The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (RAFAT), or Red Arrows, will reduce its size from nine aircraft to seven for most displays until at least 2030 in a conscious effort to conserve spares and flying hours for its Hawk T1 aircraft.
The traditionally nine-aircraft team, which has been maintained almost continuously since 1966, will remove two aircraft from most air shows in a bid to protect the life of the Hawk T1 platform. Since 2022, the Red Arrows have been the sole remaining operator of the Hawk T1 in the United Kingdom.
Special occasions, such as commemorative flights, will still be able to have a full complement of aircraft. Those who have watched the Red Arrows’ exhibition practice routines in 2026 have suspected for some time that a reduction to seven planes was on the cards.
With the 2026 season underway, No. 1 Group Air Officer Commanding Air Vice Marshal Mark Jackson has described one change crowds will see at the Red Arrows’ display this year and how the @RoyalAirForce He is planning the future of the team.#redarrows | #RAF pic.twitter.com/PZaHnhTxgw
– Red Arrows (@rafredarrows) May 23, 2026
The team is currently concluding its SPRINGHAWK deployment to Greece, taking advantage of the Mediterranean climate to ensure a more reliable training program can be completed. Having now been was granted the necessary public display authority (PDA)The first UK display for 2026 is scheduled for May 29 at the English Riviera Airshow in Torbay, Devon.
“PDA is the culmination of seven months of intensive winter training, including the design and refinement of a new, dynamic display, the challenge of operating during prolonged periods of poor weather and the ongoing maintenance and readiness of our Hawk T1 aircraft,” said Wing Commander Sasha Nash, Commanding Officer of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team (RAFAT). Former Tornado pilot Nash made history in early 2026 when she became the First woman in charge of the Red Arrows team..
According to the team’s official website, the two new pilots who joined the Red Arrows in late 2025 (originally due to become the new Red 2 and Red 3 near the front of the nine-plane formation) now they will be Red 8 and Red 9. This suggests they will miss out on most regular display flights by 2026, but after this atypical first year they will likely take the place of outgoing pilots in 2027 to rejoin the display section.
Flight Lieutenant Matt Brighty, listed as Red 8, is a familiar name to air show enthusiasts as a former RAF Typhoon Display team pilot. Red 9, Flight Lieutenant Christopher Deen, is a former Tornado GR4 pilot who was subsequently selected for a highly sought-after exchange position with the US Navy, flying the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Flying seven aircraft allows the team to continue flying modified versions of many of their signature formations, including the diamond shape generally known as the ‘Diamond Nine’. The team last flew a seven-plane standard for the 2022 season, after two pilots departed early amid complaints of inappropriate behavior and a “toxic culture.”
The Red Arrows began using the Hawk T1 in 1979, transitioning to the new aircraft from the Folland Gnat with which they had been founded. At that time, and until the mid-2010s, the RAF also used the Hawk T1 for advanced pilot training. This task now falls to the Hawk T2, although the RAF is in the process of considering its options to replace the Hawk T2 ahead of schedule due to reliability issues.
It has been hinted that the contract to replace the Hawk T2 would also include the possibility of replacing the Red Arrows’ Hawk T1s, although this remains subject to any agreements that are signed.
Saab, Boeing and BAE Systems unveil T-7 Red Hawk for UK Fast Jet Trainer
Ahead of an expected competition to replace the RAF’s Hawk T2, Saab, Boeing and BAE Systems have signed a letter of intent to collaborate on a pilot training system centered on the T-7 Red Hawk.
https://t.co/WtufMYzjZP– The Aviationist (@TheAviationist) November 18, 2025
Historically, Red Arrows have been marketed as a sales pitch for British industry, flying British designed and built aircraft. This deal will struggle to survive an aircraft replacement; any new option will almost certainly be a foreign design, with the best case scenario being local manufacturing and the use of British components.
An ambitious all-British proposal by Aeralis to create a modular training aircraft has fallen into administration without any solid order to sustain it. Although novel, the company’s offering arrived in an already crowded market without a proven track record of aircraft production or physical demonstrators.
american tour
As part of the upcoming 2026 season, the Red Arrows will tour the United States known as Operation Eagle Hawk 2026. In it, the team will participate in a series of air displays alongside the International air reviewscheduled for July 4 in New York as part of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebrations.
🔴⚪️🔵 The Red Arrows will hold a series of spectacular displays across the United States this summer to commemorate 250 years of American independence. The tour is part of a packed 2026 programme, with dozens of events across the UK and mainland Europe:https://t.co/Lla3DAHwCf pic.twitter.com/SBshVNME1J
– Red Arrows (@rafredarrows) May 17, 2026
The decision to go ahead with the tour amid tensions between the United States and its European allies, particularly their threats against the Danish territory of Greenland, has been controversial among elements of the British public. Although the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is now cancelled, there are still many other venues across the UK where the Red Arrows were expected to perform but have now pulled out due to the transatlantic tour.
