A Voyager tanker operated for the first time from Paya Lebar Airbase Singapore, as part of Exercise Bersama Lima.
The exercise is the annual Five Powers Defence Arrangements exercise. The Five Powers Defence Arrangements brings the militaries of Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom together in the region.
In a release, the RAF say that the Voyager Force aircraft is conducting Air to Air Refuelling sorties with the deployed Typhoons of II (Army Cooperation) Squadron that have also been deployed on the exercise.
“The Voyager’s ability to conduct AAR sorties enables the Typhoon pilots to extend their time in the air considerably. As a consequence, a wider range of missions at considerable increased range can be conducted.”
Squadron Leader Nathan Giles, the Voyager Detachment Commander said in the aforementioned release:
“This Voyager deployment is an important step for the force as it demonstrates our ability to operate at considerable range from our home base of Brize Norton and thereby enable the global projection of RAF air power.”
The RAF deployment to Exercise Bersama Lima this year has seen over 200 personnel exercise in the region. This has enabled the RAF Typhoons to conduct complex air activities with the Air Forces of the other participating nations, say the RAF.
I was lucky enough to fly down to the Falklands on a Voyager 5 years ago. Really impressed with the plane and a huge step up from the VC10 (which I flew to and from Belize in) and similar in size (Inside) to the Tristar. The trolley dollies on the plane were all civies , is that still the case?
Hasn’t that service been leased out to a commercial contractor?
Ah the VC10, getting wherever you are going backwards!
All seats should face backwards on aircraft. Passengers my not like it but it is the safest way. Some idiot will says the pilot can’t see where he is going.
Civies operate the Cypress and Falklands scheduled runs plus occasional other trips. All balanced between the RAF crews and Air Tanker
Airtanker civies operate all the Falklands and Cyprus scheduled runs. also other jobs are shared out with the RAF to make good use of all the crews
Nope all military on voyagers
Thanks
Second that,I have just had a rather long flight on one, had an RAF colour boy/Staffy (flight Sgt?) do the old “emergency exits are located here and here” routine for a load of stinking Army chaps, I don’t think his heart was in it. After a over a decade of advanced RAF training, surly the fine lad was a tad over qualified to hand out nuts!
BV
Jesus we once had Vulcans and all their tankers ect based in Singapore, now one voyagers a huge deal! We have went well down hill!
Cam…grammar!
It is a question of need. Do we need a major permanent presence in Singapore right now? Probably not. Have we needed a large oversized military up until recently?
Lets not forget that this is generally how all nations operate. The US for instance barely had a military leading up to the second world war!
Ah Singapore, that’s a nice jolly for those guys!
People sometimes question why we should start basing forces again in the Asia-Pacific region, but it’d be great for recruiting and retention!
Port visits to Bangkok, Penang, Spore and Japan beats going round in circles in the Gulf, surely??
Seems everyone is now concentrating in the far east.Trumps getting out of Syria in order as he said to concentrate there ,joint naval exercises by Australia,Malaysia,US involving auxiliary general intelligence ships.China can no longer string everyone along with protestations of peace as it too is deploying AGI ships in the area.When push comes to shove in the South China Sea Singapore will be an unsinkable aircraft carrier with it’s three airbases at Seleter,Tengah and Changi complemented by Butterworth in Kedah province northern Malaysia.