RAF VC-10 Transports
During the late 1970s it was realised that the VC-10 would make a good dedicated Air to Air Refuelling platform for the RAF, specification K.294 was issued against Air Staff Requirement 406 and so a major project was put in hand at BAC Filton to convert various redundant civil VC-10s into tankers.
First off was five ex BOAC and Gulf Air V.1101 VC-10 ‘standards’ which became V.1112 VC-10 K.2s, these were the short variant, which looked similar to the RAF C.1 and were uprated with the Conway 43s.
ZA141 in a unique grey/green camo scheme made the types flight on 22 June 1982, K.2s were delivered to 101 Sqn from July1983, being based on the oldest VC-10 variant they were all scrapped at St Athan by 2004.
At the same time four of the stretched variant V.1154 Super VC-10s were rebuilt to become V.1164 VC-10 K.3s. ZA148 made the first flight of this version on 4 Juy 1984, with deliveries to 101 squadron starting from February in the flowing year, the last of these was in delivered to the unit1987.
All of these conversions were dedicated three point tankers, with Mk.32 HDUs on the wings and one Mk.17 centre line hose drum unit, along with five cabin mounted 3,182 ltr fuel tanks, reciever refuelling probes, aswel as monitoring cameras and screens, and the RAF stipulated APUs.
V.1112 VC-10 K.2s
ZA140 A, ex Gulf Air/BOAC V.1101 A40-VL/G-ARVL
ZA141 B, ex Gulf Air/BOAC V.1101 A40-VG/G-ARVG
ZA142 C, ex Gulf Air/BOAC V.1101 A40-VI/G-ARVI
ZA143 D, ex Gulf Air/BOAC V.1101 A40-VK/G-ARVK
ZA144 E, ex Gulf Air/BOAC V.1101 A40-VC /G-ARVC (ff 21 Feb 63)
All K.2s have been scrapped.
V.1164 VC-10 K.3
ZA147 F, ex East African Airways V.1154 Super 5H-MMT
ZA148 G, ex East African Airways V.1154 Super 5Y-ADA
ZA149 H, ex East African Airways V.1154 Super 5X-UUVJ
ZA150 J, ex East African Airways V.1154 Super 5H-MOG
All of the K.3s are still in active use with 101 Squadron.
A further programme (concurrent to the C.1K conversions) was to convert five V.1151 Super VC-10s into V.1170 VC-10 K.4s, this being carried out during the early 1990s by BAE Filton, they were completed to the same standard as the K.3 but without the internal cabin fuel tankage. ZD242, the first K.4 conversion, first flew on 30 July 1993 and deliveries to 101 sqn commenced in April of the following year.
V.1170 VC-10 K.4
ZD230 K, ex British Airways/BOAC V.1151 G-ASGA (First Super VC-10, ff 7 May 64)
ZD235 L, ex British Airways/BOAC V.1151 G-ASGG
ZD240 M, ex British Airways/BOAC V.1151 G-ASGL
ZD241 N, ex British Airways/BOAC V.1151 G-ASGM
ZD242 P, ex British Airways/BOAC V.1151 G-ASGP
Only K.4 ZD241 N remains in active service, with 101 Squadron.
All the tanker variants have seen widespread service in various places around the world and have been used in the air above Iraq and Afghanistan.
With the RAF VC-10s we have the last direct link to the great names of the British aero industry of Vickers and Sir George Edwards.
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