Written question asked by Gerald Howarth (Conservative) on Wednesday, 10 June 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 12 June 2009. It was answered by Lord Davies of Stamford (Labour) on Thursday, 18 June 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Military Aircraft

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the out-of-service dates are for the (a) VC10 and (b) TriStar fleets.

Answer: Under current planning assumptions, the next VC10 will go out-of-service in June 2010 with the last of the fleet going out-of-service in September 2014. This progressive rundown is designed to ensure the smooth and efficient transition of air refuelling capability to the replacement Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft.The out-of-service dates of the TriStar KCl and C2 aircraft have been extended by one year to 2016 in order to allow the replacement capability, Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft, to be fitted with the most up to date protective measures for flying into operational areas. The out-of-service dates of both the VC10 and TriStar are kept under constant review as part of the Department's internal planning process.

Secondary information