In a career that stretched almost 50 years, the RAF’s VC10s supported the UK’s military around the world between 1967 and 2013. Paul E Eden reviews the type’s service.
Responding to a parliamentary question on January 22, 2013, Philip Dunne, Minister for Defence Equipment and Support, announced that the last of the Royal Air Force VC10 fleet would be withdrawn in late September. The autumn date is six months beyond the type’s original scheduled retirement and will mark the end of a remarkable service career spanning almost five decades.
For many years the RAF has been the world’s sole VC10 operator and the type has appeared in virtually all theatres of UK interest since 10 Squadron began regular ‘route’ flights with the jet on April 4, 1967.
The British Aircraft Corporation formulated the military VC10 transport in 1960, against RAF specification C.239. It featured the standard VC10 airframe, combined with the fin fuel tank and uprated Rolls-Royce Conway 301 turbofans of the Super VC10. A side-loading freight door was added to the port forward fuselage, the cabin floor was reinforced and, in military style, rearward-facing passenger seats were installed. Other RAF-specific modifications included provision for …
