Initially, they were equipped with seven Folland Gnat trainers inherited from the RAF Yellowjacks display team. This aircraft was chosen because it was less expensive to operate than front-line fighters.
In 2022 the Red Arrows, the Royal Air Force's aerobatic team, have seen two pilots leave and the team was flying with a seven-ship formation, instead of the usual nine aircraft. This also meant that many maneuvers for the complete formation had to be removed or tweaked to compensate for the loss of two pilots.
In a statement on the RAF website, the Force explains: "In 2022, the Red Arrows are performing aerobatics with a seven-aircraft formation, while the team's major national flypasts, such as those marking official Jubilee events in London, are carried out using nine jets.
in standard formation consists of nine planes. but in 2011 one of the planes fatally crashed at the Bournemouth Air Festival. now for the remainder of the year the rest of the team flew the program with only eight planes leaving a demonstrative Gap in their formation. in memory of their lost colleague.
A Red Arrows spokesman said: “Unfortunately, the team had to cut-short the second half of today's display because Red 6's aircraft was giving irregular engine indications. As a precaution, Red 6 safely returned to the airport early and the team followed afterwards.”
The team permanently increased to nine display aircraft in 1968 and the Diamond Nine became the Red Arrows' trademark formation.
In 1966, the team was increased to nine members, enabling them to develop their Diamond Nine formation. In late 1979, they switched to the BAE Hawk trainer. The Red Arrows have performed over 4,800 displays in 57 countries worldwide.
Kirsty Murphy made history as the 1st (and so far only) female pilot in the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, The Red Arrows.
The RAF's Red Arrows have confirmed the displays they'll be performing across the UK in 2023. Known for their breath-taking flyovers, the Red Arrows will be available to see at a number of events this year including Wales Airshow and Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Flight Lieutenants Rich Walker, Tom Hansford and Ollie Suckling will join the Red Arrows for the 2023 season, flying Reds 2, 3 and 4 respectively. The new pilots are replacing Squadron Leaders Jon Bond and Gregor Ogston, whose time came to a scheduled end in December.
The Patrouille de France is first a team.
A second Red Arrows pilot has been sacked and up to five members of the squadron disciplined after an official investigation into sexual misconduct and bullying.
The Thunderbirds perform aerial demonstrations in the F-16C Fighting Falcon, and they also fly two F-16D twin-seat trainers. The F-16 has been the demonstration aircraft for the Thunderbirds since the 1983 season.
There will be just eight aircraft used by the Red Arrows for displays in 2023 with nine used in major flypasts. There is actually a 10th Red Arrow (Safety Supervisor) who provides commentary during the display as well as flying the Red Arrows photographers and spare jet.
The Red Arrows' famous Hawk planes are due to be replaced in 2030. When the Red Arrows formed in 1965, the unit used the Folland Gnat – the two-seat aircraft then used for the RAF's advanced pilot training.
Two pilots from the aerobatic display team were dismissed after members were investigated over allegations of misogyny, bullying and sexual harassment.
The Red Arrows version of the aircraft is powered by a single Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour Mk 861 turbofan which produces 5700lb of thrust. This enables the Hawk to travel at an impressive maximum speed of 645 mph. Whilst diving, the Hawk can reach a top speed of Mach 1.2.
During their displays the "Red Arrows" do not fly directly above the public. During their display, the synchronized pair are separated by 30 meters and when they are inverted this increases to 45 meters.
The prototype first flew in 1974 and Hawks entered RAF service in 1976. More than 1,000 have been sold worldwide including the UK, Canada, Australia, Finland and Zimbabwe.
The total cost of just one plane is around £5 million. On top of that, the Red Arrows cost around £6 million to run and maintain annually, with a ground crew of 85 people.
Under Section 16 (Advice and assistance) of the Act, you may care to note that the RAF does not have any dedicated transport aircraft display teams. Additionally, the RAF does not routinely charge for flypasts which are usually undertaken on transit flights between events or to and from the display teams base.
The team are members of the Armed Forces and are proud to represent the UK. Many of the pilots and other members of the team joined the Royal Air Force as a direct result of seeing the Red Arrows perform as children.
The Blue Angels were formed on 1946 - a full 20 years before the Ministry of Defence founded the Red Arrows, its US Navy and US Marine pilots all graduate from the famous United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program, also known as Top Gun - and Blue Angel pilots even helped to prepare Tom Cruise for the ...
Squadron leader Tom Bould (Red 1) - team leader
He leads the nine-aircraft aerobatic display.
The badge of the Red Arrows shows the aircraft in their trademark diamond nine formation, with the motto Éclat, a French word meaning "brilliance" or "excellence".