article_snippet: RAF were intended to replace the RAF's VC-10 and Tristar planes both as a transport plane, and as an air-to-air refuelling tanker.
article_snippet: the aircraft a military version of the Airbus A330-200 civilian jet – can fly at a top speed of 567mph.
article_snippet: Twice the size of a Lancaster bomber, with a 197ft 10in wingspan and is 193ft in length, the planes can hold 100,000 litres of fuel and are the biggest RAF has ever had.
article_snippet: In theory, the planes can refuel jets in mid-air at 125 times the speed of forecourt garage pumps – at 5,000 litres a minute.