The Voyager was built by Airbus Defense and Space to fulfill an important strategic mission of the Royal Air Force (RAF): air-to-air refueling and transport. The RAF has a small fleet, distributed between two squadrons with a special detachment to the Falkland Islands and a VIP-equipped variant known as Vespina.

The fourteen big jets that serve the United Kingdom (UK) are divided between KC.Mk2 and KC.Mk3 variants. Vespina is of the KC.Mk3 series and, despite its extra duties as a diplomatic transport, it is still mission-capable like the other tankers in the fleet. The Airbus model that serves as the base platform for the RAF’s Voyagers is the A330 Multirole Tanker Transport (MRTT).

Voyager in action

There is another interesting layer to the strategic deployment of the Voyagers. They are currently owned by the civilian company AirTanker consortium and leased to the RAF under a 27-year contract (from 2008). They maintain a “Core Fleet” of eight full-time military aircraft and one civilian-registered plane, for a total of nine in continuous service.

The remaining five aircraft of the fleet (fourteen in total) are also civilian-registered and compose what is called the “Surge Fleet.” AirTanker can use the “Surge Fleet” in a commercial capacity to reduce the RAF’s financial burden when they are not needed and then activate them when called upon to augment the fleet.

The RAF website says: « 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.”

The Voyager is primarily based at the RAF Brize Norton airfield and flown by aircrew from 10 Squadron and 101 Squadron. However, a sole aircraft is stationed at the Falkland Islands with No. 1312 Flight at RAF Mount Pleasant.

The current fleet composition is seven of the KC.Mk2 and seven of the KC.Mk3 variant. The primary difference is in the arrangement of refueling drogues. The KC.Mk2 features two underwing pods that can be used by “fast jets,” while the KC.Mk3 has an extra centerline hose for refueling larger aircraft as well.

The aircraft’s standard wing and fuselage tanks discharge fuel during AAR, freeing up the cabin for up to 291 passengers and the hold for cargo. Voyager has lower fuselage storage for bulk or palletized cargo. A modest VIP passenger arrangement is possible, along with a flexible aeromedical configuration with the capacity to transport 40 stretchers and three critical care patients.

Per the RAF’s info page,

“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.”

As a tanker, the Voyager can be used in a « towline, » in which it circles a designated area in anticipation of « receivers, » or in a « trail, » in which it flies with several fast jets, refueling them over long distances while handling the formation’s fuel and navigation.

The capabilities of the Airbus A330 MRTT were also demonstrated during the royal air force‘s Mobility Guardian exercise, where an A400M made an extraordinarily long transoceanic flight with prompt in-flight refueling, demonstrating how the tanker increases the operational range of other mission-vital aircraft.

Although the Voyager’s mission takes it far and wide, it is home-based at RAF Brize Norton. The RAf is sure to keep one always available on the Falkland Islands, in support of the TyphoonQuick Reaction Alert (QRA) jets as well as the c-130 Hercules.

Another Voyager operates the airbridge to and from the Falklands, assisting “fast jets” as they ferry.

The RAF also says:

“Voyager is making a major contribution to Operation Shader, offloading fuel to RAF F35s and Typhoons, and a variety of Coalition jets, including US Marine Corps Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets.”

Not your ordinary A330

The first MRTT was certified in 2010, and the very first service-ready MRTT was delivered to Australia in 2011 to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The latest generation of A330 MRTT was certified in 2016, incorporating improvements to avionics computers, defense systems, airframe design, and more efficient aerodynamics.

Delivered from the Airbus final assembly line in Toulouse, France, the standard A330-200s arrive at the Airbus Military Conversion Center in Getafe, Spain, where they are transformed into purpose-built military tankers with defense systems and state-of-the-art avionics.

Vespina was named such in 2020 by the RAF, having served as VIP transport for the British royal family, the UK Prime Minister, and other British government ministers on diplomatic missions.

Vespina’s original livery was a matte gray scheme that matched the other Voyager jets in the fleet, but in 2020 it was repainted in a glossy new livery.

The new “Global Britain” livery has helped Vespina catch much more attention while appearing at air shows alongside the Red Arrows flight demonstration team and fulfilling its role of delivering British officials worldwide on diplomatic missions. All the while, Vespina remains fully capable of serving as an air-to-air tanker and routinely refuels the RAF’s “fast jets.”

The UK has lacked a VIP transport, akin to the United States’ Air Force One, since Prime Minister Tony Blair denied plans for a dedicated diplomatic jet in 1998. Since that time, the British government and royal family have proposed several different ideas, from a fleet of three long-haul jets to a single small aircraft.

The acquisition of the Voyagers finally made it possible for a British-stylized “Air Force One” to become a reality. Thanks to the platform on which it is based, Vespina is still a practical part of the RAF’s airlift and aerial refueling forces.

Despite its dramatically more glamorous paint job, Vespina is not a flying palace like America’s “Air Force One” but a standard service aircraft with a makeover to display British pride and represent the UK in distant ports of call.

Voyager by the numbers

The A330 MRTT fleet has logged over 300,000 flight hours across ten operators and 15 user nations. For large platforms like the A400M, it can pump gas to over 25 distinct receiver aircraft using hose-and-drogue, boom, or fuselage-based techniques.

The MRTT has more than 90% of the non-US tanker aircraft market. It has already received 82 orders from nations like Australia, France, the Multinational MRTT Fleet (MMF) of NATO, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, the UAE, the UK, Spain, and Canada.

Recent operations demonstrate how this aircraft supports adaptable deployments for different countries. In one well-known instance, it took part in « Pacific Skies 24 » with many Airbus military platforms, providing logistical assistance in addition to its refueling function. Frontline fighters could travel thousands of kilometers to remote areas with few pauses thanks to France’s use of the tanker for its yearly Pégase mission.

According to the RAF’s specifications from Airbus Defense and Space, Voyager’s vital performance stats include the following metrics:

• Powerplant: two 71,100lb st (316kN) Rolls-Royce Trent 772B turbofans
• Length: 192ft 11¾in (58.82m)
• Height: 57ft ½in (17.39m)
• Wingspan: 197ft 10in (60.30m)
• Wing area: 3,892.20sqft (361.60m²)
• Maximum speed: around Mach 0.86
• Typical mission range: around 132,000lb (60,000kg) of fuel delivered during five hours on station at 500nm (930km) from base
• Range with maximum payload: 4,500nm (8,334km)
• Maximum range with maximum fuel: 8,000nm (14,816km)
• Maximum altitude: 41,000ft (12,497m)
• Maximum fuel load: 245,000lb (111,000kg)
• Maximum payload: around 99,000lb (45,000kg)
• Maximum passenger load: 291

Airbus is pursuing a fully automated aerial refueling process in which the tanker controls the receiver aircraft autonomously. In the 18-month Auto’Mate campaign, researchers tested technology that enables Autonomous Assets Air-to-Air Refueling (A4R) and Autonomous Formation Flight (AF2).

This would allow Voyager (and other A330 MRTTs) to guide a receiving aircraft into position, transfer fuel, and ensure safe separation, potentially handling crewed and uncrewed aircraft. The technology is in the works to support future unmanned platforms, such as drones or “remote carriers,” that will be a part of Europe’s Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

What’s next for Voyager?

Airbus is preparing the A330 MRTT+ by adopting new wings and updated engines. The company aims to reduce fuel consumption by up to 8% while enhancing range and payload. The company also plans to expand the tanker’s connectivity, positioning it as a forward-looking command node.

Beyond power projection, the A330 MRTT supports continental security. Nations collaborating under NATO’s framework rely on it to maintain defensive readiness, particularly through the Air Shielding mission. This covers a broad swath of territory, ensuring allied fighters remain refueled and on standby.

Cooperation is further exemplified by the Multinational MRTT Fleet, where several countries share costs and flight hours, maximizing efficiency for each participant. In the UK, a private-public arrangement enables the Air Tanker Consortium to manage maintenance and crew training, with spare jets available for short-term commercial charters.

Meanwhile, progress in sustainable aviation fuel usage demonstrates Airbus’s commitment to reducing environmental impact, validating the A330 MRTT’s continued evolution into a modern, multi-faceted resource built in Europe for global service.