LONDON: A British Royal Air Force (RAF) Hawk T2 training aircraft crashed during a routine training flight near RAF Valley in Anglesey, according to

Principaux renseignements Le ministère britannique de la Défense a officiellement lancé un appel d’offres pour un nouveau système d’entraînement à réaction destiné à remplacer les Hawk T1. L’armée prévoit de retirer ces appareils du service en 2030. Cette initiative vise à moderniser la formation sur avions à réaction rapides et à offrir une nouvelle plateforme […]

Key takeaways Het Britse Ministerie van Defensie is officieel op zoek gegaan naar een nieuw straaltrainingssysteem ter vervanging van de Hawk T1. Die worden volgens de planning in 2030 uit dienst genomen. Het initiatief is gericht op vliegtuigen die de opleiding op snelle straalvliegtuigen zullen moderniseren en een nieuw platform zullen bieden voor het demonstratieteam […]

The Royal Air Force's iconic aerobatics team, the Red Arrows, will reduce the number of aircraft used in most of their displays to preserve their ageing fleet of Hawk T1 jets. Pilots will fly in a nine-aircraft formation for King Charles III's birthday flypast in June and the US's 250th independence anniversary in July. For other events this year, the team will operate with seven aircraft. The Hawk T1s, in service since 1980, are scheduled for retirement in 2030, with spare parts increasingly scarce. The RAF has stated that this adjustment will support sustainable fleet management and prepare the team for a transition to a future aircraft type. The Red Arrows are used to demonstrate the RAF's capabilities and aid recruitment, though they do not participate in combat operations. Last year, Defence Secretary John Healey reassured that there is no threat to the team's future. Maintaining the fleet costs approximately £27.7 million annually. Additionally, a British company, Aeralis, which was developing a replacement jet, has gone into administration due to financial pressures and delays in defence investment. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that the fast jet trainer programme is ongoing, with no final procurement decisions made yet. Other UK firms such as BAE Systems and Leonardo are being considered for the replacement jets. Despite the reduction in aircraft, the Red Arrows will continue to deliver high-quality displays across the UK, Europe, and beyond, with at least 40 events planned for this year.

One of the RAF Red Arrows display team performs a manourvre… manouver? manoeuvre? Manourvrvrere? What was I doing again? Found In: The Red Arrows

At the start of the year, in my annual birthday post, I outlined my shooting goals for 2025. There were only two: photograph some fireworks, and photograph a Red Arrows display. I had expected to put a small amount of effort into travelling to a display of the latter, but as luck would have it, they actually were scheduled for a display on the very last day of our holiday in Swanage this year.

RAF reduces iconic formation from nine aircraft for most of 2026 season to preserve fleet until 2030 retirement