Incredible scenes show the UK’s Air Force One refueling a warplane over Dorset.
Amateur photographer Paul Dibben spotted the RAF Voyager ‘Vespina’ as it hooked up with a Typhoon fight jet on Monday (18 March).
Paul says: “I saw the RAF tanker / VIP transport Vespina grazing the moon this whilst refueling a quick response Typhoon flight over Sherborne.”
Vespina was refurbished in 2020 to provide a secure, cost-effective and suitably profiled transport for the royal family and government ministers, including the Prime Minister.
The aircraft displays the Union Flag alongside RAF markings in its role to represent the UK across the globe.
Operating from Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, Vespina is fitted with secure satellite communications system, missile detection, fifty-eight business-class seats in the front cabin and one hundred ‘premium economy’ standard seats in the rear. There are also media facilities, similar to other dedicated air transports of heads of state and Government.
Despite its VIP role, the Vespina, like all RAF Voyagers, is a refueling tanker able to carry a total fuel load of 111 tonnes.
It can dispense 50,000 kilograms of fuel to aircraft via its two under-wing hose and drogue refuelling pods.
The Typhoon jet is one of a squadron that acts as part of the nation’s ‘quick reaction’ response to threats that could include rogue aircraft flying on the edge of UK airspace.
In 2021, Charles and Camilla, then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, flew in Vespina to Jordan as part of their Royal Tour; the aircraft was powered by a blend of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
