{"id":5901605,"date":"2026-07-17T10:54:04","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T10:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T08:54:10","slug":"raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style><p>Britain owns a fleet of the most capable aerial tankers on the market \u2014 and cannot use them to refuel some of its own most important aircraft. It is one of the quiet embarrassments of the Royal Air Force, and after fifteen years the RAF has finally said out loud that it intends to fix it.<\/p><p>Speaking to <em>Aviation Week<\/em> in an interview reported on 16 July 2026, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Harv Smyth, confirmed the service is in talks with AirTanker to fit its Airbus A330 Voyager fleet with refuelling booms. The trigger is the next-generation fighter Britain is building with Italy and Japan: GCAP.<\/p><p>The admission is small in words and large in meaning. It exposes a gap that has forced Britain to lean on the Americans for years \u2014 and points to how the RAF plans to fly, and fight, in the 2030s.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f5f5f5;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;margin:24px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;font-size:15px;letter-spacing:.03em;color:#111\">QUICK FACTS<\/p><table style=\"border-collapse:collapse;font-size:15px;line-height:1.5\"><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Aircraft<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Airbus A330 Voyager (RAF designations KC2\/KC3)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Current fit<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Hose-and-drogue (probe) refuelling only<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Wanted<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Flying boom capability<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Why<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">GCAP fighter requirement; refuelling the RC-135 Rivet Joint<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Fleet<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">~10 operational Voyagers, owned by AirTanker (PFI lease)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td style=\"padding:6px 12px 6px 0;font-weight:600;color:#333;vertical-align:top;white-space:nowrap\">Status<\/td><td style=\"padding:6px 0;color:#444\">Talks under way; no timeline or numbers disclosed (July 2026)<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Two ways to pass fuel, and Britain only has one<\/h2><p>There are two systems for refuelling an aircraft in flight. The hose-and-drogue method trails a flexible hose with a basket on the end; the receiving pilot flies a probe into it. The flying boom is a rigid, steerable pipe lowered from the tanker\u2019s tail, flown into a receptacle by a boom operator. Most fighters take one or the other by design.<\/p><p>The RAF\u2019s Voyagers \u2014 leased from the AirTanker consortium under a private finance deal rather than owned outright \u2014 were fitted only for hose-and-drogue. That was fine when everything the RAF flew took a probe. It stopped being fine the moment Britain bought aircraft that need a boom.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=1772263425  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/a330-mrtt-boom-b2-refuel.jpg\" alt=\"A330 MRTT flying boom refuelling a B-2\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An Australian KC-30A \u2014 the same A330 MRTT airframe as the RAF Voyager \u2014 uses its flying boom to refuel a B-2 Spirit. The RAF\u2019s own Voyagers lack this capability. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The most glaring example is the RC-135 Rivet Joint, the RAF\u2019s signals-intelligence aircraft (known in British service as Airseeker). It refuels only by boom. So every time an RAF Rivet Joint needs topping up on a long mission, the RAF has had to ask a US Air Force tanker to do the job its own Voyagers cannot.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid  #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7;display:flex;gap:20px;align-items:flex-start\"><div><em>&ldquo;We have a requirement for a boom from GCAP, so we have to resolve that requirement, and that is what we are now looking at.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>RAF official<\/strong> &mdash; quoted by Aviation Week, 15 July 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">GCAP forces the issue<\/h2><p>The catalyst is the Global Combat Air Programme \u2014 the sixth-generation fighter Britain, Italy and Japan are developing to replace the Typhoon. Its refuelling requirement, the RAF confirms, includes a boom. That turns a long-standing inconvenience into a hard requirement the service must now design around.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px\"><img data-opt-id=896884691  fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/rc-135w-rivet-joint.jpg\" alt=\"RC-135W Rivet Joint\" style=\"max-width:100%;height:auto;border-radius:6px\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The RC-135 Rivet Joint \u2014 Airseeker in RAF service \u2014 refuels only by boom, forcing Britain to rely on allied tankers. Photo: Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>None of this will be quick. No timeline has been set, and the RAF has not said how many of its roughly ten operational Voyagers might be modified, or how the PFI ownership structure complicates the work. What has changed is direction: for the first time, Britain has publicly committed to giving its tankers the one capability they have always lacked.<\/p><p>For a nation that prides itself on expeditionary air power, it is a fix that is fifteen years overdue \u2014 and one that the fighter of the 2040s will simply demand.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/WrkfqaVCD84\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0;border-radius:8px\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><em>Sources: Aviation Week; The Aviationist; ADS Advance; Janes; RAF.<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px;border-radius:0 8px 8px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/ghost-tanker-the-jet-that-makes-every-new-warplane-possible\/\">Ghost Tanker: The Jet That Makes Every New Warplane Possible<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/nato-globaleye-triton-a400m-ankara-summit-2026\/\">Ten GlobalEyes, Five Tritons, One Shared Airlift<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":5901360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5901605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes | Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes | Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T08:54:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-17T08:54:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"853\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\"},\"headline\":\"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T08:54:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T08:54:10+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":639,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Military Aviation\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/\",\"name\":\"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-17T08:54:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-17T08:54:10+00:00\",\"description\":\"The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/07\\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":853,\"caption\":\"A Royal Air Force Voyager KC2 refuels two RAF Tornado GR4, March 4, 2015, over Iraq. The RAF aircraft provide combat air support for the coalition against Da'esh. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Perry Aston\\\/RELEASED)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\/\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\/w:897\\/h:278\\/q:mauto\\/ig:avif\\/https:\\/\\/migflug.com\\/jetflights\\/wp-content\\/uploads\\/sites\\/4\\/2026\\/06\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3\",\"name\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy\"},\"description\":\"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/jetflights\\\/author\\\/fortuneleroy\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","og_description":"The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-17T08:54:04+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-17T08:54:10+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":853,"url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/"},"author":{"name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3"},"headline":"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes","datePublished":"2026-07-17T08:54:04+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T08:54:10+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/"},"wordCount":639,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg","articleSection":["Military Aviation","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/","name":"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes | Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-17T08:54:04+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-17T08:54:10+00:00","description":"The RAF confirms it wants to fit its A330 Voyager tankers with refuelling booms \u2014 driven by the GCAP fighter and the boom-only RC-135 Rivet Joint.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:cW6T.c67a\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/07\/raf-voyager-tornado-refuelling.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"caption":"A Royal Air Force Voyager KC2 refuels two RAF Tornado GR4, March 4, 2015, over Iraq. The RAF aircraft provide combat air support for the coalition against Da'esh. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Perry Aston\/RELEASED)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/raf-voyager-boom-tanker-gcap-requirement-2026\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Britain\u2019s Tankers Can\u2019t Refuel Its Own Spy Planes"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/#\/schema\/person\/8de428a67c070c9b49afaa026328a4e3","name":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/24d828074a1cc6684638b2dcfc98a9dd85a2e06b37adfd74d20fae209f234190?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy"},"description":"Fortun\u00e9 Leroy covers French and European aerospace, from Rafale and Airbus to NATO strategy and the continent\u2019s defence industry.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/author\/fortuneleroy\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5901605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5901605"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5901605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5901617,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5901605\/revisions\/5901617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5901360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5901605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5901605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/jetflights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5901605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}