Lockheed TriStar (RAF)

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TriStar

A Royal Air Force TriStar. The two refueling points under the rear fuselage are painted with red stripes for visibility.
Type Strategic tanker/transport
Manufacturer Lockheed-California Co.
Maiden flight 16 November 1970 (L1011)
Introduction 1984
Primary user Royal Air Force
Number built 9 conversions
Developed from Lockheed L-1011

The Lockheed TriStar is an air-to-air tanker and transport aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force. All were converted from civilian L-1011-500 airliners.

Contents

[edit] Design and development

The Royal Air Force operates nine L-1011-500s TriStars, six ex-British Airways and three Pan Am.[1] The TriStars were bought in the immediate aftermath of the Falklands War to bolster the long range capability of the RAF in the transport and tanker roles. All of the aircraft serve with No. 216 Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton.

Marshall of Cambridge performed the conversion of the TriStars.[1] Two of the aircraft are designated TriStar K1s and are pure tankers. Another four are KC1s and can operate as either tankers or passenger/cargo aircraft. The two TriStar C2 models and the solitary TriStar C2A are pure passenger aircraft, with C2A differing from the C2s in having some military avionics and a new interior.[1]

The TriStar is expected to remain in service with the RAF until the end of this decade, when it is scheduled to be replaced by the Airbus A330 MRTT under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) program. The Airtanker consortium, led by EADS, won the FSTA contract in January 2004. However, beginning in April 2004, there have been continuing rumors about the fragile state of the contract negotiations. This culminated in an ultimatum by the UK's Defence Procurement Agency, delivered to EADS, demanding a reduced price for the aircraft.[citation needed] With continuing doubts over the FSTA program, Marshall Aerospace, has offered to buy and convert some of the large number of surplus commercial TriStars as tankers.[citation needed] This would give the UK a much needed increase in refueling capacity (with the upcoming retirement of the VC-10 fleet) at a fraction of the cost of the £13Bn FSTA project.

[edit] Operational history

The aircraft have seen service in many recent conflicts. Two were deployed to King Khalid International Airport, near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War as tankers, with the rest used for transport between the Persian Gulf and UK. The two aircraft deployed received nose art naming them Pinky and Perky. During the 1999 Kosovo War, TriStars deployed to Ancona in Italy, again as tankers, with four aircraft involved. TriStars joined Vickers VC-10s in the AAR role for Operation Veritas (Afghanistan), during which they provided aerial-refueling for US Navy aircraft. Their most recent wartime role was again over the skies of Iraq. The RAF deployed four TriStars during Operation Telic, to an as-yet-undisclosed location.[citation needed]

[edit] Variants

An RAF Tristar K1 (at Fairford Air Show, Gloucestershire, England
An RAF Tristar K1 (at Fairford Air Show, Gloucestershire, England
Tristar K1
Conversion of former British Airways Tristar 500s for tanker/transport role (not fitted with a cargo door), two aircraft.
Tristar KC1
Conversion of former British Airways Tristar 500s for tanker/cargo/transport role, four aircraft.
Tristar C1
Former British Airways Tristar 500s operated as passenger aircraft before tanker conversion.
Tristar C2
Former Pan Am Tristar 500s operated as passenger aircraft, two aircraft.
Tristar C2A
One former Pan Am Tristar 500 operated as passenger aircraft, different avionics to the two C2s.

[edit] Operators

Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

[edit] Specifications (Tristar K1)

Orthographically projected diagram of the Lockheed L-1011.

Data from The International Directory of Military Aircraft[1], RAF TriStar page[2] Airliners.net [3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3 (flight crew)
  • Length: 50.05 m (164 ft 3 in)
  • Wingspan: 50.09 m (164 ft 4 in)
  • Height: 16.87 m (55 ft 4 in)
  • Wing area: 329.0 m² (3540 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 105,165 kg (242,684 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 244,955 kg (540,000 lb)
  • Powerplant: 3× Rolls-Royce RB.211-524B turbofans, 50,000 lbf (222.4 kN) each
  • Maximum Fuel Load: 136,080 kg (300,000 lb)

Performance


[edit] See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d Frawley, Gerard (2002). The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 2002-2003. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd, 44. ISBN 1-875671-55-2. 
  2. ^ RAF Tristar page
  3. ^ Lockheed L-1011-500 page, airliners.net.
  • Yenne, Bill, Lockheed. Crescent Books, 1987.

[edit] External links

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