The British Embassy in Doha has issued an unusually direct statement after speculation online suggested that a Royal Air Force Voyager aircraft had supported Israeli air operations over Qatar earlier this month.
The embassy said that on 9 September an RAF Voyager was operating above Doha as part of a “routine and planned exercise” with the Qatari Emiri Air Force.
According to the notice, the training focused on air-to-air refuelling, a long-established element of UK-Qatar defence cooperation.
The statement dismissed claims of a connection to Israeli actions as “baseless and false.” It added: “The UK had no knowledge of, nor played any part in, those attacks, which we condemn as a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of a key partner.” The embassy concluded with an emphatic message: “We stand with Qatar.”
Even without the diplomatic denial, there are practical reasons why the speculation does not stand up. The RAF operates the Airbus Voyager KC2 and KC3 tankers, derived from the A330 airliner. These aircraft use the Cobham 905E wing-mounted hose-and-drogue system and, on KC3 variants, an additional fuselage refuelling unit.
Israel’s fast jet fleet, however, relies on the US-style flying boom refuelling method. Aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 are equipped with receptacles for boom transfer, not the probe-and-drogue system carried by the Voyager.
This incompatibility makes it physically impossible for the UK Voyager fleet to provide aerial refuelling to Israeli fighter jets. By contrast, the US Air Force’s KC-135 and KC-46 tankers are configured with booms, which are required for Israel’s combat aircraft.
The UK has steadily deepened its military relationship with Qatar in recent years. Joint training has included air policing over the Gulf state during the FIFA World Cup, as well as the deployment of a permanent joint Typhoon squadron, 12 Squadron, which is based in the UK but jointly manned by British and Qatari personnel.
Voyager tankers regularly take part in bilateral exercises in Qatari airspace. For London, the partnership reflects both a commitment to Gulf security and a means of strengthening defence-industrial links, with Qatar having purchased Typhoon fighters and Hawk trainers from BAE Systems.
The speed with which claims of RAF involvement spread online highlights the extent to which misinformation shapes perceptions of Western military activity in the region.
It doesn’t matter that it’s physically impossible! the nob heads have made their minds up it’s happening and no account of reasoning with them will convince them otherwise🙄believe me I’ve had the conversation!
Just come across an exhibition of the Flat Earth Society in Chester today, they claim that Nixon talking to the Astronauts on the moon while you can’t get a reliable mobile connection down the road today proves it must have been a hoax. So yes I agree no matter how much one explains the relative technology involved in each case it will never convince them.
Yet on the Israel attack on Iran British planes refuled Israeli planes .
Odd
They didn’t. Don’t lie.
It would have been very odd indeed👍 just to be clear because you obviously haven’t been awake lately Israeli aircraft use the boom (American) system we use probe and drogue! Now Israeli tankers could refuel our planes if they fitted a drogue to their boom BUT it is physically impossible for a British tanker to refuel Israeli aircraft! If you could provide any evidence to the contrary (there is none) but don’t let us put you off trying!
RAF’s Voyager tanker (an Airbus A330-based AAR platform) is equipped with the hose-and-drogue system.
The F-35B Lightning II, operated by the Royal Navy and the RAF, is fitted with a refueling probe that works with the hose-and-drogue method.
The first UK refueling of an F-35B by a Voyager took place in October 2018.
F-35A Refueling Dilemma
I’ve had the same conversation they just can’t understand because you’re not agreeing with lol
You shouldn’t listen to western propaganda.
British planes can refulle the f35 jets
RAF’s Voyager tanker (an Airbus A330-based AAR platform) is equipped with the hose-and-drogue system.
The F-35B Lightning II, operated by the Royal Navy and the RAF, is fitted with a refueling probe that works with the hose-and-drogue method.
The first UK refueling of an F-35B by a Voyager took place in October 2018.
F-35A Refueling Dilemma
Raf voyagers do not have a boom they can’t fill Israel f35
You’d better have a word with these pll then RAF’s Voyager tanker (an Airbus A330-based AAR platform) is equipped with the hose-and-drogue system.
The F-35B Lightning II, operated by the Royal Navy and the RAF, is fitted with a refueling probe that works with the hose-and-drogue method.
The first UK refueling of an F-35B by a Voyager took place in October 2018.
F-35A Refueling Dilemma
So you have just destroyed your own argument haven’t you? Yes we operate B models Israel operates A models that are NOT fitted with the probe and drogue system. Soooo we can refuel B but not A clear now?
Oh and the A models we are getting (12) will have to be refuelled by our NATO partners👍
No im not up on military assests but I am on military/ political lies and this stinks especially your eagerness to defend taking into account the militaries clandestine involvement with Isrsrl
I am only stating facts that what you are suggesting is physically impossible,if you think that’s western propaganda or military lies then that’s up to you,however don’t come on a defence website and receive answers to your questions and then reject them out of hand because you don’t like what you hear!
Just curious but where are you from?
My post reflects the information I read at the time of the Iran conflict and the precense of UK refuling planes that Inducated they were refuling Israeli planes.
You’ve supplied evidence that isnt the case .
The o ly other two options is the information was false or British jets were involved in the assult
Your really going off on a tangent now aren’t you😂😂
Im explaining the foundation for my concern but your eagerness to supoort this government is noted
Goodo that’s my cards marked then😉now off you pop into your realms of fantasy and conspiracies and leave the adults alone😀
I’ve just told you we only use drogue we can’t refuel f35a which Israel have are you on the correct planet
The text for the image says Lightning IIs. UK F35s are simply called Lightnings not Lightning IIs.
The Lightening ‘ones’ were pretty good, British built supersonic Cold War air defence. Odd to think of f35 as a lightening.
Lightning. They don’t have bleach squirters to lighten things.
In this case I think you will find that Lightning 11’s are named after the original WW2 Lightnings. the P38’s and not the EEL’s.
Anyone who knows anything about AAR would know that this was just a malicious bit of propaganda. But I suppose it doesn’t matter. The damage was done and the bastards achieved their perverse objective. That’s the power of social media
Tell the idiots that it’s impossible to Refuel a Probe aircraft with a Basket case on the end…
God, these countries are truly behaving like utter “no, very not PC words” and they’re more mad their money meant nothing here.
After the events of the weekend and the cavalcade of repellent false social media posts from the “kind” wing of politics maybe we should view the true nature of this persistent false story.
Are we sure this is the product of the genuine misunderstanding of a community of clueless fools?
Or is a better understanding that these sort of stories are are deliberately and somewhat maliciously disingenuous?
Is the true aim to justify attacks against British Forces? Is it to subvert and create division in society?
I think the Left has it’s favourite narratives and the truth is unwelcome from all of them.
Perhaps in future, instead of trying to correct the who peddle this nonsense we instead get in their face, tell them to get bent and label them for what they genuinely are which is immoral liars.
Yet on the Israel attack on Iran British planes refuled Israeli planes .
Odd
https://youtu.be/JnxDe1zL_KE?si=XhS84XEFPSlnJdr_
Odd
https://youtu.be/JnxDe1zL_KE?si=XhS84XEFPSlnJdr_