracker
• Farnborough 2022
• IATA AGM 2022
• What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation?
• Order tracker
• Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2022
• Ukraine crisis
• Singapore Airshow 2022
• The Pilot Survey 2022
• What does the future of aviation look like in 2022?
• World Air Forces directory 2022
• Shell Aviation: What will it take to Decarbonise Aviation?
• EDGE: A new global force in aerospace and defence
• World Airline Rankings 2021
• IATA AGM 2021
• Top 100 aerospace companies
• Defending across the domains
• FlightGlobal Guide to Business Aviation Training and Safety 2021
• Airline Business special: CEOs to watch in 2021
• 737 Max: Two years on
• Women in Aviation
• The Pilot Survey 2021 Report
• Helicopter Report
• Sustainability at Paris

• Back to parent navigation item
• Systems & Interiors
• Helicopters
• Air transport
• Orders & Deliveries
• Business aviation
• North America
• Latin America
• Asia Pacific
• Middle East
• Airline Business
• Digital issues of Airline Business
• Airline Business Index
• Airline Covid-19 recovery tracker
• Military UAVs
• Flight International
• Subscribe to Flight International
• Flight International Opinion
• 110 years of Flight
• Airbus at 50
• Honeywell: Shaping the Future
• CAE: Sky's no limit
• Events and webinars
• Upcoming events
• Upcoming webinars
• On demand webinars
• Airline Strategy Awards 2024
• Airlines 2024 – Website coming soon

• More from navigation items

Camera trouble led to RAF Voyager grounding, investigation finds

By Craig Hoyle 2014-03-19T21:49:53+00:00

The UK Royal Air Force halted operations with its brand-new Airbus A330 Voyager tanker/transports for 12 days last month after a pilot’s improperly-stowed camera became jammed next to one of its side-stick controls in flight and caused a sudden loss of altitude, according to a newly-published report.

“The incident involving Voyager ZZ333 occurred on 9 February 2014 when the aircraft suddenly pitched down while in the cruise at Flight Level 330 (33,000ft),” the UK Military Aviation Authority (MAA) says in an interim report. “Within 27sec the aircraft lost 4,440ft in height, before the self-protection system initiated a recovery back towards controlled flight.” The maximum recorded rate of descent was approximately 15,000ft/min, it adds.

In its 19 March report , the MAA highlights the catalogue of events leading to the incident, which happened in Turkish airspace during a planned non-stop air transport flight between RAF Brize Norton in the UK and Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. The aircraft was carrying nine crew members and 189 passengers.

With the aircraft’s autopilot engaged and while its co-pilot was away from the cockpit in the forward galley, crew members reported feeling a sudden “jolt”, before encountering a sensation of weightlessness as the aircraft rapidly entered a nose-down attitude. “The resulting negative g forces were sufficient for almost all of the unrestrained passengers and crew to be thrown towards the ceiling, resulting in a number of minor injuries,” the report says. “The co-pilot struck the cabin roof, but was able to re-enter the flight-deck through the open door,” it adds.

The two crew members recovered control after the Captain had attempted to disconnect the autopilot, first by pulling back on their side-stick controls and moving the thrust levers to idle, and then by restoring them to take-off and go-around power as the twin-jet returned to a level attitude. The aircraft was then diverted to Incirlik air base in Turkey without further incident.

Crown Copyright

“The flight data recorder has shown no indication of system failures which could have led the aircraft to pitch-down,” the MAA says. “Moreover, the Inquiry has found no evidence of unsolved comparable incidents in any A330 variants.”

Instead, it says it is confident that human factors were to blame, pointing to “a digital SLR camera obstruction which was in front of the Captain’s left arm rest and behind the base of the Captain’s side-stick at the time of the event”. The camera body experienced a “significant compression… consistent with having been jammed between the arm rest and the side-stick unit”, it adds. “Analysis of the camera has confirmed that it was being used in the 3min leading up to the event,” while data recorders also note the Captain’s seat being moved forward “at the onset of the event”.

The MAA says it is continuing its Service Inquiry into the incident and “post-occurrence management of the event”, but notes that simulations have successfully replicated the same pitch-down effect after objects have become inadvertently lodged in the same space. “Safety advice has been issued to the RAF and to Airbus to highlight this possibility,” it says.

With its Lockheed TriStar tanker/transports due to be retired on 31 March, the RAF's fleet of AirTanker-provided Voyagers is poised to assume the bulk of the UK's military passenger transport tasks and all in-flight refuelling duties for the service.

Source: Flight International

• UK Royal Air Force

Related articles

Surging passenger revenue helps Turkish Airlines continue strong profit run

2024-04-03T19:31:00Z By Graham Dunn

Turkish Airlines continued its strong profit run since the pandemic, as double-digit increases in passengers and revenue pushed it to a full-year 2023 operating profit of almost $2.9 billion.

US Air Force begins modifying F-16s for autonomous flight testing

2024-04-03T19:21:00Z By Ryan Finnerty

Under the Viper Experimentation and Next-generation Operations Model – Autonomy Flying Testbed, or VENOM-AFT, programme the air force will modify three Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters for use as testbeds to develop autonomous flight technologies.

Sweden orders more Litening 5 targeting pods for Gripen fleet

2024-04-03T16:01:00Z By Craig Hoyle

Sweden has placed a SKr390 million ($36.6 million) contract to acquire additional Rafael Litening 5 targeting pods for integration with its Saab Gripen fighters.

• Advertise with us
• Conferences and Events
• Newsletters
• Paid content

FlightGlobal is the global aviation community’s primary source of news, data, insight, knowledge and expertise. We provide news, data, analytics and advisory services to connect the aviation community globally and help organisations shape their business strategies, identify new opportunities and make better decisions faster.

• Announcements
• Terms and conditions
• Cookie policy
• Privacy policy
• © DVV Media International Limited
• Connect with us on Facebook
• Connect with us on Twitter
• Connect with us on Linked in
• Connect with us on Youtube

Site powered by Webvision Cloud

Unlock our take on the stories that matter for just £22 a month

Breaking news, expert analysis, member-first insights and commentary on the global aviation industry.

• Shop Back Issues
• Aircraft For Sale
• Destinations
• Learn To Fly

Flying Brands

• The Ultimate FLYING Giveaway
• I.L.A.F.F.T. Podcast
• Modern Flying
• Helicopters
• The New Owner
• Avionics and Apps
• Instrument/accessories
• Retrofit avionics
• Oem avionics
• Portable/handhelds
• Aviation Gear
• Pilot supplies
• Aviation apps
• Flight School Guide
• Learn to Fly
• NIFA/SAFECON
• What A CFI Wants You To Know
• Flight planning
• I.L.A.F.F.T.

Watch: RAF Tanker Carrying 80 Tons of Fuel Has Tire Blow During Takeoff

The air-to-air refueler was participating in the ongoing 'red flag' combat training exercise at nellis air force base, nevada..

The RAF Voyager air-to-air refueler's tire blew out while participating in the ‘Red Flag’ exercise in support of British and U.S. fighter jets. [Courtesy: Royal Air Force]

The crew of a Royal Air Force (RAF) Voyager in the U.S. for a joint training exercise suffered a scare recently when one of the tires of the aerial tanker carrying 80 tons of fuel blew out during takeoff at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

The aircraft and crew are in the U.S. participating in the large-scale  “Red Flag-Nellis 24-1” intensive fighter training underway in Nevada. The realistic combat training exercise has nearly 2,000 participants, about 100 aircraft, and personnel from 30 U.S. and allied units, including the RAF and Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). 

The Voyager air-to-air refueler is participating in the Red Flag exercise to support British and U.S. fighter jets. 

• READ MORE: ‘Red Flag-Nellis’ Intensive Fighter Training Underway in Nevada

“[While] hurtling along the runway in Nevada with a takeoff speed of around 160 mph, the tire of the 204-ton jet, laden with 80 tons of fuel, failed,” RAF said in a statement Saturday.

The aircraft, which is capable of carrying nearly 300 passengers, also had a small number of British and allied passengers on board.

“The crew felt some minor vibrations early on, as per a routine takeoff, but were unaware of the seriousness of the incident and the take-off continued safely,” RAF said.

Video footage of the incident (posted below) shows the moment the tire failed.

Once airborne, the aircraft’s tire pressure sensors indicated there were faults with two tires, RAF said. The crew confirmed the damage using the Voyager’s external cameras and also contacted a U.S. Air Force F-16 in the exercise to conduct a visual inspection.

• READ MORE: Royal Air Force Tests Expeditionary Fueling System in Arctic Circle 

“This was my first flight in charge of the cabin with passengers onboard,” said RAF Corporal Jaz Lawton, cabin supervisor on the aircraft. “It was a shock to learn that the tire had burst, but my training kicked in, and I worked with the pilots and other crew to keep the passengers updated and reassure them.”

The crew then devised a plan for returning the aircraft to the ground.

“To minimize the risks of landing with damaged wheels, the crew extended their sortie to reduce the amount of fuel and, therefore, weight on board,” RAF said. “This also provided time for all the fighter jets to return to base before the Voyager, as it was possible that it might damage the runway when it landed.”

• READ MORE: Downed WWII Lancaster Bomber Raised from Sea Floor

Tanker pilots landed the aircraft safely and—after an inspection by U.S. Air Force firefighters— were able to slowly taxi to their parking space, where they replaced the wheel. The aircraft and crew rejoined the exercise the next day.

Red Flag 24-1 is set to conclude Friday.

RAF Voyager Tire Blows Out During Takeoff

More From Military

Royal canadian air force celebrates 100 years, boeing building mq-28 ghost bat plant in australia, air force mh-139a grey wolf makes first flight in montana, ukrainian pilots advance in f-16 training in u.k. , soaring with blue angels: imax documentary release date set, u.s. navy signs deal with boeing for 17 f/a-18 super hornets, new to flying, already have an account.