Red Arrows History

The Red Arrows were founded in 1964 by amalgamating several existing RAF aerobatic display teams — including the Black Arrows and the Red Pelicans — under the leadership of Squadron Leader Lee Jones. The name itself combines the legacy of those two earlier teams, and the red Folland Gnat aircraft the new unit would fly.

Their first public performance took place on 6 May 1965 at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, flying seven Folland Gnat T.1 aircraft. The team was initially based at Fairford before moving to RAF Kemble in 1966, completing an impressive 65 displays in that debut season alone.

From the very beginning the team operated as part of the Central Flying School (CFS), with pilots drawn from the RAF's most experienced fast-jet instructors. The emphasis on precision, timing and close teamwork that defines the Red Arrows today was established in those first seasons.

The Folland Gnat T.1 proved an ideal aircraft for precision formation flying. Its compact wingspan of just 7.32 metres allowed the team to fly tighter formations than most contemporary jets, establishing a standard of precision that would become the Red Arrows' hallmark.

In 1968 the team expanded to nine aircraft and adopted the Diamond Nine formation — the iconic shape that remains their signature to this day. Based at RAF Kemble throughout this period, the team refined and expanded their display repertoire season by season, becoming the most watched aerobatic display team in the world.

The Gnat era also established the tradition of coloured smoke to enhance the visual spectacle of displays — red and blue dyed oil injected into the jet exhaust, with white produced using plain oil. A simple but brilliant innovation that became inseparable from the Red Arrows identity.

In 1979 the team transitioned to the BAE Systems Hawk T1 — a more powerful, twin-seat jet trainer designed and built in Britain. The Hawk's greater speed and capability opened up new manoeuvres and enabled higher-energy displays. The team flew their first public display on the Hawk in the 1980 season.

In 1983 the Red Arrows relocated from RAF Kemble to RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire — a base steeped in RAF history as the home of 617 Squadron and the Dambusters raid of 1943. Scampton would become synonymous with the Red Arrows for nearly four decades.

Between 1995 and 2000, while Scampton underwent upgrades, the team temporarily based at RAF College Cranwell, before returning to Scampton when works were complete.

The 1995–96 World Tour marked a defining moment in the team's international history — 52 countries across six continents, representing the UK at a scale no British display team had achieved before. The tour demonstrated the Red Arrows' role not just as entertainers but as ambassadors for British aviation and defence.

Subsequent overseas deployments reinforced that global reputation. The 2012 London Olympics flypast was watched by a worldwide television audience. The 2016 Asia-Pacific Tour — which included the team's debut display in China — reportedly reached over one billion people across the region, making it the most-watched Red Arrows tour in history.

North American appearances have included displays in the United States and a major Canada tour in 2024, with the team returning to the US in 2026 for their most extensive American programme in years — six events across the east coast and midwest.

Mission: The Red Arrows serve a dual purpose — delivering world-class aerobatic displays to the public, and acting as ambassadors for the UK, promoting British excellence in aviation, precision and teamwork. Overseas tours form a key part of the RAF's diplomatic and soft-power engagement.

Pilots: Nine display pilots (Reds 1–9), each with front-line fast jet experience — typically on the Typhoon or previously the Tornado. Red 1 leads the team from the front of the formation. Red 10 serves as safety supervisor and commentator on the ground. Two or three new pilots join each season for a three-year tour, ensuring continuity while bringing fresh talent to the team.

Training: Pre-season training begins in January, initially at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus (Exercise Springhawk) where the more reliable Mediterranean weather allows rapid progression. The team builds from pairs to the full formation over months of increasingly complex flying, working towards Public Display Authority (PDA) certification before the season opens in late May.

The Circus: The approximately 150-strong ground crew — known as "the Circus" — travel with the team throughout the display season, providing essential engineering, avionics and technical support. Each ground crew member is paired with a specific aircraft and pilot, building the close working relationships that are as central to the Red Arrows as the flying itself.

In October 2022 the Red Arrows completed their move from RAF Scampton — their home for nearly four decades — to RAF Waddington, just ten miles away in Lincolnshire. Some 24 tonnes of equipment, 13 shipping containers and two static aircraft made the journey by road. The team continues to fly from and train over Lincolnshire, maintaining the county's long connection with the Red Arrows.

The 60th anniversary season in 2024 was marked with special commemorative artwork on the jets, a major tour of Canada, and a season of displays celebrating six decades of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team.

In January 2026, Wing Commander Sasha Nash took command of the Red Arrows, becoming the first woman to serve as Officer Commanding RAFAT in the team's history. An experienced Tornado GR4 pilot and former Chief of Staff in the Display Wing Headquarters, Wg Cdr Nash leads a 150-strong team through a landmark 2026 season that includes the team's most extensive United States programme in years.

From 2026 the team displays in a seven-aircraft formation for standard airshows — a measure to sustainably manage the ageing Hawk T1 fleet through to its planned retirement around 2030, while nine jets continue to fly for selected national and state occasions.