The Lockheed TriStar is an air-to-air tanker and

transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...

formerly in service with the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

(RAF). All are converted civilian Lockheed L-1011-500 TriStar

airliner An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ai ...

s—previously operated by

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

and

Pan American World Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United State ...

—and entered service with the RAF in 1984. The converted aircraft were purchased following the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial ...

, after a requirement for additional

air-to-air refuelling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

(AAR) 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 The Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport (MRTT) is a European aerial refuelling and military transport aircraft based on the civilian Airbus A330. A total of 16 countries have placed firm orders for approximately 68 aircraft, of which 51 h ...

under the

Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft (FSTA) is a British project to procure Airbus A330 Multi Role Tanker Transport aerial refuelling (AR) and air transport (AT) aircraft for the Royal Air Force, to replace older models such as the VC10s and Tr ...

(FSTA) programme. The TriStar fleet was operated by No. 216 Squadron of

RAF Brize Norton Royal Air Force Brize Norton or RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, about west north-west of London, is the largest station of the Royal Air Force. It is close to the village of Brize Norton, and the towns of Carterton and Witney. The statio ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

. No. 216 Squadron was officially disbanded on 20 March 2014 and flew its last sorties with the TriStar on 24 March 2014. Three aircraft were scrapped in 2014 for spare parts shortly after retirement. The remaining six aircraft are currently located at

Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome and Proving Ground is a privately-owned former airport near the village of Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire to the south of Leicester. It was opened as RAF Bruntingthorpe in 1942. History The aerodrome was original ...

, having been purchased by AGD Systems Corp in anticipation of a later sale. The aircraft are being maintained by GJD Systems to a fully airworthy condition.

Design and development

The

operated nine L-1011-500s TriStars, six ex-

and three ex-

Pan Am Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United State ...

. The TriStars were bought in the immediate aftermath of the

to bolster the long range capability of the RAF in the transport and tanker roles, as the demands of refuelling

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...

supporting forces stationed in the Falklands was rapidly using up the

fatigue Fatigue describes a state of tiredness that does not resolve with rest or sleep. In general usage, fatigue is synonymous with extreme tiredness or exhaustion that normally follows prolonged physical or mental activity. When it does not resolve ...

life of the RAF's

Handley Page Victor The Handley Page Victor is a British jet-powered strategic bomber developed and produced by Handley Page during the Cold War. It was the third and final '' V bomber'' to be operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), the other two being the Avr ...

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 Marshall Group, formerly Marshall of Cambridge and Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, is a British company headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom. Subsidiaries include Marshall Aerospace, an aircraft maintenance, modification, and desig ...

to supply six TriStars.Prothero ''Air International'' March 1991, pp. 129–130. 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.''Air International'' December 1985, p.271. All of the aircraft served with No. 216 Squadron, based at

. Marshall Aerospace performed the conversion of the TriStars. Two of the aircraft were passenger/tanker aircraft designated TriStar K1s. Another four could operate as either tankers or passenger/cargo aircraft - these are KC1s. Three were pure passenger aircraft; two TriStar C2 and the solitary TriStar C2A. The C2A differed from the C2s in having some military avionics and a new interior. The RAF's TriStars were subject to progressive updating, including the fitting of flight deck armour and

Directional Infrared Counter Measures Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) are a class of anti-missile systems produced to protect aircraft from infrared homing missiles, primarily MANPADS and similar simple systems. Earlier infrared countermeasures like flares or hot ...

to protect against ground fire when flying into Iraq. The aircraft were to be fitted with an updated cockpit, but this was abandoned due to the upcoming out-of-service-date. The TriStar was expected to remain in service with the RAF until the end of the 2010s, when it was scheduled to be replaced by the

under the

(FSTA) programme. However, the date was brought forward to 2014 under the Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2010. The Airtanker consortium, led by

EADS Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: '' ...

, won the FSTA contract in January 2004. During doubts over the FSTA program,

offered to buy and convert some of the large number of surplus commercial TriStars as tankers, but this was rejected.Winchester ''Air International'' January 2009, p.53.

Operational history

The first British Airways TriStar to be purchased by the RAF was ''G-BFCB'' on 2 November 1982, however it was leased back to British Airways on 29 March 1983 until November, eventually undergoing conversion in 1986. The initial converted L-1011-500 to be delivered to the Royal Air Force was TriStar KC1 ''ZD953'' (''G-BFCF'') on 24 March 1986 when it was handed over at Cambridge Airport by

Sir Arthur Marshall Sir Arthur Gregory George Marshall, OBE, (4 December 1903 – 16 March 2007) was a British aviation pioneer and businessman, who served as the chairman of Marshall Aerospace between 1942 and 1989. Early life and education Arthur Marshall ...

. The aircraft was accepted by Air Chief Marshal Sir Joseph Gilbert, with ''ZD953'' becoming No. 216 Squadron's first TriStar, having been reactivated on 1 November 1984. The TriStar saw service throughout many conflicts, with the first being the

1991 Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases ...

as part of

Operation Granby Operation Granby, commonly abbreviated Op Granby, was the code name given to the British military operations during the 1991 Gulf War. 53,462 members of the British Armed Forces were deployed during the conflict. The total cost of operations ...

. On 6 January 1991, a single TriStar K1 with two crews was deployed to

King Khalid International Airport King Khalid International Airport ( ar, مطار الملك خالد الدولي ', ) is located north of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, designed by the architectural firm HOK, and Arabian Bechtel Company Limited served as the construction manager o ...

, near

Riyadh Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of the ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

as a tanker. Two TriStar K1s (''ZD949'' and ''ZD951'') during the deployment were painted in a pinkish desert camouflage earning them the nicknames of "Pinky" and "Perky". By the end of the deployment in March, the TriStar K1s had accumulated over 430 flying hours after flying over 90 AAR missions and transferring 3,100,000 kilograms of fuel. The rest of the fleet were used for transport between the

Persian Gulf The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bo ...

and United Kingdom. After the outbreak of the

Bosnian War The Bosnian War ( sh, Rat u Bosni i Hercegovini / Рат у Босни и Херцеговини) was an international armed conflict that took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995. The war is commonly seen as having started ...

in April 1992, the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoni ...

passed Resolution 781 on 9 October, banning military flights over

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. A following resolution ( 816) was passed on 31 March 1993 prohibiting all non-authorised flights. On 12 April,

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

began

Operation Deny Flight Operation Deny Flight was a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) operation that began on 12 April 1993 as the enforcement of a United Nations (UN) no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina. The United Nations and NATO later expanded the mis ...

to enforce Resolution 816, under which two TriStars of No. 216 Squadron were deployed to Italy to provide AAR for fighters carrying out this policing of airspace. After the situation escalated in the 1999

Kosovo War The Kosovo War was an armed conflict in Kosovo that started 28 February 1998 and lasted until 11 June 1999. It was fought by the forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (i.e. Serbia and Montenegro), which controlled Kosovo before the war ...

, three TriStars were deployed once more to Italy under Operation Engadine in order to support NATO aircraft. Over the course of Op ENGADINE, five TriStars operated in the theatre delivering 13.5 million lbs of fuel to 1,580 aircraft across 230 missions. TriStars joined

Vickers VC10 The Vickers VC10 is a mid-sized, narrow-body long-range British jet airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and first flown at Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance route ...

s in the air-to-air refuelling role for

Operation Veritas Operation Veritas was the codename used for British military operations against the Taliban government of Afghanistan in 2001. British forces played a supporting role to the American Operation Enduring Freedom. In addition, the British contributi ...

(

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

), during which they provided aerial-refuelling for

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

aircraft.

RAF Tristar USN F-18C Afghanistan Oct2008

In 2003, the RAF deployed TriStars to Bahrain as part of

Operation Telic Operation Telic (Op TELIC) was the codename under which all of the United Kingdom's military operations in Iraq were conducted between the start of the invasion of Iraq on 19 March 2003 and the withdrawal of the last remaining British forces on ...

. In October 2006, Marshall Aerospace was awarded £22 million contract to modernise the TriStar under the project name of 'Minimum Military Requirements' (MMR). In early 2007, TriStar K1 ''ZD949'' arrived at Cambridge Airport to undergo numerous upgrades, including a

glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous ...

. However, due to the Strategic Defence and Security Review of 2010 these upgrades were halted and ''ZD949'' was left at Cambridge Airport to be used for spare parts. TriStar air-to-air refuelling aircraft supported the British air strikes on Libya on 19–20 March 2011 as part of the coalition operations to enforce UN Resolution 1973. In August 2013, a TriStar from No. 216 Squadron was detached in order to provide AAR support as part of No. 1312 Flight at

RAF Mount Pleasant RAF Mount Pleasant (also known as Mount Pleasant Airport, Mount Pleasant Complex or MPA) is a Royal Air Force station in the British Overseas Territory of the Falkland Islands. The airfield goes by the motto of "Defend the right" (while the m ...

due to the forthcoming retirement of the Vickers VC10. The TriStar was replaced in this role in February 2014 by an Airbus Voyager KC3. No. 216 Squadron was disbanded at RAF Brize Norton on 20 March. The final sortie of an RAF TriStar was carried on 24 March by ''ZD948'' and ''ZD950'' which refuelled four

Eurofighter Typhoon The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo ...

s and a single Panavia Tornado GR4, ''ZD950'' returned to base while ''ZD948'' conducted flypasts over Cambridge and Derby before returning to RAF Brize Norton for the last time. Following their withdrawal from service, six TriStars made their last flights to

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire ...

while the remaining three were scrapped. ''ZD949'' was the first to be scrapped on 27 May 2014 at Cambridge Airport, having last flown in November 2010 after the abandonment of the MMR upgrades. This was followed by ''ZE706'' in June which was also at Cambridge Airport as a spares air frame, ''ZD952'' was scrapped at

Cotswold Airport Cotswold Airport (formerly Kemble Airfield) is a private general aviation airport, near the village of Kemble in Gloucestershire, England. Located southwest of Cirencester, it was built as a Royal Air Force (RAF) station and was known as RAF ...

on 9 September 2014 having arrived there in February. In 2017, Tempus Applied Solutions, an aerospace company based in the United States, procured the six remaining ex-RAF TriStars for further use. Four of the purchased airframes were AAR conversions, with the other two being pure freight versions. The company's intention was to restore three of the AAR tankers to service in that role, providing additional probe and drogue aerial refueling capacity to the

and NATO nations that utilize that particular method. The remaining three airframes will be utilized as sources of spares.

Variants

Lockheed L-1011 Tristar ZD950 N405CS at Bruntingthorpe

;TriStar K1 :Conversion of former

TriStar 500s for tanker/transport/cargo role (not fitted with a cargo door), two aircraft. Additional fuel tanks of 100,000 lb capacity fitted in forward and aft baggage holds. Main cabin palletised and quickly configurable in mixed passenger / freight mode to seat up to 187 passengers with baggage stored forward end main deck. Two Flight Refuelling Mk 17T Hose Drum Units in underside aft rear fuselage. ;TriStar KC1 :Conversion of former British Airways TriStar 500s for tanker/cargo/transport role, four aircraft. ;TriStar C1 :Former British Airways TriStar 500s operated as passenger aircraft before tanker conversion. ;TriStar C2 :Former

TriStar 500s operated as passenger aircraft, with capability for carrying cargo and also Aeromed, two aircraft. ;TriStar C2A :One former Pan Am TriStar 500 operated as passenger aircraft, different avionics to the two C2s.

Operators

; *

, England *** No. 216 Squadron (1984–2014) **

East Falkland East Falkland ( es, Isla Soledad) is the largest island of the Falklands in the South Atlantic, having an area of or 54% of the total area of the Falklands. The island consists of two main land masses, of which the more southerly is known as La ...

, Falkland Islands *** No. 1312 Flight (2013–2014)

Specifications (TriStar K1)

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Prothero, R.M. "TriStar:The answer to an operational requirement". ''Air International'', March 1991, Vol 40 No. 3. pp. 128–134. * "TriStar Tankers...The RAF Goes Widebody". ''

Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fi ...

'', December 1985, Volume 29, No. 6. Bromley, UK: Fine Scroll. pp. 271–277, 309. * Winchester, Jim. "Aircraft of the RAF - Part 9 TriStar". ''

''. January 2009, Vol 76, No 1. pp. 50–53. * Yenne, Bill, ''Lockheed''. Crescent Books, 1987.

External links

Royal Air Force - TriStar

L-1011-500 page on airliners.net
{{Lockheed Martin aircraft TriStar (RAF) Trijets Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1970 Air refueling