The UK Royal Air Force has officially confirmed it is analyzing the procurement of boom-equipped air-to-air refuelling tankers to support the GCAP Tempest fighter, which will feature the Universal Aerial Refueling Receptacle Slipway Installation requiring a boom interface. The service currently operates only probe-and-drogue equipped Airbus A330 MRTTs via AirTanker, creating a critical gap for the next-generation aircraft. An RAF official stated at the Air Power Association Global Air and Space Chiefs’ Conference 2026 in London that resolving this sovereign boom capability is now the priority, with options including installing booms on existing Voyagers or acquiring new platforms like the KC-46. No contract has been awarded, and timelines remain under review as the RAF evaluates procurement structures to end decades of exclusive reliance on drogue systems.