A Royal Air Force A400M Atlas transport aircraft has set two new records for the aircraft type en route to Guam to participate in the US-led Exercise Mobility Guardian 2023.
The non-stop flight from the aircraft’s home base at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire took 20 hours and 36 minutes, setting the record for the longest flight by an A400M, as well as for the closest flight to the North Pole by the type so far.
The record-breaking journey required aerial refuelling three times from two RAF Voyager Multi Role Tanker Transport aircraft.
The A400M Atlas entered RAF service in late 2014, and the 22nd and final aircraft was delivered earlier this year before the fleet took over from the C-130J Hercules, the last of which was retired on the 28th of June.
The Atlas has been gradually undergoing testing to broaden its range of capabilities, with the first air-to-air refuelling (AAR), which was vital to this record-breaking flight, taking place just two years ago.
The record-breaking aircraft, ZM420, the penultimate aircraft to be delivered to the RAF, departed RAF Brize Norton just after 8 am on Monday, shortly followed by Voyager ZZ337, which both flew north over the UK, passing to the west of Iceland before they conducted the first aerial refuelling of the flight east of Greenland. The Atlas then flew over Greenland while the Voyager turned south, conducting more aerial refuelling, likely of RAF Lossiemouth-based Typhoons, in AARA 4 over the North Sea, east of RAF Lossiemouth, where it subsequently landed and has been conducting further AAR sorties out of in recent days.
Meanwhile, the Atlas crossed the far north of Canada before passing into US airspace over north-eastern Alaska. Around 5 pm UK time, the second Voyager tanker, ZZ332, which had prepositioned to Eilson AFB the day before, took off to meet the Atlas for its second refuelling of the flight over northern Alaska. The aircraft then flew southwest together before conducting the third and final refuelling over the Aleutian Islands around 9 pm UK time.
The Voyager then returned to Eilson AFB, while the Atlas flew on south over the Pacific Ocean towards Anderson Air Force Base, where it arrived just before 5 am UK time or 2pm local time on Tuesday. After around 6 hours on the ground at Eilson AFB, the Voyager also departed for Guam, arriving around 01:30 local time.
Upon arrival in Guam, the two aircraft, support personnel, and elements of the Tactical Medical Wing joined their counterparts from the US, Australia, Canada, France, Japan and New Zealand. The exercise will involve roughly 70 transport aircraft and 3000 personnel and will run until July 21st.
It will occur across a 3000-mile area ranging from Japan to the north, Hawaii to the east and Australia to the south, with RAF aircraft expected to land in Japan to “demonstrate the UK’s commitment to the recently signed Hiroshima Accord between the UK and Japan.”
Air Commodore Lyle, the RAF Air Mobility Force Commander, described the exercise as an “outstanding training opportunity” demonstrating the “speed, reach and utility of the RAF” and its ability to “project air power” in a timely manner.
The US Air Mobility Command said the exercise will support 15,000 US and partner forces taking part in various exercises this year and will “hone vital readiness skills and enhance interoperability” across various mission areas including airlift, aerial refuelling, aeromedical evacuation and humanitarian and disaster assistance.
Are we still supposed to be buying more of these buggers? They do seen decent kit.
Yes, depending on the financial situation there is an expectation of up to 6 more.
I read that as No, “expectation of up to 6 more” means nope, it won’t happen, you’ve coped with 22, so crack on….
Probably true but do hope we’re both wrong 🙏
CAS was interviewed other day and said that there is funding allocated for more. So I am more optimistic than I was.
CDS was at the Defence Select Committee on Tuesday. He said that the answer wasn’t necessarily more airframes, but to ensure greater availability of those we have. Hopefully that doesn’t mean a new order being on hold.
That’s interesting, as now CAS and CDS are contradicting each other!!
CDS answer also makes me think, down the line, there go their hours as less aircraft do more, meaning their knackered sooner. Another excuse that was given to get rid of the Hercs.
Great world wide deployment. The voyager is the unsung hero in these operations.
While the A400 could of landed on route instead of AAR it’s good to practice these things.
It took my grandad weeks to get to India in 1939 and a long 5 days to get back in 1945. Now he could of been home for supper and leave.
Apologies if my Contact some way back caused Issues Monkey Spanker, Wasn’t Intention of Acknowledgement, I Add.
That said, reference RAF Hercules aircraft, first ever sightings at RNAS Sanderling in the late 1960s (Perhaps by then Controlled by the RAF) from the Civilians’ Transport Hold Point alongside Taxiways with Multiple Hercules Queueing/Revving-up for Holding Before Taking Off.
Apparently an RNAS that my mother based at During Hostilities Services with WRNS in Later Stages of Second World War and Bit Too Eventful for WRNS Rating involved in Aircraft Maintenance whose Aircraft Became An In-Flight Casualty during Crossing the North Channel En Route Londonderry ~ Very Concerning, It would seem in Wartime.
No issues at all, it’s great when people write what they think and post on here. Gets discussions going.
The luxuries of travel we have now compared with the previous hundred years.
I’ve really enjoyed watching the Mach loop YouTube videos of the big transports. Nice sound.
Hello MS. Hope you are well! It took my parents 5 days to get to Southern Rhodesia in 1961 although to an extent, it was the ‘slow boat’ route via Dover, Ostend, Rome,somewhere in Libya- probably Benghazi,Kampala. Beira, Bulawayo and Salisbury!! The A400 is a fine aircraft. I still think it a great pity that the UK sold it’s shareholding in Airbus. When you think back to those times in the early 60’s the UK was building Trident,BAC 1-11, VC10’s etc and co-operating with France on the Concord(e). Where did it all go so wrong? We are reduced to being sub-contractors with no equity in the worlds largest(or 2nd?) civilian/military aircraft manufacturer. Basically no shares, no say, no security!!
Regards from chilly Durban 10 degreesC-freezing!!
I think it mostly went wrong from being unable to sell enough aircraft. Then look at how airbus and other historical airplane builders would get large government money to build aircraft. The USA geography has a need for a lot of airplanes and with tax breaks etc for builders they had a large home base.
The U.K. government favouring selling anything as quickly as possible doesn’t help either.
Probably a load of other reasons that I don’t know about.
There’s an expanding large market for cheap to run aircraft for the African/Indian market.
Hope the power and heating is working ok in Durban.
Hi MS. Yes the critical element in any manufacture is long runs to spread development and fixed costs. The history of UK industry is full of what ifs-what if Comet didn’t have the wing fatigue, what if we had been better marketers, what if the supersonic Harrier had not been axed, what if the yanks hadn’t stymied Concorde with the landing rights issue etc etc. I see Britten Norman is back in the UK and in British hands so lets hope!
Our ‘çold’ snap is only really at night-it generally warms up to the early and mid twenties by noon. Durban Winter weather is the best, warm and generally dry
Cheers
Hi Geoff
How are tricks? To be fair, it’s likely to take five days to get from CT to Harare these days, if you go SA railways and/orSAA.
SAA= 1 plane broken, 1 x plane stolen, 1 x plane lost 😆 Seriously though, happy days for FlySafair and SA Airlink.
😄Hi Klonkie
All good my friend. Yes they are keeping SAA alive on taxpayers money and now doing the same with the Poskantoor with little of the money going to where it should be!!
I hitched from Salisbury to Durban in under 24 hours as a 16 years old with my pal Joe Parker the comedian! Different days!!!
Was thinking same but on deeper thought Voyager can do Guam in 2 hops, but A400 would need min 3 (east Coast US/West Coast US/ Hawaii) which would be 3 overnights i expect (they like thier rates) so this way is actually cheaper only 1 night stop less fule burnt descending/climbing etc but the Voyager extra cycle at Eielson. Perhaps we should get couple more Voyagers and stick probes on them all then we could pre-postion them around globe, an do lots of looooonnnnng haul flights 🙂
Going off the Topic guys I see the Defence Chief got a grilln yesterday from the Defence Committee ,over if the UK can put together a war fighting Division and was asked about some of our AFV been 40-60 yrs old .He was really on the spot.🙄.Going away from this Ben Wallace not getting the NATO job was a kick in the teeth giving to a failed German minister with no Military experience.Word has it due to the USA Biden Administration giving the backing .So much for special relationship oh and it was good bye free trade deal .🇬🇧
Surely the reason some of our AFVs are 40-60yrs old is the fault of the government(s) over the years. Not the fault of army. If the government won’t provide the funds for defence and prefer to spend taxpayers money on other things.
The army has been given over 10 billion to spend on Ajax, which we know has had issues, and Boxer, which is one of the or most expensive option. Which, so far, has a RWS with MG on the roof, and replaced an IFV in Warrior discarded due to the CGS inability to prioritise one group of programmes- Ajax, WCSP, CH LEP, before jumping to something else – Boxer.
Money existed pre 2015 for all 3. So the Army is culpable.
Having said that, yes, on a broader front, you’re correct. HMG in the early 2000s decided that wars in the sand were the future and what artillery and armoured vehicle programs were started and pushed through beyond FRES and Titan, Terrier, Trojan for the army?
None whatsoever. Which is why I comment out of sheer irony when the shadow CoS for Defence John Healey of Labour criticise the state of the army, they were there instigating it.
Nicely balanced reply, Daniele, with Army being you’re ‘first love’.
Did see our version of Cougar, Mastiff, goes down as well with the Ukrainians as it did with UK troops
Morning Gavin.
Cheers. Funnily enough, my “1st love” and fav service is actually the RAF! Followed closely by the RN.
Beg pardon. In that case your knowledge of Land Forces is certainly all the more impressive. Now, about that NATO post…. needs someone who knows issues! 😉
👍😃 Von Der Lynden is a shoe in I guess.
💃hey, if it fits…
Hi DM -you made my day!
Morning mate! It’s true. It’s one reason why I often reply when posters with inter service issues wish to disband the RAF. Utter nonsense and serves nothing.
good on you Mate!🙏
Absolutely
Apparently because we pressed ahead with the F16 plan for UKR announced before it was backed by the Americans, so putting Biden on the spot.
And the SR does not sit at Presidential level.
Maybe next time there’s a fight on we Brits could sit it out ,see how he likes that one DM 🇬🇧 👍
Well yes, I’m not disagreeing that the SR does not have it’s issues.
von der Leyen will get the NATO job precisely because she was useless when German defence minister and so is seen as manipulable. She did her level best to block BAE from selling Typhoons to the Saudis. Plus, like Biden she is a catholic (with 7 children) Next, the clearly antiBritish Macron pushed her forward as the “EU” candidate because Wallace was pushing him to provide more French kit to Ukraine. In my view Wallace was the better candidate by far, but EU politics and particularly French sensitivities were the issue. The French don’t want their kit under the spotlight in Ukraine because much of it is crap
Like many Democrat presidents Biden is anti-british, the more so because he thinks he’s Irish and “the Brits” are still “occupying” Ulster
The greater the number of Children one has, In or Outside-of Marriage Relationships, the greater the Potential for those Children to become Cannon Fodder in Any Future Conflict(s).
Apparently my father was Only Child of his father’s First Marriage due to his mother’s death shortly after my own father’s Birth.
Even nowadays Childbirth Fraught With Its Own Hazards.
My father was a University Student for Medicine during the Phoney War of 1939 to 1940 ~ A Reserved Occupation in the Contexts of Wartime ~ Yet Volunteered Immediately After Dunkirk in 1940, In the Ways of the Army of Wartime his Entry Requirements for University would seem to have been taken into account and his Variety of Regimental Postings After Basic Training in/around Aberdeen led to Newly Formed REME and Troops Ship to India and Onwards into Burma with Close Proximity Fighting with the Imperial Japanese Forces therein for remainder of Battles with the Forgotten Army in Burma, returning Homewards after Nuclear Weapons dropped over Japanese Cities and the Surrender by Japanese Leaders ~ Before the Collapse of the Empire in India signalled the New World Order Since.
Perhaps, in years to come, a certain J. R. Mogg might reflect on his Tendency for a Large Family In Societal Terms?
You never mentioned which company makes the A400 aircraft?
Given the UK Government’s commitment to it’s Net Zero vanity project, how can the MoD possibly justify flying this A400M, plus support tankers, halfway around the world for a military exercise? Also, what a complete waste of UK taxpayer’s money.
So how many miles was that?
That’s around 9,000 nautical miles in 18hrs 9mins according to Flightradar24.
Thanks Belinda. That is quite impressive.
We should donate thr C-130s to Ukraine if we are not going to use them any longer ourselves. One of the problems Ukraine is facing is the slow delivery of weapons and equipment promised by the West (including ourselves). I should think a dozen or so transport aircraft would be very helpful for them.
The availability of Weapons for Ukraine is slow,not the delivery.There are tried and tested methods of getting them where they are needed by Rail and Road.I don’t think extensive use of donated C130 within Ukraine would be a good idea.