Editing Vickers VC10 (section)

====1960s and 1970s====
In 1960, the RAF issued Specification 239 for a strategic transport, which resulted in an order being placed by the [[Air Ministry]] with Vickers in September 1961 for five VC10s. The order was increased by an additional six in August 1962, with a further three aircraft cancelled by BOAC added in July 1964.<ref name="Andrews Vickers p474">Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 474.</ref> The military version (Type 1106) was a combination of the Standard combi airframe with the more powerful engines and fin fuel tank of the Super VC10.<ref name="Andrews Vickers p475">Andrews and Morgan 1988, p. 475.</ref> It also had a detachable [[in-flight refuelling]] nose probe and an [[auxiliary power unit]] in the tailcone. Another difference from the civil specification was that all the passenger seats faced backwards for safety reasons.<ref name="vc10.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.vc10.net/History/RAFVC10s.html|title=VC10s in RAF service|publisher=vc10.net|access-date=3 June 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724122222/http://www.vc10.net/History/RAFVC10s.html|archive-date=24 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:Vickers VC-10 C.1 XV106 FINN 30.07.77 edited-3.jpg|thumb|VC10 C.1 of [[No. 10 Squadron RAF]] at the Queen's Silver Jubilee display at [[RAF Finningley]] in 1977]]
The first RAF aircraft, [[British military aircraft designation systems|designated]] ''VC10 C Mk.1'', often abbreviated to ''VC10 C.1'', was delivered for testing on 26 November 1965;<ref name="Observer's">Green 1968, p. 26.</ref> deliveries to [[No. 10 Squadron RAF|No. 10 Squadron]] began in December 1966 and ended in August 1968. The VC10s were named after [[Victoria Cross]] (VC) medal holders, the names were displayed above the forward passenger door. During the 1960s, the VC10s of No. 10 Squadron operated two regular routes, one to the Far East to Singapore and Hong Kong, and the other to New York.<ref>Barfield and Wynn 1970, pp. 158–159.</ref> By 1970, roughly 10,000 passengers and 730,000&nbsp;lb of freight were being carried monthly by the VC10 fleet.<ref name = "BW 163">Barfield and Wynn 1970, p. 163.</ref>

In addition to the strategic transport role, the VC10 routinely served in the aeromedical evacuation and VIP roles. In its VIP role, the aircraft was commonly used by members of the British Royal Family, such as during [[Elizabeth II]]'s bicentennial tour of America, and by several British Prime Ministers; [[Margaret Thatcher]] reportedly insisted on flying by VC10.<ref name = "BW 159"/><ref name="malta"/> The aircraft proved capable of being flown non-stop by two flight crews, enabling several round-the-world flights, one such VC10 circumnavigated the globe in less than 48 hours.<ref name = "BW 159">Barfield and Wynn 1970, p. 159.</ref>

One aircraft (XR809) was leased to Rolls-Royce for flight testing of the [[RB211]] turbofan between 1969 and 1975.<ref name = "BW 163"/><ref name="testbed rr">Norris, Guy. [http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbb&plckPostId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbbPost%3a400aeb2d-68f5-48fb-90b6-fb586bf153aa "Weird and Wonderful – Flying Testbeds."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319221823/http://www.aviationweek.com/Blogs.aspx?plckBlogId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbb&plckPostId=Blog%3a7a78f54e-b3dd-4fa6-ae6e-dff2ffd7bdbbPost%3a400aeb2d-68f5-48fb-90b6-fb586bf153aa |date=19 March 2014 }} ''Aviation Week'', 21 May 2010.</ref> On return to the RAF, it was discovered that the airframe was distorted, possibly due to the power difference between the RB211 on one side and the Conways on the other. It was considered uneconomical to repair and was partially scrapped, part of the airframe being retained for load training.<ref>Darling, K ''RAF Strike Command 1968 -2007: Aircraft, Men and Action'' p77</ref>

In 1977, studies began into converting redundant commercial VC10s into aerial refuelling tankers;<ref name="AI 1980 p160">''Air International'' October 1980, p. 160.</ref> the RAF subsequently issued a contract to [[British Aerospace]] to convert five former BOAC VC10s and four former East African Airways Super VC10s,<ref name="AI 1980 p159">''Air International'' October 1980, p. 159.</ref> designated ''VC10 K.2'' and ''VC10 K.3'' respectively. During conversion, extra fuel tanks were installed in the former passenger cabin; these increased the theoretical maximum fuel load to {{cvt|85|LT}} (K.2) and {{cvt|90|LT}} (K.3), the Super VC10's fin fuel tank making the difference. In practice, the fuel load was capped by the maximum take-off weight before the tanks were full. Both variants featured a pair of wing-mounted refuelling pods and a single centreline refuelling point, known as a Hose Drum Unit (HDU), installed in the rear freight bay; nose-mounted refuelling probes were also fitted.

Conversion of K.2, K.3 and K.4 tankers took place at [[British Aerospace]]'s [[Filton]] site. The K.3s had a forward freight door, facilitating the insertion of five upper fuselage tanks in the main fuselage; the K.2s lacked forward freight doors, thus a section of the upper fuselage was dismantled to insert the five upper tanks. In the K.2 and K.3 conversions, extensive floor reinforcement was installed to support the additional weight imposed by the five fuel tanks.