Royal Air Force Voyager Vespina

Royal Air Force VIP Voyager KC3
ZZ336 Vespina
A gloss-white painted aircraft with a red, white and blue 'Union Jack' flag on its vertical tail fin and "United Kingdom" in gold lettering on its upper fuselage landing
ZZ336 Vespina in 'Global Britain' livery, June 2020
Type Voyager KC3
(A330-243 MRTT)
Manufacturer Airbus Military
Construction number 1363[1]
Serial ZZ336 (from 2015)
First flight 25 October 2012; 11 years ago (2012-10-25);[1]
Owners and operators owner: AirTanker Holdings
operator: RAF
Status in service
RAF Voyager KC3 ZZ336 after its VIP refit, but retaining its original low-visibility matt-grey paint scheme, 2018.
VIP interior of the RAF Voyager, 2016.
Vespina flanked by the Red Arrows at the 2022 Royal International Air Tattoo.

The Royal Air Force VIP Voyager, identified with the military aircraft registration ZZ336,[1] and more recently named by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as Vespina since June 2020,[2][3][4] refers to a customised RAF Voyager KC3 owned by AirTanker Holdings Limited[5] and operated under lease by the Royal Air Force. It is the primary transport aeroplane for the British royal family, the Prime Minister, and British government ministers.[4][6] The RAF operates a number of Voyagers which are militarised multi-role tanker transport (MRTT) aircraft; ZZ336 Vespina is a specific Voyager KC3 aircraft painted in a 'Global Britain' livery, and fitted with secure satellite communications system, missile detection, fifty-eight business-class seats (front cabin), one hundred 'premium economy' standard seats (rear cabin),[7] and media facilities, similar to other dedicated air transports of heads of state and government.

When ZZ336 was first converted to its VIP role in 2016, its exterior was visually identical to the remainder of the RAF Voyager fleet, retaining its original military low-visibility matt-grey exterior paint scheme with standard Royal Air Force roundels, insignia, and identification markings.[2][3][4] ZZ336 was first used in its VIP configuration on 8 July 2016.[8] ZZ336 was named Vespina when it was returned to RAF Brize Norton on 26 June 2020 following the completion of its new gloss-white livery.[9] The name Vespina is not used operationally; it is not used in its RAF F700 official logbook, nor is it used as its military call sign or flight number; it continues to be officially identified as ZZ336.

ZZ336 Vespina is based at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and is operated alongside the main fleet of RAF Voyagers by No. 10 Squadron RAF.[9] Whilst on VIP duties, Vespina is operated by a typical crew of thirteen, consisting of its two flight deck crew (pilot and co-pilot) and eleven cabin crew (flight attendants and two pursers),[7] and for non-VIP standard military operation, utilises eight cabin crew.[4] Like all RAF Voyagers, Vespina carries a total fuel load of 111 tonnes (109 long tons; 122 short tons), being able to dispense 50,000 kilograms (110,231 pounds) to receiver aircraft via its two under-wing Cobham 905E hose and drogue refuelling pods and its centreline Cobham 805E Fuselage Refuelling Unit (FRU).[9]

  1. ^ a b c "UK Serials – Displaying serials in range ZZ". UKserials.com. UK Serials Resource Centre, Wolverhampton Aviation Group. n.d. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  2. ^ a b "RAF News - VIP RAF Voyager ready for global role". RAF.MoD.uk. Royal Air Force. 25 June 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b Chapman, Khalem (26 June 2020). "RAF unveils new scheme for VIP Voyager". Key.Aero. Key Publishing. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d Allison, George (25 June 2020). "New paint job for UK Government Voyager aircraft revealed". UKDefenceJournal.org.uk. UK Defence Journal. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  5. ^ Royal Air Force (2023). "Voyager". raf.mod.uk. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
  6. ^ Bet, Martina (2 September 2022). "Tour on PM's plane for officials blatant misuse of taxpayers' money, Labour says". The Independent. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Ministry of Defence (MOD) Freedom of Information (FOI) – Request information on the VIP Voyager aircraft - RAF 2017/7684" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Headquarters Air Command, RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire: Ministry of Defence. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  8. ^ "Ministry of Defence (MOD) Freedom of Information (FOI) – Information regarding Voyager ZZ336 - RAF 2017/7928" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. Headquarters Air Command, RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire: Ministry of Defence. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  9. ^ a b c Chapman, Khalem (27 June 2020). "RAF's VIP Voyager resumes tanker operations". Key.Aero. Key Publishing Ltd. Archived from the original on 12 July 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2024.