Defence Events

RIAT's Friday flying display confirmed and new app available as F-35Bs arrive

Posted 30 June 2016

Following RIAT's flying display for Friday 8 July being confirmed to include the RAF's latest aircraft, the F-35 - appearing for the first time in the UK and in a special flypast with the Red Arrows and RAF Typhoons - three F-35Bs have flown into RAF Fairford.

Above: Three F-35Bs (one UK, two USMC) landed at RAF Fairford shortly after 8pm Wednesday night. This is the F-35B’s first transatlantic flight and a major milestone for the programme.
Courtesy Lockheed Martin

The arrival and air display of the F-35B will be of great interest to the British delegations at the Royal International Air Tatoo (RIAT) 2016, as both the RAF and Royal Navy will be receiving the 'B' model. The first units to receive their F-35Bs will be the RAF's No. 617 Squadron (the reformed Dambusters) and the Fleet Air Arm's 809 NAS.

The first of Britain’s new supersonic ‘stealth’ strike fighters will display at RIAT 2016 before flying on to appear at the Farnborough International Airshow (FIA) the following week (11th-17th July).

Above: One of the F-35B Lightning II jets was flown by RAF pilot Squadron Leader Hugh Nichols on its first transatlantic crossing (accompanied by two US Marine Corps F-35Bs from their training base at Beaufort, South Carolina), seen here being greeted by Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford.
© MoD Crown Copyright 2016

The F-35B is the short take off/vertical landing (STOVL) variant and will be operated from the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers, as well as having the ability to operate from austere airbases. With its rear fuselage and tail wings built at BAE Systems' Samlesbury site, the aircraft's STOVL capability is provided by a Rolls-Royce system that swivels thrust 90 degrees, supported by new fan technology. Air-to-air refuelling is achieved through the probe and drogue method, compatible with the RAF's Voyager tanker fleet.

The F-35B will feature on all three display days (8-10) at RIATand fly alongside the Red Arrows and two RAF Typhoons in a unique joint flypast on each day. On Friday only, the F-35B will take part in a refuelling demo with a US Marine Corps KC-130J Hercules.

On Friday, aircraft arrivals will continue to take place outside of the flying display and the Pit Area will be open prior to the flying display for a unique view of operation aircraft. Static aircraft parked in the Red and Blue zones will also be available as well as the RAF Village, Vintage Village, Autodrome and Techno Zone.

Above: Click to see Friday showground map.

The RIAT 2016 Friday flying display starts at 11am, finishes around 3pm and includes the following aircraft:

    RAF Typhoon
    F-35 Display
    F-22 Display
    Red Arrows Display
    Red Arrows, F-35 and 2 x Typhoon Flypast
    USAF F-35A, F-22 and Mustang Heritage Flight Flypast
    Belgian F-16
    Airbus Defence and Space A400M
    BAE Systems Typhoon
    Battle of Britain Memorial Flight - Spitfire and Hurricane
    Dutch Apache
    Turkish F-16
    RAMEX Delta
    Royal Navy Black Cats
    Civilian BAE Strikemaster (Friday only)
    US Marine Corps Hercules and F-35B Refuelling Demonstration (Friday only)

The 2016 Air Tattoo app (above) is now available to download, with a new design opening onto a new home-screen menu that displays six key sections; Aircraft, Map, News, Attractions, Information and Key Timings.

For further information: www.airtattoo.com