A First Look at RAF’s Future Airlifter Lineup
By ANDREW CHUTER, FARNBOROUGH, UK – The three airlifters that will form the Royal Air Force’s logistical backbone — the Boeing C-17, left; the Lockheed Martin C-130; and the Airbus Military A400M — line up for an unprecedented photo at Brize Norton Air Base northwest of London late last week.
RAF Boeing C-17 and Lockheed Martin C-130 stand next to a yet-to-be-delivered Airbus Military A400M on July 16 at Brize Norton Air Base. (EADS photo)
The A400M would soon be en route to the Farnborough International Airshow, but the newly named Grizzly will make its home at Brize Norton after 2015 — if it survives Britain’s upcoming defense and security review.
August 2nd, 2010 at 12:53 am
They should include a MRTT in this line-up. It is marketed more as a transport than a re-fueling tanker. And, most likely it will put in more hours as a transport.
To be fair, the MRTT will not be RAF property, so may not deserve a position in this photo. The builders and system suppliers will be the owners. They call themselves AirTanker, which include EADS, engine supplier, Rolls-Royce and others. Apparently, AirTanker will be using these MRTT’s to transport cargo when not used by the RAF. It’s akin to using military trucks to haul commercial goods when there’s no war. We can only wonder if the truck will have enough service life when a war calls.
Might BAe time-share lease their Challenger Main Battle Tanks to the British Army? BAe can rent tank time to other nations on a time-share basis as a cost optimizing measure.
Let’s start with the MRTT first.