This VC-10 C1K supplies fuel to two Tornado ADV, for it had about 70,000 liters of fuel that transferred through two wing-mounted refueling pods or Hose Drum Unit (HDU). This variant maintained its capacity to transport passengers and cargo as when they entered service.The five VC-10K Mk.2 were conversions of some aircrafts discharged by BOAC British airline, predecessor of British Airways. They were installed some extra fuel tanks in the passengers area and 3 equipments to transfer the fuel, two under the wings and a third mounted in the rear cargo bay.A VC-10K Mk.2 dispatches two US Navy Hornets. This type of task was carried out in a common way during Operation Granby, when the British Forces were part of the multinational force that intervened in the 1991 Gulf War. These tankers remained deployed in the area until the end of the Iraq Airstrikes Campaign of 1998.A VC-10K Mk.2 fills the tanks of two Italian Tornados. The Mk.2 variant was removed from service in 2003 after NATO’s actions on Yugoslavia in 1999, the attacks on Afghanistan in 2001 and the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, after 25 years of hard work.The VC-10K Mk.3 variant was made on four Super VC-10s withdrawn by East African Airways in 1978. The works was carried out by British Aerospace in Filton, UK, and the same VC-10K Mk.2‘s refueling equipment was installed. The fuel capacity was higher than the Mk.2 variant and exceeded 80 tons.The main external difference of the Mk.3, compared to the other models, were the Rolls Royce Conway Mk.550 engines instead of the Mk.301 installed on the other versions. These new engines were smaller in diameter and a little less powerful. The Mk.3’s active life was linked to that of the Mk.2 participating in the same operations.The latest version of the VC-10K tanker was the Mk.4, derived from the conversion in 1989 of five Super VC-10 retired by British Airways. Due to some problem during storage, the fuel tanks had corrosion problems and had to be changed. This version did not carry extra tanks in the passenger cabin and only transferred the fuel from the original Super VC-10‘s wing tanks, being relegated to perform short-range missions.The refueling equipment mounted on the Mk.4 variant, (as in the image), were the same as in the previous Mk.2 and Mk.3, and like the Mk.2 lacked large doors for cargo. They entered service in April 1994 and remained in service with the No. 101 Squadron until their retirement in September 2013.
