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  • Visitors admire the features of the BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show32-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Video presentation of the BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show30-17-07-2014.jpg
  • BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show22-17-07-2014.jpg
  • BAE Systems presentation hospitality chalet entrance, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. A person walks under the BAE logo with the words 'Inspired Work' set against a back-projected blue hue. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show20-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Visitors admire the features of the BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show33-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Visitors from a south Asian country admire British engineering and design at the BAE Systems stand where an open cockpit Typhoon fighter jet is on static display during the bi-annual aerospace industry expo at the Farnborough airshow in southern England. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. As an important trading partner, the controversial arms and weapons dealer BAE Systems helps to promote the UK-PLC  brand and urging foreign governments to buy British.
    farnborough08-29-07-2002_1.jpg
  • Video presentation of the BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show34-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Detail of a portable computer unit showing 'Power ISR' (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) technology, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. This portable hardware technology the size of a suitcase is used by intelligence communities to exploit surveillance data - putting it into the hands of defence personnel in the field. The picture shows the analysis of social media (Twitter) trends using keyworded metadata to find terrorist and criminal threats. Data is provided by Google and a BAE Systems airbourne sensor platform flying at 18,000 feet. THIS MATERIAL IS UNCLASSIFIED WITH PERMISSION FOR PUBLICATION GIVEN FROM BAE SYSTEMS MANAGERS. MORE INFO ON REQUEST.
    farnborough_air_show38-17-07-2014.jpg
  • BAE Systems Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The 65,000 tonnes Queen Elizabeth (QE) Class Aircraft Carriers will be the biggest warships ever constructed in the UK, each providing our armed forces with a four acre military operating base, which can be deployed anywhere in the world. Three times the size of the Invincible Class Aircraft Carriers, these huge ships use the latest technology and equipment, enabling them to operate with a streamlined crew of 679. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show28-17-07-2014.jpg
  • BAE Systems presentation hospitality chalet entrance, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The word 'Welcome' is shown against a back-projected blue hue. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show21-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Detail of a portable computer unit showing 'Power ISR' (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) technology, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. This portable hardware technology the size of a suitcase is used by intelligence communities to exploit surveillance data - putting it into the hands of defence personnel in the field. The picture shows the analysis of social media (Twitter) trends using keyworded metadata to find terrorist and criminal threats. Data is provided by Google and a BAE Systems airbourne sensor platform flying at 18,000 feet. THIS MATERIAL IS UNCLASSIFIED WITH PERMISSION FOR PUBLICATION GIVEN FROM BAE SYSTEMS MANAGERS. MORE INFO ON REQUEST.
    farnborough_air_show37-17-07-2014.jpg
  • F-35 stealth Joint Strike Fighter presentation model, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, fifth-generation multirole fighters under development to perform ground attack, reconnaissance, and air defense missions with stealth capability. The F-35 is the fighter due to fly from Britain's sole aircraft carrier, the BAE Systems-built Queen ELizabeth. BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London in the United Kingdom and with operations worldwide.
    farnborough_air_show25-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Detail of a portable computer unit showing 'Power ISR' (Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance) technology, exhibited at the Farnborough Air Show, England. This portable hardware technology the size of a suitcase is used by intelligence communities to exploit surveillance data - putting it into the hands of defence personnel in the field. The picture shows the analysis of social media (Twitter) trends using keyworded metadata to find terrorist and criminal threats. Data is provided by Google and a BAE Systems airbourne sensor platform flying at 18,000 feet. THIS MATERIAL IS UNCLASSIFIED WITH PERMISSION FOR PUBLICATION GIVEN FROM BAE SYSTEMS MANAGERS. MORE INFO ON REQUEST.
    farnborough_air_show39-17-07-2014.jpg
  • BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter, exhibited with missile and smart bomb systems, at the Farnborough Air Show, England. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed and is manufactured by a consortium of three companies; BAE Systems, Airbus Group and Alenia Aermacchi, who conduct the majority of affairs dealing with the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH, which was formed in 1986. The project is managed by the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, which also acts as the prime customer.
    farnborough_air_show09-17-07-2014.jpg
  • A visitor to the BAE Systems exhibition hall is handed a helmet in a mock-up of the Tempest fighter, a replacement for the Typhoon, in the companys exhibition hall at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-91-18-07-2018.jpg
  • A scale model of the BAE Systems Tempest fighter, a replacement for the Typhoon, in the companys exhibition hall at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-72-18-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-78-16-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-74-16-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-03-16-07-2018.jpg
  • A visitor to the BAE Systems exhibition hall sits in a mock-up of the Tempest fighter, a replacement for the Typhoon, in the companys exhibition hall at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-85-18-07-2018.jpg
  • A visitor to the BAE Systems exhibition hall, is shown a flight simulator that demonstrates Active Control control joysticks at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-76-18-07-2018.jpg
  • Interior of the BAE Systems exhibition hall at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-75-18-07-2018.jpg
  • A scale model of the BAE Systems Tempest fighter, a replacement for the Typhoon, in the companys exhibition hall at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-74-18-07-2018.jpg
  • The BAE Systems Typhoon exhibit at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-09-16-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-08-16-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-05-16-07-2018.jpg
  • A doubtful-looking miitary officer from an unknown foreign state possibly Kuwait listens to an explanation from a western genleman at the BAE Systems corporate exhibition chalet during the Farnborough Air Show, on 20th June 2002, at Farnborough, Hampshire, England.
    farnborough_officers-20-07-2002.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-76-16-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-75-16-07-2018.jpg
  • Missile systems for the BAE Systems Typhoon at the Farnborough Airshow, on 16th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-07-16-07-2018.jpg
  • A visitor to the BAE Systems exhibition hall, is shown a flight simulator that demonstrates Active Control control joysticks at the Farnborough Airshow, on 18th July 2018, in Farnborough, England.
    farnborough_airshow-71-18-07-2018.jpg
  • The maiden flight of a Eurofighter jet now called Typhoon the fighter jet built by a consortium of European nation aerospace companies, on 27th March 1994, in Warton, England. With VIPs and special military guests present to celebrate this success of the aviation defence project, the flags of contributing countries hang above at a hangar at the BAE Systems factory at Warton. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies.
    eurofighter-27-03-1994.jpg
  • The grand unveiling of Eurofighter now called Typhoon the fighter jet built by a consortium of European nation aerospace companies, on 27th March 1994, in Warton, England. With VIPs and special military guests present to celebrate this success of the aviation defence project, the flags of contributing countries hang above at a hangar at the BAE Systems factory at Warton. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies. Its maiden flight took place on 27 March 1994.
    eurofighter_typhoon_launch-27-03-199...jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Dave Slow of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is seated in a BAE Systems Hawk jet aircraft simulator at the fast-jet flying training centre, RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. Like all fast-jet pilots, Flight Lieutenant Slow is required to complete this emergency drill every six months. The pilot is seated in his ejector seat as if in a real jet using back-projected computer graphics representing a generic landscape below. Each aviator proves they can cope with a series of failures that operators select: Engine, hydraulic failure or bird strike.  Apart from the aircraft fuselage, the high-tech facility loads malfunctions on a pilot that he could experience in reality. The version of Hawk that the Red Arrows fly is actually a primitive piece of equipment, without computers or fly-by-wire technology.
    Red_Arrows043_RBA_1.jpg
  • Young air cadet sits in Hawk cockpit of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team during visit to RAF Scampton. RAF students visit this base on a regular basis to learn about their heroes who fly air displays around the UK and Europe. The young lad has been given the chance to sit in the cockpit of this BAE Systems hawk, sitting in the Martin-Baker ejection seat that helps saves lives in the world's jet fighters.
    Red_Arrows232_RBA.jpg
  • BAE System Hawks of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team and airfield signs landscape. Six Hawk jet aircraft of the elite team, taxi in after another training flight past warning boards that are appropriate for armed jet fighters at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus rather than aerobatic planes. From a low angle we see a wide landscape looking over the taxi-way markings that direct military airplanes. The Red Arrows aircraft are a deep red colour that stand out against the horizon in an identical line. It is a wide expanse of road surface, the yellow centre-lines are for the benefit of pilots who need guidance for parking areas after landing, or leaving towards the departing runway on the southern part of the Cypriot Mediterranean island. With the Red Arrows, the  taxiing jets all peel off in unison to and from the parking area and these lines are vital for this technique.
    Red_Arrows126_RBA.jpg
  • A Royal Navy Admiral and an RAF Air Chief Marshal inspect a missile on the wing tip of a Eurofighter (now called Typhoon) fighter jet. VIPs and special military guests celebrate the success of the aviation defence project at the BAE Systems factory at Warton, Lancashire, England. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies. Its maiden flight took place on 27 March 1994 watched by VIPs from UK industry and military.
    eurofighter_launch3-27-03-1994_1.jpg
  • The grand unveiling of Eurofighter (now called Typhoon) the fighter jet built by a consortium of European nation aerospace companies. With VIPs and special military guests to celebrate this success of the aviation defence project, the flags of contributing countries hang above at a hangar at the BAE Systems factory at Warton, Lancashire, England. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies. Its maiden flight took place on 27 March 1994 watched by VIPs from UK industry and military.
    eurofighter_launch2-27-03-1994_1.jpg
  • The grand unveiling of Eurofighter (now called Typhoon) the fighter jet built by a consortium of European nation aerospace companies. With VIPs and special military guests to celebrate this success of the aviation defence project, the flags of contributing countries hang above at a hangar at the BAE Systems factory at Warton, Lancashire, England. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies. Its maiden flight took place on 27 March 1994 watched by VIPs from UK industry and military.
    eurofighter_launch1-27-03-1994_1.jpg
  • BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter, exhibited with missile and smart bomb systems, at the Farnborough Air Show, England. Brimstone, ASRAAM AND IRIS-T missile systems are seen in detail shown on the ground: Brimstone is an air-launched ground attack missile developed by MBDA. as is ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile) which is an imaging infrared homing ("heat seeking") air-to-air missile. The IRIS-T (Infra Red Imaging System Tail/Thrust Vector-Controlled) is a German-led program to develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the venerable AIM-9 Sidewinder found in some of the NATO member countries.
    farnborough_air_show06-17-07-2014.jpg
  • The British Royal Navy HMS Diamond (D34), the third ship of the Type 45 air-defense warship destroyers built for the British Royal Navy by BAE Systems docked in HMNB Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.
    UK-Navy-HMS-Diamond-D34-2475.jpg
  • A lone figure stands silhouetted against a hangar belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Two huge hangar doors are ajar revealing an orange glow spilling on to the concrete outside. A Hawk jet aircraft is parked awaiting overnight maintenance. Engineers talk inside as the door travels along its track. The men are the team's support ground crew and eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF qualifies. The hangar dates to World War 2, housing Lancaster bombers of 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. This version of BAE Systems Hawks are low-tech, without computers nor fly-by-wire technology, Some of the  team's aircraft are 25 years old and their airframes require frequent overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows074_RBA_1.jpg
  • Engineering ground staff of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team, makes repairs to a BAE Systems Hawk nosewheel. Wearing ear-defenders, military green overalls and fluorescent tabard, a 'line' engineer from the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, inspect the nosewheel assembly of a Hawk aircraft immediately after a winter training flight at the team's headquarters at a damp RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. The man is a member of the team's support ground crew (called the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows). The team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches.
    Red_Arrows025_RBA.jpg
  • Spare wheels belonging to Hawk aircraft of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team are stored in the team’s hangar at RAF Scampton. On a shelf are the front and rear tyres (tires) and wheel of the Hawk jet aircraft that perform across the UK in the summer months. Since 1965 the squadron have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries and are an important part of Britain's summer events where the aircraft perform their manoeuvres in front of crowds. Their spares collection is therefore a vital element to the team’s presence at air shows and fly-pasts. This version of the BAE Systems Hawk is primitive, without computers or fly-by-wire technology. Nevertheless, the team's aircraft are in some cases over 20 years old and their air-frames require constant attention with increasingly frequent major overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows022_RBA.jpg
  • On the tarmac of RAF Northolt, a military and VIP airfield in north London, the recently-deceased body of Diana Princess of Wales is borne on the six shoulders of an RAF pallbearer guard, her coffin carried away from the Royal Air Force (BAe) 146 jet belonging to the Queen's flight used by members of the Royal family to travel to location around the country. Draped in the Royal Standard which is the flag used by Queen Elizabeth II in her capacity as Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The servicemen are in full ceremonial uniforms and wear immaculate white gloves to handle this very solemn occasion in British history. Their duty as servants to the crown being respectful and professional.
    diana_coffin-31-08-1997_1.jpg
  • BAE Systems Typhoon jet fighter, exhibited with missile and smart bomb systems, at the Farnborough Air Show, England. A defensive aids system (DAS) is a military aircraft system which defends it from attack by surface-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles and guided anti-aircraft artillery. A DAS typically comprises chaff, flares, and electronic countermeasures combined with radar warning receivers to detect threats. On some modern aircraft, the entire system is integrated and computer-controlled, allowing an aircraft to autonomously detect, classify and act in an optimal manner against a potential threat to its safety.
    farnborough_air_show07-17-07-2014.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Dave Slow of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is seated in a BAE Systems Hawk jet aircraft simulator at the fast-jet flying training centre, RAF Valley, Anglesey, Wales. Like all fast-jet pilots, Flight Lieutenant Slow is required to complete this emergency drill every six months. The pilot is seated in his ejector seat as if in a real jet using back-projected computer graphics representing a generic landscape below. Each aviator proves they can cope with a series of failures that operators select: Engine, hydraulic failure or bird strike.  Apart from the aircraft fuselage, the high-tech facility loads malfunctions on a pilot that he could experience in reality. The version of Hawk that the Red Arrows fly is actually a primitive piece of equipment, without computers or fly-by-wire technology.
    Red_Arrows043_RBA.jpg
  • A flying helmet belonging to a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is cradled in the highly-polished open Plexiglass  canopy of a team Hawk jet aircraft. With the arrow pointing downwards we see it from below along with the airplane's red fuselage and the words Royal Air Force stencilled in blue lettering on the side within a white stripe. There are strong angles with clear blue space on the top right. The colours that dominate this image are red, white and blue - the colors of the Union Jack, United Kingdom's flag. This scene is at RAF Akrotiri, Cypus where the Red Arrows put the finishing touches to their display sequences before starting the gruelling air show calendar in the UK and Europe. The squadron represents all that is perfect with aerobatic flying, about teamwork and discipline.
    Red_Arrows102_RBA_1.jpg
  • Pilot of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team performs a pre-flight check before training flight. Flt. Lt. Si Stevens of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, walks around his  Hawk jet at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. He will fly up to 6 times daily during this winter training, when weather permits, learning new manoeuvres. Wearing winter green flying suits, their day is spent flying and de-briefing. Stevens wears a green flying suit with anti-g pants and helmet on with its pilot number. He is being followed by a member of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1. The engineer wears a fluorescent yellow tabard and stands politely by the waiting aircraft on the 'line'. He has already prepared it for flight and helps with any technical issues that may arise.
    Red_Arrows087_RBA.jpg
  • A 40th anniversary celebration cake has been baked for the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team who are soon to appear. Displayed in a hospitality tent at the Kemble Air Show, the iced gateau has a red ribbon and an image of nine aircraft in mid-flight. A bouquet of flowers and assorted cutlery for the forthcoming lunch is alongside. Blue paper is draped over the top adding to the patriotic red, white and blue colours. After several identities, the Red Arrows started life near this location in 1964 at RAF Little Rissington in Gloucestershire. Their name originates from the French 'Fleches Noirs', or Black Arrows, so in England, a new team was established flying black Hawker Hunters in the colour of their Squadron 111. As the Red Arrows display team, they have since flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows188_RBA_1.jpg
  • In the mid-day heat, Squadron Leader Spike Jepson, leader of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, informally addresses the team's highly-skilled ground crew at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus after the whole team's success of passing PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'). The Red Arrows are then allowed by senior RAF officers to perform as a military aerobatic show in front of the general public - following a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Until that day arrives, their training and practicing is done in the privacy of their own airfield at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, UK. Squadron Leader Jepson has gathered his engineers and support crew known as the Blues to congratulate and encourage them. Specialists like these outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.
    Red_Arrows162_RBA_1.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenants Steve Underwood and Anthony Parkinson and Wing Commander Bill Ramsey of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, discuss logistics beneath the emblems of long-disbanded fighter squadrons which decorate the squadron building at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. They sit in faded pink armchairs supplied by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) that are seen in many RAF stations and airfields with the same drab blue paint on the walls. Painted by hand are circular badges  with bold colours (colors) and illustrations of birds of prey, fighter-jets, swords and shields which all symbolise  warfare. The three pilots are relaxed wearing their red flying suits with their sunglasses dangling in the regulation loop, they are holding a bottle of mineral water and a coffee cup.
    Red_Arrows155_RBA_1.jpg
  • Darren Budziszewski is a Junior Technician engineer in the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. He is seen carefully standing in the cockpit of a Hawk jet closely inspecting the Plexiglass canopy for smears and scratches. Stooping at the open surface while keeping back flat and his knees bent, its posture that the RAF teaches its employees. Darren polishes the aircraft before its pilot emerges from the building at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. The Red Arrows ground crew take enormous pride in their role as supporting the team whose air displays are known around the world, cleaning the red airplanes on their day off, so particular are they. The image is backlit and both canopy and man are bottom-weighted to allow us to see space and sky. Specialists like Darren outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.
    Red_Arrows099_RBA_1.jpg
  • In the mid-day heat, Squadron Leader John Green is a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Here he walks out alone to his aircraft, which is lined up with some of the others jets at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus before flying out to Marka in Jordan for the first display of the year. The Red Arrows arrive each April to fine-tune their air show skills in the clear Mediterranean skies and continue their busy display calendar above the skies of the UK and other European show circuit. We see John Green carrying his flight bag and life-vest over his shoulder. He paces confidently across the bright 'apron' dressed in his famous red flying suit that the Red Arrows have made famous since 1965. He is alone and striding confidently towards the matching red eight Hawk airplanes.
    Red_Arrows093_RBA_1.jpg
  • In the mid-day heat, all members of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, stand at ease and we see the back of one of the squadron's official photographers head, looking into the viewfinder of his camera to record an official photograph immediately on PDA Day at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'), is when they are allowed by senior RAF officers to perform as a military aerobatic show in front of the public - following a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Until that day arrives, their training and practicing is done in the privacy of their own airfield at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire, UK or here in the glare of Akrotiri. The pilots are called reds and their ground crew, the Blues after their summer air show uniforms.
    Red_Arrows092_RBA_1.jpg
  • Chief Technician Kerry Griffiths is a with the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. In camouflaged military green jacket, large forearms and rolled-up sleeves, he oversees the loading of spares and personal effects into a C-130 Hercules aircraft before the two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Surrounded by heavy-duty flight-spares, survival equipment boxes and a tyre for a Hawk jet aircraft, the Hercules looms large in the overcast sky. The team complete their winter training schedule in Cyprus. The Red Arrows pilots fly their own jet aircraft to air shows but when requiring the support of ground crew  they borrow a transporter to fly behind the main airborne squadron. 10 tons of spares and personal effects are shipped for a six-week stay.
    Red_Arrows052_RBA_1.jpg
  • Corporal Chris Ward, one of the photographers belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, reads a novel while wrapped up in sleeping bag and hammock aboard a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft during a two-day journey from RAF Scampton to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus. Corporal Ward has established for himself a comfortable nest in the rear section at the loading ramp. The interior is basic with sharp corners but the walls are padded.  Ward wears a heavy camouflaged coat to counteract the cold and ear-plugs from the droning engines. The Red Arrows pilots fly their Hawk jet aircraft to air shows but on long journeys requiring the support of ground crew borrow RAF transporters that fly behind the main airborne squadron shipping 10 tons of spares and personal effects for their six-week winter training stay.
    Red_Arrows050_RBA_1.jpg
  • Stored in their respective wooden boxes are the flying helmets and miscellaneous equipment belonging to two pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, at their headquarters RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. All ten pilots have their own storage space for gear. We see the place names of Reds One and Two: Squadron Leader Spike Jepson and Flight Lieutenant Matt Jarvis, whose visors are protected by soft cloths preventing scratches protective face screen. Squadron Leader Jepson is team leader and Flight Lieutenant Jarvis flies slightly behind and to the right in the Red Arrows Diamond Nine formation. On an average winter training day at Scampton, the crews will collect their kit up to six times a day in readiness for the forthcoming summer air show season. Flight Lieutenant Jarvis died of cancer one year later in March 2005.
    Red_Arrows021_RBA_1.jpg
  • Corporal Andrew Haynes and Senior Aircraftman Michael Owen load boxes packed with the possessions and kit belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows' pilots, Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, before travelling for winter training at Akrotiri in Cyprus. In the team's hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the two Suppliers lift the reinforced cardboard 'tri-pack' struggling to lift the weight from the ground. Corporal Haynes lifts with the correct technique: knees bent, straight back. The man on the right, has a bent back risking spinal injury. Some 80-plus members of the team will spend six weeks away from home. 23 tons of spares and personal effects travel ahead by ship with another 10 tons travelling on-board a C-130 transport aircraft. The Suppliers ensure possessions and spares are stored taking many weeks of meticulous planning.
    Red_Arrows014_RBA_1.jpg
  • A red Hawk jet aircraft belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is parked in the hangar at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire, the home base for the squadron. Night is falling with only blue daylight remaining in the western sky and the warm light from the hangar spills out of the giant open doors on to the concrete. The aircraft awaits attention from the engineer's night-shift who service and maintain all 11 of the famous red aerobatic jets before flying the next morning. The hangar, an original World War 2 shelter for the Lancaster bombers of 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows use this and nearby offices administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year.
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  • Seen from the cockpit of another Hawk of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team during an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. Seen through the explosive Plexiglass cockpit of a tenth plane, we see forward into deep blue sky as two sets of aerobatic pilots steer their aircraft before a crossover manoeuvre, their organic white smoke pouring from their jet pipes to emphasize their paths through the air. In front of a local crowd at the airfield the team work their way through a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows684_RBA.jpg
  • Pilots of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team watch other aviators' display flying during airshow. Officer pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, lean against the nose of their Hawk jet before themselves flying their own air display. Their leaning curve is steep, even for these accomplished fast-jet aviators who had already accumulated 1,500 hours in fighters. By Summer they need every aspect of their 25-minute displays honed to perfection.
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  • Seen from another aircraft, the Diamond Nine formation of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team is seen over freshly-ploughed English fields and hedgerows (the result of the old agricultural ‘enclosure’ system of land division) the nine aircraft fly in a tight formation approximately 8 feet (2.5m) apart from each other. This is an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. In front of a local crowd at the airfield they practice a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. Their objective is to appear perfectly spaced from a ground perspective are seen below. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows642_RBA_1.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team display over beach using quad bikes as display datum (centre). Passing overhead, there are two beach guards sitting just 100 feet below the passing jets who perform in front of an unseen crowd behind the sands. The team are using this coastal reference point as display datum (centre) during their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. The bikes are but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader as a geographical point from which to navigate. Since 1965 the squadron has flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries an important part of Britain's summer events where they perform their manoeuvres in front of massed crowds.
    Red_Arrows636_RBA.jpg
  • The Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team, perform their public display over a lake and boating landscape. A family stay still below the elite team as they perform their display on one of the UK's most beautiful locations in norhern England. The team are using the lake as a reference point as display datum (centre) during their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. The lake is but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader as a geographical point from which to navigate. Since 1965 the squadron have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries and are an important part of Britain's summer events where aerobatics aircraft perform their manoeuvres in front of massed crowds.
    Red_Arrows532_RBA.jpg
  • Scheduled maintenance on a Hawk Mk 1 jet in the hangar of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team. Engineering specialists called the Blues perform routine maintenance in the Red Arrows team hangar. They are ground-based back-up crew (so-called after their distinctive blue overalls worn only during the summer) and perform routine engineering tasks in the hangar at RAF Scampton, then while on tour, keeping the jets serviceable and ready to display. The Blues outnumber the pilots 8:1. Without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Some of the team's Hawks are 25 years old and their air frames require constant attention, with increasingly frequent major overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows479_RBA.jpg
  • A Dye Team engineer refills the dye-derv mixture to a Hawk jet of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team. Wearing goggles, military green overalls and fluorescent tabard, a 'line' engineer from the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, refills the pressurised under-belly smoke pod with a dye-derv mixture that gives the displays the famous coloured smoke of a team Mk 1 Hawk jet aircraft immediately after a winter training flight at the team's headquarters at a damp RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. The man is a member of the team's support ground crew (called the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows). The team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches.
    Red_Arrows440_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team perform training display over the skies above their Lincolnshire home. Overhead they fly near an old MoD landing light at the end of the airfield runway at RAF Scampton. This is an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. In front of a local crowd at the airfield they practice a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. Their objective is to appear perfectly spaced from a ground perspective are seen below. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their manual aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows422_RBA.jpg
  • Seated on a cradle in an RAF hangar is a Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 151 jet engine belonging to the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team at RAF Scampton. Inside the hangar that housed the Dambusters 617 Squadron are Hawk aircraft elsewhere. This engine powers the Red Arrows Hawks throughout their calendar of appearances at air shows and fly-pasts across the UK and a few European venues. Since 1965 the squadron have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries and are an important part of Britain's summer events where aerobatics aircraft perform their manoeuvres in front of massed crowds. The Adour is the result of an Anglo-French project of the early 1970s which has proved exceptionally reliable, economical for fuel and simple and cheap to maintain.
    Red_Arrows387_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team practice display using an old ship wreck as display datum (centre). Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the Akrotiri Peninsular, Cyprus, we see the elite team, practising their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. A rusted and crumbling hulk of a ship lies in the shallow surf and the Hawk jets used by the Red Arrows fan out above it using red, white and blue smoke. The shipwreck's remains provide a sad foreground to the dynamic flying beyond making a graphic landscape. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. 'The Wreck' is but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader at short notice to simulate diverse geographical features and wind directions
    Red_Arrows318_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team practice display using an old ship wreck as display datum (centre). Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the Akrotiri Peninsular, Cyprus, we see the elite team, practising their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. A rusted and crumbling hulk of a ship lies in the shallow surf and the Hawk jets used by the Red Arrows fan out above it using red, white and blue smoke. The shipwreck's remains provide a sad foreground to the dynamic flying beyond making a graphic landscape. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. 'The Wreck' is but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader at short notice to simulate diverse geographical features and wind directions
    Red_Arrows317_RBA.jpg
  • Anonymous chef prepares BBQ burgers and sausages as a pilot of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team walks past. AN arm of an unseen cook places an uncooked burger onto the griddle in mid-day heat. While the team are operating out of this British-run base in southern Cyprus, every Friday lunchtime is dry-up time for the ground crews who support the aircraft and their pilots to maintain their airworthiness before the summer air show season.
    Red_Arrows306_RBA.jpg
  • Engineering ground staff of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team, rest in the shade before working on their Hawk jets. These are 'line' engineers from the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, and are resting while their precious aircraft are up in the air during training in Cyprus. It is hot for these north Europeans and they use the shade of one spare jet on the ground before again, jumping back to work when the jets return. The men are members of the team's support ground crew (called the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows). The team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches.
    Red_Arrows296_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team practice display using an old ship wreck as display datum (centre). Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the Akrotiri Peninsular, Cyprus, we see the elite team, practising their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. A rusted and crumbling hulk of a ship lies in the shallow surf and the Hawk jets used by the Red Arrows fan out above it using red, white and blue smoke. The shipwreck's remains provide a sad foreground to the dynamic flying beyond making a graphic landscape. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. 'The Wreck' is but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader at short notice to simulate diverse geographical features and wind directions
    Red_Arrows283_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team perform training display over the skies above their Lincolnshire home. Their winter training flight takes them over Brattleby Hill just outside the perimeter fence of their base at RAR Scampton. But ironically, the word Slow has been stencilled on this quiet road though the Hawk jets fly up to 500mph. During their training period, they fly up to 6 times daily, when weather permits, learning new manoeuvres.
    Red_Arrows254_RBA.jpg
  • The Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team, perform their public display over a landscape of the Thames estuary mud.<br />
During the annual Southend Air show on the Thames river estuary, the jets of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, perform their Corkscrew manoeuvre, a fly-past 100 feet (30m) off the ground. Children playing on the low-tide mud pause from digging holes with a bucket and spade as the aircraft make their way over boating and mudflats. The Red Arrows Hawks perform throughout their calendar of appearances at air shows and fly-pasts across the UK and a few European venues. Since 1965 the squadron have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries and are an important part of Britain's summer events where aerobatics aircraft perform their manoeuvres in front of massed crowds.
    Red_Arrows179_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team practice display using an old ship wreck as display datum (centre). Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the Akrotiri Peninsular, Cyprus, we see the elite team, practising their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. A rusted and crumbling hulk of a ship lies in the shallow surf and the Hawk jets used by the Red Arrows fan out above it using red, white and blue smoke. The shipwreck's remains provide a sad foreground to the dynamic flying beyond making a graphic landscape. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. 'The Wreck' is but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader at short notice to simulate diverse geographical features and wind directions
    Red_Arrows047_RBA.jpg
  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team practice display using an old ship wreck as display datum (centre). Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the Akrotiri Peninsular, Cyprus, we see the elite team, practising their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. A rusted and crumbling hulk of a ship lies in the shallow surf and the Hawk jets used by the Red Arrows fan out above it using red, white and blue smoke. The shipwreck's remains provide a sad foreground to the dynamic flying beyond making a graphic landscape. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. 'The Wreck' is but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader at short notice to simulate diverse geographical features and wind directions
    Red_Arrows044_RBA.jpg
  • Engineering ground staff of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team, during turnarounds of training flights. Wearing ear-defenders, military green overalls and fluorescent tabard, a 'line' engineer from the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, inspect the avionics of a Hawk aircraft immediately after a winter training flight at the team's headquarters at a damp RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. The men are members of the team's support ground crew (called the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows). The team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches.
    Red_Arrows026_RBA.jpg
  • Officer pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, lean against a wing of their Hawk jet in a pre-flight briefing while a member of their ground crew positions some wheel chocks. The highly-skilled engineer is known as a 'Blue' but the 'Reds' discuss  flight plans. Eleven trades skills are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches. It is mid-day and only their flying boots and red legs are seen with the RAF roundel emblem is on the underside of the wing. The better-educated officers in the armed forces enjoy a more privileged lifestyle than their support staff. In the aerobatic squadron, the Blues outnumber the pilots 8:1. Without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Some of the team's Hawks are 25 years old and their air frames require constant attention, with increasingly frequent major overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows174_RBA_1.jpg
  • Flight Lieutenant Dan Simmons of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, zips up his g-pants before climbing into his Hawk jet. G-pants counteract the effects of high gravity stresses that jet-fighters impose on the human body, automatically inflating and squeezing blood back to the thorax and head when blood drains towards the legs. As he attaches the zipper, he rests his straight right leg on a retractable step which helps him and his ground crew engineers to gain access to the cockpit, high above the ground. Hanging from another part of his airplane is his life-vest which he will wear around his neck, whilst in flight. Flight Lieutenant Simmons wears heavy-duty black boots which are regulation footwear for flying personnel and dressed in his red flying suit that is famous around the world.
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  • Specialist Corporal Mal Faulder is an armourer engineer (qualified to handle ejection seats and weaponry on military jets) but here in the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team he is seen polishing the aircraft's flying surfaces using wool and cleaning fluid on the morning of the team's PDA Day. PDA (or 'Public Display Authority'), is a special test flight when their every move and mistake is assessed and graded. Corporal Faulder is to buff up the airplane for an extra special shine on such an important day and we see the UK's Union Jack flag on the side of the diagonal stripes of the tail fin. The Red Arrows ground crew take enormous pride in their role as supporting the aviators whose air displays are known around the world. Blues like Mal outnumber the pilots 8:1. Without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.
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  • Senior Machinist Supervisor, Tricia Randle finishes a red flying suit of Squadron Leader David Thomas, a pilot of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Tricia is a bespoke seamstress at Dale Techniche, Nelson, Lancashire. Every Winter, the Red Arrows place about 40 pilot suit orders and 180 blue (support ground crew) suits. Tricia adjusts her thread while the suit is complete on her work bench. The clothing factory also designs the Red Arrows badges, each requiring 15,000 stitches. All suits are made from Nomex by the Du Pont corporation, containing 5% Kevlar. Flame-retardant, they fit exactly each team member. Fourteen different measurements are taken before the first suit is cut, each one requiring approximately three metres of dyed cloth. When a suit is complete, each one is signed inside by the machinist.
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  • Engineer airframe specialist Junior Technician Barry Pritchard of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, forms part of the team's highly-skilled group of support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1. Here J/Tech Pritchard straddles the fuselage of  the Hawk jet aircraft performing a Ram Air Turbine (RAT) jack change in the squadron hangar. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches. The team's aircraft are in some cases 25 years old and their airframes require constant attention, with frequent overhauls needed. In these shelters were housed the Lancaster bombers 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. The Red Arrows nearby offices as their administrative nerve-centre for the 90-plus displays they perform a year.
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  • Junior Technician Brian Robb, an engineer with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, shines his torch inside the flaps of a Hawk jet aircraft checking for obstructions, RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Wearing ear defenders clasped to his head, J/Tech Robb peers into the wing assembly during a pre-flight inspection before the pilot emerges from for another winter training flight. Robb is a member of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly.  Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches. Crouching by an RAF roundel emblem, he wears an army style green camouflage coat as protection over the biting Lincolnshire wind, and a fluorescent tabard required for any personnel working on the 'line', where the aircraft taxi to and park.
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  • Squadron Leader Duncan Mason of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, strides out across a gloomy, rainswept 'apron' at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Squadron Leader Mason will fly up to 6 times daily during winter training ,when weather permits, learning new manoeuvres. Wearing winter green flying suits, their day is spent flying and de-briefing. Mason wears a green flying suit with anti-g pants and helmet on with its pilot number. He is being greeted by a member of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1.  The engineer wears a fluorescent yellow tabard and stands politely by the waiting aircraft on the 'line'. He has already prepared it for flight and helps with any technical issues that may arise.
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  • A red Hawk jet aircraft belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, is parked outside a nearby hangar on the concrete 'apron' (where aircraft park) at the squadron's headquarters at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. A member of the team's support ground crew (the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows) prepare to refuel as the last daylight fades and artificial light from the hangar illuminates the scene. Their winter training schedule is both rigorous on the aircraft and demanding on the pilots who will typically fly up to six times a day in preparation of the forthcoming summer when they display at 90-plus air shows. After the day's flying, the engineers' night shift arrive to service and maintain the aging fleet of 11 aircraft.
    Red_Arrows013_RBA_1.jpg
  • At the start of another day's work, pilots belonging to the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, walk in single-file out into the pink morning light for the first winter training flight of the day at RAF Scampton, Lincolnshire. Emerging from their squadron building the aviators make their way along a pathway towards the waiting Hawk jet aircraft known the world over. Wearing winter green flying suits and carrying their helmets, their day is spent flying and de-briefing up to six times a day when weather permits. Long shadows spill over on to the airfield's cropped grass. Scampton  is one of the original World War 2 RAF stations for the Lancaster bombers the 617 Dambusters squadron who attacked the damns of the German Ruhr valley on 16th May 1943 using the Bouncing Bomb. Today, it is used almost exclusively by the team.
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  • Flight Lieutenant Simon Stevens, a pilot in the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, makes a pre-flight check of his Hawk jet aircraft before a practice flight at RAF Scampton. Stevens and his fellow-aviators fly up to 6 times in winter training, learning new manoeuvres. The dangers of high-speed close formation flight makes health and safety precautions vital; the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Royal Air Force take working environments of their personnel seriously so pre-flight examination of aircraft happens before every sortie (flight). Performing the brief safety walk-around, Stevens bends at the waste to avoid the aeroplane's low aileron despite wearing a helmet, full flying suit, boots, life-vest and anti-g-pants. Flying still continues despite rain clouds in the gloomy Lincolnshire sky.
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  • A detail of a Hawk aircraft’s fuselage and canopy opening of the 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Two blue arrows point towards each other to show that the aircraft’s canopy is securely closed and ready for flight. Painted the Squadron’s famous red, we can also see the rivets which can be turned by specially-designed screwdrivers that help gain access to internal technology. The Red Arrows Hawks power the team throughout their calendar of appearances at air shows and fly-pasts across the UK and a few European venues. Since 1965 the squadron have flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries and are an important part of Britain's summer events where aerobatics aircraft perform their manoeuvres in front of massed crowds.
    Red_Arrows765_RBA.jpg
  • From the rear seat of a 'Red Arrows' Hawk of Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team during an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight near their base at RAF Scampton. Through the explosive Plexiglass canopy, we look towards the Lincolnshire countryside from an altitude of a few thousand feet. This is the view from the leader’s jet during an In-Season Practice (ISP) training flight. Waiting for the other eight members of the team to re-form as an airborne squadron, they fly in front of a local crowd at the airfield. The team work their way through a 25-minute series of display manoeuvres that are loved by thousands at summer air shows. After some time off, spare days like this are used to hone their aerobatic and piloting skills before re-joining the air show circuit. Since 1965 they've flown over 4,000 shows in 52 countries.
    Red_Arrows572_RBA.jpg
  • Sergeant David Ablard with a fellow rigger of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team,gets to gripds with an air brake issue  make repairs. They are engineers with the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team and one cleans the part of the team's Mk 1 Hawk after a repair during the Fairford airshow (RIAT). They are members of the team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches.
    Red_Arrows514_RBA.jpg
  • Scheduled maintenance on a Hawk Mk 1 jet in the hangar of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team. Engineering specialists called the Blues perform routine maintenance in the Red Arrows team hangar. They are ground-based back-up crew (so-called after their distinctive blue overalls worn only during the summer) and perform routine engineering tasks in the hangar at RAF Scampton, then while on tour, keeping the jets serviceable and ready to display. The Blues outnumber the pilots 8:1. Without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Some of the team's Hawks are 25 years old and their air frames require constant attention, with increasingly frequent major overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows482_RBA.jpg
  • Engineering ground staff of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team during winter training turnaround. <br />
<br />
Wearing military green overalls and fluorescent tabard, the 'line' engineers from the elite team come to the aid of an arrived Hawk jet after another training flight at RAF Scampton, their UK base. The men are members of the team's support ground crew (called the Blues because of their distinctive blue overalls worn at summer air shows). The team's support ground crew who outnumber the pilots 8:1 and without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Eleven trades are imported from some sixty that the RAF employs and teaches.
    Red_Arrows248_RBA.jpg
  • Officer pilots of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team, lean against a wing of their Hawk jet in a pre-flight briefing while a member of their ground crew positions some wheel chocks. It is mid-day and the officers are deep in conversation with the RAF roundel emblem is on the jet aircraft. The better-educated officers in the armed forces enjoy a more privileged lifestyle than their support staff. In the aerobatic squadron, the Blues outnumber the pilots 8:1. Without them, the Red Arrows couldn't fly. Some of the team's Hawks are 25 years old and their air frames require constant attention, with increasingly frequent major overhauls due.
    Red_Arrows177_RBA.jpg
  • Single pilot of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team walks out to his Hawk aircraft before a display flight to Jordan. In the mid-day heat, Flt. Lt. Jez Griggs is a member of the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's prestigious Royal Air Force aerobatic team. Here he walks out alone to his aircraft, which is lined up with some of the others jets at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus before flying out to Marka in Jordan for the first display of the year. The Red Arrows arrive each April to fine-tune their air show skills in the clear Mediterranean skies and continue their busy display calendar above the skies of the UK and other European show circuit. We see Griggs carrying his flight bag and life-vest. He paces confidently across the bright 'apron' dressed in his famous red flying suit that the Red Arrows have made famous since 1965. He is alone and striding confidently towards the matching red eight Hawk airplanes.
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  • Hawk jets of the Red Arrows, Britain's RAF aerobatic team practice display over a pilot officer who sits in his cool car on the cliff edge at RAF Akrotiri, a British-run RAF air base in southern Cyprus, using this coastal cliff as display datum (centre). Looking out to the Mediterranean Sea from the Akrotiri Peninsular, Cyprus, we see the elite team, practising their display, a show-stopping manoeuvre of their 25-minute air show display routine. 'Datum' is an axis on which the Red Arrows focus their displays, from where the whole show is visible at the crowd's centre. The cliffs are but one of a series of datum points selected by the team leader at short notice to simulate diverse geographical features and wind directions
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  • Corporal Mal Faulder pushes a Martin-Baker ejection seat through an RAF Hangar. He is an Armourer (an engineer handling seats and weaponry on military jets) but here in the elite 'Red Arrows', Britain's Royal Air Force aerobatic team, his duties are wider. With other members of the team’s support staff (the Blues who outnumber the pilots the Reds by 8 to 1) he also helps clean the Hawk aircraft before air shows across the country. He pulls the seat into a blast-protected bunker for safe storage where explosive charges inside this equipment are temporarily removed. The seat is returned to service when the aircraft is through its regular maintenance schedule. British company Martin-Baker manufacturers ejection seats and membership of the its Tie Club is solely for air crew who have ejected from an aircraft in an emergency which saved their life.
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  • Royal Air Force officers formally await visiting foreign dignitaries at the BAE Systems stand during the bi-annual aerospace industry expo at the Farnborough airshow in southern England. As an important trading partner, both the RAF and BAE Systems present a united front in the marketplace, each helping the other to promote the UK-PLC  brand and urging foreign governments to buy British. In the background is a BAE Systems Hawk attack and trainer jet aircraft used by the RAF and airforces in gthe middle-east. Operators of the Hawk include the Royal Air Force (notably the Red Arrows display team) as well a considerable number of foreign military operators. The Hawk is still in production in the UK and under licence in India by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) with over 900 Hawks sold to 18 operators around the world.
    farnborough04-07-01-2000_1.jpg
  • Glowing cockpit instrumentation of a Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter. The F-35 Lightning II is a fifth-generation, single-seat, single-engine stealth multi-role fighter that can perform close air support, tactical bombing, and air defence missions. The F-35 is descended from the X-35, the product of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program. Its development is being principally funded by the United States, with the United Kingdom and other partner governments providing additional funding. It is being designed and built by an aerospace industry team led by Lockheed Martin with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems as major partners. The F-35's first flight took place on 15 December 2006. The US intends to buy a total of 2,443 aircraft for an estimated US$323 billion, making it the most expensive defense program ever.[
    farnborough_airshow47-21-07-2010_1.jpg
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