The Red Arrows – 2026 Season
The Red Arrows are led by some of the RAF’s finest and most experienced fast-jet pilots. For the 2026 display season, the team lineup is as follows:
Display Formation Pilots
- Red 1: Wg Cdr Jon Bond – Team Leader
- Red 2: Flt Lt Matt Brighty
- Red 3: Flt Lt Christopher Deen
- Red 4: Flt Lt Rob Thomas
- Red 5: Flt Lt Andrew McEwen
- Red 6: Flt Lt George Hobday – Synchro Leader
- Red 7: Flt Lt Ollie Suckling – Synchro 2
- Red 8: Sqn Ldr Chris McCann
- Red 9: Flt Lt Dustin Wales
Support & Commentary
- Red 10: Sqn Ldr Stu Roberts – Safety Supervisor & Commentator
- Officer Commanding (OC): Wg Cdr Sasha Nash – Oversees the team for the 2026 season
What Do Their Roles Mean?
Each pilot has a vital role in the nine-ship formation:
- Red 1: Leads the team, planning and coordinating every manoeuvre.
- Red 2–4: Fly on the left-hand side of the Diamond Nine formation.
- Red 5–7: Fly on the right-hand side, including the high-speed synchro pairs.
- Red 8–9: Complete the rear of the formation, often performing high-speed opposition passes.
- Red 10: Ground-based, monitoring safety and providing live commentary.
Notable Former Red Arrows Pilots
- Flt Lt Kirsty Moore: The first female pilot in Red Arrows history (2010).
- Wg Cdr David Montenegro: Served as Red 1 and played a key role in shaping RAF display policy.
The Circus Team
“The Circus” is the ground crew that travels with the Red Arrows, ensuring aircraft safety and technical support throughout the season.
- Circus 1: Flt Lt Greg Harley – Lead engineer overseeing aircraft safety.
- Circus 2: Cpl Dale Smith – Avionics specialist supporting Red 2.
- Circus 3: AS1 Tech Joe Burnett – Mechanical technician with Typhoon expertise.
- Circus 4: Cpl Daniel Wilson – Weapons technician, experienced in operational deployments.
- Circus 5: Cpl Matthew Harris – Specialist in smoke systems and Chinook maintenance.
- Circus 6: Cpl Luke Smailes – Mechanical support for major events.
- Circus 7: Cpl Josh Wallace – Veteran technician with Sentinel R1 and Puma experience.
- Circus 8: Cpl Scott Bamford – Avionics expert, key for international displays.
- Circus 9: Sgt Colin Macdonald – Senior engineer and mentor for the team.
- Circus 10: AS1 Iwan Lewis – Official photographer, capturing every display.
- Circus 11: Sqn Ldr Andy King – Senior engineering officer, overseeing operational readiness and logistics.