Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft ( FSTA ) is a British project to procure aerial refuelling ( AR ) and air transport ( AT ) for the Royal Air Force to replace VC10 and Lockheed TriStars then in service . After evaluation of bids the RAF selected the AirTanker consortium who had offered the Airbus A330 MRTT . AirTanker is owned by Cobham plc , EADS , Rolls - Royce plc , Thales UK and VT Group plc . The Royal Australian Air Force announced in April 2004 that they had selected Airbus to provide tankers to a similar specification ; in November 2010 it was suggested that the French Air Force might buy spare FSTA capacity . Background . The project was to provide a replacement of the RAF ' s fleet of Vickers VC10 s from 2008 and the Lockheed TriStars around 2012 . The chosen aircraft will operate from the same RAF air transport hub , RAF Brize Norton , Oxfordshire as the replaced aircraft . The need for a new fleet of air - to - air refuelling aircraft was first identified in 1997 . The use of PFI rather than purchase was chosen in 2000 . The FSTA will be a Private Finance Initiative ( PFI ) where the RAF will pay for aerial refuelling and air transport missions as required . The RAF will continue to retain responsibility for all military missions , whilst the contractor will own , manage and maintain the aircraft and also provide training facilities and some personnel . The private company will also be able to earn extra revenue by using aircraft for commercial operations when not required by the RAF — the most suitable of which would be leased air - refuelling missions for other European air forces . The RAF however will always have the " first call " on aircraft , being able to mobilise the entire fleet in times of crisis . Competition . Final bids for the project were received from the two competing consortia on 30 April 2003 . Selection and contract negotiations . The Ministry of Defence ( MoD ) announced on 26 January 2004 that Air Tanker had been selected to enter into final negotiations to provide the RAF ' s FSTA . Following aircraft selection the MoD began exclusive negotiations with the Airtanker consortium . However , beginning in April 2004 , there were rumours about the fragile state of the contract negotiations . With continuing doubts over the FSTA programme , Marshall Aerospace , responsible for the conversion of the RAF ' s original TriStars , offered to buy and convert some of the large number of surplus commercial TriStars . On 28 February 2005 the MoD named Airtanker as its preferred bidder for the £13bn contract . Development . The MoD announced on 6 June 2007 that AirTanker had been given the approval it needed to continue with the project , allowing the company to seek the £2 billion private financing required to begin funding the aircraft . On 27 March 2008 , a PFI deal was agreed with AirTanker , worth £10 . 5 billion over the course of the contract , and will involve 14 converted A330 aircraft being delivered from 2011 and being operated until at least 2035 . The contract will be paid for at £390 million per annum . Of this running costs are £80 million and the remainder covers the consortium ' s financing and profit and the capital cost of the project , including aircraft and infrastructure . All aircraft will be equipped with a pair of wing - mounted aerial - refuelling pods , while only seven FSTAs will be fitted for centreline flight refuelling units ( FRUs ) ; each conversion will take about nine months . The AirTanker facility is based at RAF Brize Norton , where a two - bay hangar and support building will provide a maintenance facility , flight operations centre and office headquarters for the programme . Lufthansa Technik will provide support , repair , and overhaul services . The first two development aircraft went through a comprehensive military conversion process and initial flight testing programme at Airbus Military ’ s facility near Madrid . It was intended that the remaining 12 aircraft destined for the FSTA fleet would be converted by Cobham Aviation Services at their facility in Bournemouth , but in June 2012 it was announced that the final ten aircraft would be converted in Spain to ensure that they were delivered on time and to cost . 320 British jobs were lost as a result . The first aircraft to be converted in the UK arrived at Bournemouth Airport on 26 August 2011 . Cobham held a ceremony to formally open the newly refurbished A330 conversion facility in Bournemouth on 2 September 2011 . In a naming ceremony at RAF Fairford during the 2011 Royal International Air Tattoo , it was announced that the aircraft will be known as " Voyager " in RAF service . The first completed aircraft arrived at RAF Brize Norton in December 2011 ; after a prolonged certification process , it began training flights in April 2012 . The MAA were unhappy with the new Cobham - designed High Speed - Variable Drag Drogue when refuelling the Tornado so the ones on the wing tips were replaced in early 2012 with standard Sargent Fletcher drogues , delaying certification for refuelling . This certification was finally granted on 16 May 2013 and the first operational tanker flight launched on 20 May 2013 . By late 2012 , three are due to formally enter service , with a further four or five expected to be delivered by the end of 2013 . Financial reviews . A review of the scheme by the National Audit Office ( NAO ) was published in March 2010 , concluding that it did not represent value for money . The NAO decided that mistakes had been made at the beginning of the procurement process , leading to expensive additions to the plans and contract later on . The Public Accounts Committee found that the aircraft specification did not feature the adequate protection required for flights into Afghanistan , and would therefore mean the Lockheed Tristar would continue to fulfil this role until 2016 . This had been caused by the FSTA scheme beginning prior to the commencement of military operations in Afghanistan , and a significant delay in any decision being made on including the required protection systems within the contract .