Royal Air Force Conducts a First Air-to-Air Refueling With German Tanker

RAF Typhoons conducted the operation with an Atlas A400M.

Kimberly Johnson

Friday, February 21, 2025 at 05:01 PM ET

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Edited By: tccjeremy

RAF Typhoons conducted the operation with an Atlas A400M. [Credit: German Air Force]

Key Takeaways:

The Royal Air Force (RAF) successfully conducted its first air-to-air refueling of Typhoon jets using a German Air Force Atlas A400M tanker, including day and night operations.
This new capability significantly increases the RAF's operational flexibility and agility, strengthening the collective power of the International Counter Daesh Coalition in the Middle East.
The operation improved interoperability between allied forces and allowed RAF pilots to qualify in refueling from a new aircraft type, noting subtle differences from their usual Voyager tankers.

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The Royal Air Force (RAF) has conducted its first air-to-air refueling of Typhoons with a German Air Force Atlas A400M in an operation aimed at increasing capability as part of an international coalition.

The Typhoon pilots conducted the operations during both day and night flights in order to qualify in refueling from different aircraft types, RAF said. The aircraft are based in the Middle East and operating as part of the International Counter Daesh Coalition.