£10.5bn f leet can’t fuel SAS planes (so we pay US to do it)
After MoS revealed how RAF jets are used to f ly tourists to the Med...
A £10.5BILLION fleet of military jets bought to refuel RAF aircraft in mid-air cannot fill up planes used to support British Special Forces operations.
Due to technical issues, the Voyagers are unable to perform airto-air refuelling on the UK’s C-17 Globemaster transporter and the RC-135W Rivet Joint intelligence-gathering aircraft.
As a result, the C-17s, which are used to transport SAS troops, vehicles and even helicopters, are reliant on US refuelling aircraft, which carry out up to 90 per cent of Nato air-to-air refuelling.
A reciprocal deal covers the costs – with London usually paying more to Washington. Using refuelling aircraft from other nations can also result in the UK facing extra fees from AirTanker, which owns the Voyagers, due to an agreement giving the consortium ‘first call’.
The RAF’s C-17s have come close to running out of fuel in the past, including in December 2013 when an aircraft was scrambled to South Sudan to rescue British nationals.
Issues with Voyager being unable to provide air-to-air refuelling for Rivet Joint jets have led to defence chiefs striking a deal for access to US air-tanker aircraft.
Last week The Mail on Sunday revealed how three of the 14 Voyagers leased by the Ministry of Defence under a controversial private finance deal are being used to fly tourists to holiday spots because the RAF has no use for them.
The deal has been branded a ‘scandal’ by former British Army chief Lord Dannatt, while MPs have accused the MoD of wasting billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.
In its original configuration as an Airbus A330, a Voyager can carry about 290 passengers. Leasing the planes to tour firms has made millions of pounds for AirTanker. Lord Dannatt said: ‘Voyager has to rank as the worst of the Private Finance Initiative deals used extensively by the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson must put a stop to scandals like this.’
The Mail on Sunday can also reveal that AirTanker charged the MoD up to £90million to upgrade tracking equipment used by RAF aircraft, even though defence sources say the devices cost just £75,000.
The MoD and AirTanker said they were unable to confirm the cost of fitting the Mode 5 transponders to Voyager aircraft due to commercial confidentiality. Sources said the upgrade was part of a larger avionics fitting and training package.
An MoD spokesman said: ‘The likes of C-17s have significant range and do not usually require refuelling. On the rare occasions they are required to fly longer, our Nato allies can refuel them as part of a reciprocal agreement.’