RAF Voyager tanker aircraft have been supporting American operations in the Red Sea, providing aerial refuelling to U.S. Navy strike aircraft conducting sustained combat missions against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The UK Defence Journal observed one such Voyager aircraft deploying to and returning from the region, with flight data and military activity suggesting involvement in the ongoing U.S.-led campaign.
Alluding to the deployment, we were told “Let’s just say there’s a reason you saw a Voyager in that part of the world,” by one RAF source familiar with deployment patterns.
“You don’t position that kind of asset unless there’s a role for it to play.”
The intensified operations follow a strategic shift by the United States, now engaging in prolonged offensive action aimed at degrading the Houthis’ anti-ship missile capabilities. According to U.S. officials, the strikes are no longer merely retaliatory but part of a broader mission to permanently reduce the rebel group’s ability to threaten maritime traffic. U.S. Navy fighters, including those from the USS Harry S. Truman, have reportedly hit dozens of targets in recent days, from command hubs to launch systems.
The UK’s support comes despite diplomatic turbulence following the leak of messages from a private U.S. government Signal chat group. In those messages—accidentally shared with the editor of The Atlantic—senior American officials, including Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Vice President JD Vance, described European allies as ‘pathetic freeloaders’.
The White House then launched a bizarre defence of the leak, with a spokesperson arguing they had not shared “war plans” because The Atlantic had described them as “attack plans”—a semantic distinction few found convincing.
Back in 2024, RAF Typhoon aircraft, supported by Voyager tankers, conducted precision airstrikes against Houthi infrastructure as part of a coordinated operation with the United States.
The missions targeted radar installations, missile storage sites, and launch platforms used in attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, there has been no confirmation of Typhoons in this latest round of strikes.
The Airbus Voyager, the RAF’s principal air-to-air refuelling aircraft, plays a crucial enabling role in long-range operations both for the UK and for its allies. Based on the Airbus A330-200 airliner, the Voyager can carry over 100 tonnes of fuel. In addition to its refuelling duties, Voyager is also capable of transporting up to 291 personnel or medical evacuation patients.
Isn’t America big enough to look after itself? What’s Americas mantra…………….’America looks after their own’
Funny when it suits them when they need help isn’t it.
But get rid of the silly politics, our military organisations work well together, and trust each other. Same goes for France!
Trust from allies will be increasingly hard to come by now the trump regime are demanding absolute fealty to trump from all serving personnel, whether military or law enforcement.
Much like the nazis did in 1930’s Germany as Hitler consolidated power
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It’s very interesting the lack of acknowledgement of any support. Something that does not play to the dialogue the MAGA administration gives to its voter base.
I suspect that may be why there are no kinetic strikes by the RAF.. plays to the US having to bail out Europe.
Indeed…and no discussion as to lack of LM f35 block iv software….what’s forecast…16 years late…then QE class could strike.
One of the principal issue is the severe lack of education in the USA. If you look at Americas HDI figures it looks very third world especially in its centre. This basic lack of education is easily exploited in a two party system”democracy”.
And about to get worse with the abolishing of the Dept of Education 🤦🏻♂️
Haha. Centre??
The US department of education is one of the reasons. But the issue is all in most Western world. A neo-marxist culture that leads to self hate , decadence, destruction.
US navy planes use the probe and drogue refueling method. Most of the USAF tankers are fitted with boom refuelling. Some have both abilities but don’t know the actual numbers.
That is a very interesting point.
Which suggest we can refuel our P8, RIVET, F35B contrary to what I had previously thought….
No.
No. P8, RJ and new AWACS requires boom refuelling (which we get from NATO / US). F35B and F35C generally use probe and drogue as per USN AAR procedures. Hence an RAF tanker is preferable. I do hope the Defence Review brings our tanker fleet up to the NATO standard of supporting both methods as the US may not be prepared to continue to support RAF ops.
Probably the cheapest and fastest option is for us to join NATO’s Multinational Multi-Role Tanker Transport Fleet (MMF). Currently 9 tankers but each of the 6 member nations is set to buy at least one further tanker in the near future. (And Denmark possible new member with 2 further tankers.)
Would give us immediate access to boom refuellers and independence in this area from the USA for our P8s and Rivet Joints.
Thanks for the clarification.
Interesting that we can AAR F35B with our existing fleet. I hadn’t realised that.
Another interesting point is that you don’t actually need your refuelling craft on your carrier because of the range of strategic tankers.. this is especially true for the UK which has airbases slap bang in the middle of most of the seas and oceans it would operate from.. the carrier transports your tactical aircraft with short legs, your strategic aircraft stay on one of your many world wide bases.. DG is actually more important to the UK than I had thought before.. because if the RN has a carrier battle group operating in the eastern Indian Ocean it can have full tanker support from DG.
I agree, it’s something often lost in the argument of “ American carriers good British carriers bad” the Royal navy in almost any circumstance it can envisage fighting outside will be with in range of British sovereign bases able to provide both AAR and AWACS capability.
The AAR capability of even a US super carrier is basically non existent (buddy tanking) in terms of mission enabling and E2D is a low flying prop plane with limited electrical power.
It’s never going to rival E3.
If you have land based AAR and AWACS cover the suddenly a carrier operating 36 F35B becomes a very very potent force and it does that for about five times cheaper than the full fat CATOBAR carrier.
The US itself operates an almost identical if less capable set up with its lightning carrier concept.
A very fair summary.
All depends on taskings being aligned.
With the thin UK resources of E7 this is more of an issue than it should be.
That said it would stretch RAF tankering to operate in the South Atlantic but with the range of the current platforms it is possible.
If we were fighting in the south Atlantic now we should have a massive air base at Mount Pleasant to base our AEW from (assuming all goes to plan and for everything else there is CROWSNEST)
Our voyagers can’t refuel our E7’s which in my mind is a mistake we could easily rectify with the retrofit of booms to three of the Voyagers however the RAF has never seen an operational need to refuel aircraft like E7, P8 and C17.
There is gaps in the existing airbridge to FI on a regular irregular basis due to aircraft availability. The simple fact of life is neither ourselves or the US have enough tankers. That is why civilian companies using ex military kit are making big bucks refuelling war planes.
I’m pretty certain if the RAF were given the funds it would pretty quickly modify the A330 with the boom as per the other MRTTs. But also increase the E7 to the original 5.
Davey – if rumours are true Booms for the A330 will be a priority i think.
If this strategy is to actually be implemented then surely it puts even more impetus on the need to equip the voyager fleet with booms in order to refuel E-7s?
I agree it’s useful to have the voyagers with the booms however operationally the RAF has not seen a need. Aircraft like E7, P8 and Voyager already have massive ranges and the most likely areas of operation for the UK in the Atlantic, Med and Indian Ocean are all with in easy range of UK airbases. In an emergency like China glassing Diego Garcia or Argentina some how USA sing secret ninja commandos to over take MPA and destroying the garrison that may not be the case but then they have back ups like CROWSNEST for such eventualities. These are unlikely scenarios and you might end up spending lot of money to cover unlikely scenarios.
As Dr Clarke says the Queen Elizabeth Class is an 85% solution for about 30% of the cost.
If you want the extra 15% of capability then you’re going to have to give up a lot of other capability and chances are you will never need the extra 15%.
That was the RAFs argument in the 1960s for not having carriers went South (literally!) In the Falklands. There’s a good chance that the carriers are there because the bases have been lost.
Not being able to refuel our EC135/P8/E7s is crazy…
The USA should be asked to leave all military sits not on usa soil they are starting to display themselves as more of an enemy than frend
Why cannot the Prince of Wales take some of the load whilst it is passing the Hormuz straits? It would seem to be more useful than swanning around the far east just showing the flag.
Maybe it will.
I doubt it will be advertised. Unless of course you are invited to the Signal group….which you could well be on a totally random basis…..
I’d be interested in what munitions are used from F35B to do that?
For ground strikes it will use the faithful Paveway. It is the only UK cleared weapon for the F35. However, if push came to shove, the UK could use (purchase) some of the other (US integrated) weapons cleared for the F35. Such as the small diameter bomb (SMB), JDAM, AARGM-ER, JASSM and possibly SIAW. All the F35 have the same weapons integration within their stores management systems. While will enable buffet operators to use another Countries weapons if needed.
Since trump mentioned a kill switch on F35s, the defence industry in the US has seen a global loss of trust – unsurprisingly – and Europeans in particular are taking their business elsewhere. The kill switch actually being the supply chain of parts and software updates rather than a switch on the orange idiot’s desk and they all drop out the sky… but trump has never let facts stand in the way of him feeding red neat to his maga base.
It probably will, Queen Elizabeth did exactly that with operations in Syria on CSG21.
But guaranteed they wont be telling anyone this and it will only happen after she transits the Red Sea.
Her transit of the Red Sea may require the entire air group to be engaged against the Houthis just to get through. This will be the biggest test of the entire CSG 25 exercise.
Given the risks I’m sure the RN would much rather go the long way via South Africa but now the USA has restarted operations in the Red Sea they can’t as it would basically be like admitting defeat and play strait into MAGA’s hands.
Fingers crossed our guys are on their A game that day.
I’m sure there will be a bunch of USN escorts on hand as well.
It will end up looking like a 21st century operation Pedestal 😀
The USA F35 carrier planes can’t use the British carriers
The US Marine Corps use F35B. They have been deployed on QE carriers previously.
In the previous governme the RAF took active part in the attacks, now they are showing some minor support, even if government level there are differences it’s important to keep connections in the military command level
Regardless of the US administration, wiping out Iran and its proxies can only be a good venture to which the whole world should wholeheartedly join not. Typhoon airstrikes when?
Part of the issue is that stealth no longer works. Silhouette and systems like it, make stealth aircraft detectable at massively over the horizon ranges, giving opponents time station targeting assets. Then to launch long range Lock-on In Flight Anti Air munitions. They then paint the aircraft at ranges that stealth aircraft expect to be safe in. The Israelis were the first to experience this, in their in-effective attack on Iran. They found themselves being painted with missiles already inbound far beyond their expected engagement envelope. And having to fire outside the optimal range, tuck tail, turn on full afterburner use all their fuel, damage their engines, and need to ask for in air refueling early. Thus putting the in air refueling assets closer too, or into the engagement envelope. And causing the AEW&C assets to be overloaded with incoming threats, some of which are spoofs both physical and electronics. The F15s and F35s are just expensive white Elephants. That is why NATO nations are taking the opportunity the Trump presidency has provided to pull out of buying them. Silhouette is passive, so cheap and near impossible to target and stealth radar absorbent painted aircraft stand out like a sore thumb to it.
References, please?
USAF investment in B21 suggests that stealth remains effective, whatever CCP PLA says..
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