VC-10 fløy siste sortie den 20.

RAF VC10s to make last operational flight

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By:   CRAIG HOYLE 

07:30 20 Sep 2013 

Source: 

  

The last operational Vickers VC10s will perform the type’s final
flights for the Royal Air Force on 20 September, before being 
retired from use.

A final pair of Rolls-Royce Conway-engined VC10 tankers are
due to conduct the sortie from RAFBrize Norton in Oxfordshire,
 bringing to an end a 47-year service life.

Flown by personnel from 101 Sqn, the aircraft should perform 

a last air-to-air refuelling mission, before conducting a series of 

separate flypasts at air force bases and other sites around the 

UK. Their formal retirement will be completed by the end of 

September.

Aircraft ZA147 (above) and ZA150 are the last remaining
examples of the VC10 to be flown, with the RAF having
progressively reduced its fleet of the tanker/transport over
the last several years. The KC3-model pair entered service
in 1966 and 1970, respectively, says Flightglobal’s MiliCAS
database.

The only military user to adopt the VC10, the RAF has flown
the type since 1966. Its capabilities have been assumed by
 the UK’s AirTanker-provided Airbus A330 Voyagers, which
are in use with 10 Sqn and are also to in the future be used
by a re-commissioned 101 Sqn from Brize Norton.

Six Voyagers have been delivered so far, with the RAF due
to declare full capability by May 2014, on the availability of
nine of the tanker-equipped aircraft
.
The VC10 has been used by the Royal Air Force since 1966

With the VC10 now leaving use, the RAF has positioned one
of its Lockheed TriStar tankers on the Falkland Islands, where
it is providing air-to-air refuelling support for an air defence
detachment ofEurofighter Typhoons. The service is also due
to cease operations with the tri-jet type by May 2014.