VOYAGER SETS SAIL AT AIR TATTOO
BRITISH Secretary of State for Defence Dr Liam Fox has been praising volunteers and Air Cadets for the work they do at the Royal International Air Tattoo.
Dr Fox said the airshow has become "one of the most important events on the aviation calendar" and said that was only possible because of the work of the thousands of volunteers who return each year. He said that made the show "even more remarkable".
The Minister was at RAF Fairford to mark the christening of the RAF's newest and largest aircraft, the Airbus A330 tanker, which will be named the Voyager when the aircraft enters military service at RAF Brize Norton in the autumn.
The Air Tattoo, taking place at RAF Fairford this weekend, represents the first opportunity for the public to get up close and personal with the new aircraft which will be used in the aerial refuelling and transport role. The aircraft will replace the venerable VC-10 and Tristar tanker jets over the coming years.
The aircraft appearing at the airshow is the second of the two which have been built so far. Based on
the commercial Airbus A330 airliner, it has been converted by Airbus Military in their purpose-built facility near Madrid, Spain.
The aircraft are currently undergoing a series of trials at Boscombe Down in Wiltshire. Once the aircraft have been certified and qualified, they will be owned by AirTanker consortium and leased to the RAF.
Domingo Ureňa, CEO of Airbus Military, said he was delighted to see the aircraft on the ground at Fairford. He said: "This project has been going for seven or eight years and now it is a reality and people who visit Fairford can see it is a reality."
After his visit, Dr Fox met Air Cadets working at the show.
July 15, 2011
