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In 1960, the RAF issued Specification 239 for
a strategic transport. In the meantime the Vickers VC10 airliner was
popular with high performance, which resulted in an order being placed
by the Air Ministry with Vickers for fourteen VC10 C1. By the mid-1970s
the VC10s had mostly been withdrawn from airline service and were
available at very low prices. BAe was tasked with conducting a
study into converting these aircraft into in-flight refueling tanker
aircraft for the RAF. In April 1978, the RAF placing a contract with BAe
to convert five former BOAC standard VC10s. These were known in service
as the VC10 K2. The first K2 conversion (ZA141) made its first flight in
June 1982 and flew most of the proving flights for the new tankers. It
was finished in a gray and green camouflage scheme that was never
carried operationally. Over the years the other aircrafts were
delivered, and 101 squadron commenced operations. By the early nineties
the Victor K2s that were still in service were becoming very limited on
fatigue life available. In 2001 the VC10 K2 made it's last flight as a
tanker.
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