The Royal Air Force has unveiled a new paint scheme for the Voyager “Vespina” aircraft that is tasked with transporting government officials and the Royal Family.
The new paint scheme, which now displays the Union Flag alongside RAF markings, “will promote the UK around the world while transporting ministers, senior members of the Royal Family and their delegations on trade, diplomatic and other missions”, the air force said.
After weeks of work, the Voyager returned to RAF Brize Norton where it will operate alongside the rest of the RAF Voyager fleet. Alongside its VIP role, the aircraft remains certified for its original use, including air-to-air refueling and personnel transport.
The aircraft, known as Vespina and also often referred to as ‘ZZ336’ which is its military registration number, was previously visually indistinguishable from the rest of the operational Voyager fleet. The paintwork concludes a refurbishment stemming from the 2015 SDSR.
The project first created and agreed an outline design before being modified to account for commercial, legal, operational and design needs. As explained by the air force, this process was not only about the visual design, this was a complex engineering project requiring detailed drawings which were developed by Airbus. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group were then chosen to deliver the project.
