On Wed, 2 Apr 2008, Recliner wrote:

"Paul Scott" wrote in message

Tom Anderson wrote:

I understand that the MoD has contracts like that with defence
suppliers, ie BAe, where instead of buying N aircraft (or whatever)
outright and then making separate maintenance arrangements to keep M
of them flying, they just contract with the manufacturer to make M
aircraft available at all times. The manufacturer then has
flexibility as to how they do that, and of course can coordinate
manufacturing, repair, replacement, etc. Seems to be a popular and
clever model; i can't say how well it works in practice.

Apparently the new RAF refuelling aircraft are basically a normal
Airbus (with big tanks in the cargo hold) which the contractor can
lease out on the open market, e.g. at weekends when the RAF is shut.
Extended range Ryanair flights in 'austerity' seating with limited
luggage perhaps?

And will the RAF also use them for carrying pax, as they do with the old
VC-10s and Tristars? In effect, they may be used more as troop
transporters than as refuellers (unlike the USAF, the RAF can't affordf
dedicated fleets of both types).

Yes. They'll be able to do boh, or rather all three: there are big fuel
tanks in the wings and under the floor for the refuelling, the floor is
fitted to take standard military cargo pallets, and i understand there are
pallets which just have seats on, for when you want to move people! Which
they do most will depend entirely on what needs to be done, and that
depends on where we decide to have our next little war. If it's somewhere
convenient in Europe or north Africa, say if Serbia blows up again, or we
get serious about Darfur and similar, they'll mostly be transports. If we
get roped into something somewhere awkward like southeast Asia, or
Venezuela, then they might well be doing more tankering.

I don't know about maximum takeoff weights and all that, but presumably,
you can move a certain amount of people, cargo and fuel all at once. This
generates an interesting capability to have a very long-range
self-contained airborne force, with soldiers and their equipment and
stores on the plane, and a some Pumas and Apaches flying along with them
and refuelling when necessary! I suspect the size of such a force would be
rather miniscule, though, and i wouldn't envy a helicopter pilot the job
of flying any significant distance in one sitting.

tom

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