Lockheed TriStar (RAF)
| TriStar | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| ZD951, an RAF TriStar K1 tanker, taking off in 2008 | |
| Role | Strategic tanker/transport |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Corporation |
| First flight | 16 November 1970 (L1011) |
| Introduction | 1984 |
| Retired | 2014 |
| Primary user | Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1979–1984 |
| Number built | 9 conversions |
| Developed from | Lockheed L-1011 |
The Lockheed TriStar was an air-to-air tanker and transport aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). All were converted civilian Lockheed L-1011-500 TriStar airliners—previously operated by British Airways and Pan American World Airways—and entered service with the RAF in 1984.
The converted aircraft were purchased following the Falklands War, after a requirement for additional air-to-air refuelling operations had been identified. Of the nine in service, two were tankers (K1) with passenger space and also limited space for cargo loaded aft of the main deck; three were solely transport aircraft (C2); and the remaining four (KC1) could be used for either of the two roles. The TriStars formed the air-to-air refuelling fleet of the RAF until replaced by the Airbus A330 MRTT under the Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) programme.
The TriStar fleet was operated by No. 216 Squadron of RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. 216 Squadron was officially disbanded on 20 March 2014 and flew its last sorties with the TriStar on 24 March 2014.
The Royal Air Force operated nine L-1011-500s TriStars, six ex-British Airways and three ex-Pan Am. The TriStars were bought in the immediate aftermath of the Falklands War to bolster the long range capability of the RAF in the transport and tanker roles, as the demands of refuelling Hercules supporting forces stationed in the Falklands was rapidly using up the fatigue life of the RAF's Handley Page Victor tankers. A requirement for at least four wide-bodied tanker/transports was drawn up. At the same time, British Airways wished to dispose of its Lockheed L-1011-500 aircraft, and so put in a joint bid with Marshall Aerospace to supply six TriStars. The initial order for the ex-British Airways TriStars was placed on 14 December 1982; the three ex-Pan Am aircraft were purchased in 1984. All of the aircraft served with No. 216 Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton.
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