Republic of Korea Air Force first UK air show appearance!
For the first time ever the Republic of Korea Air Force will be seen in the skies above the RAF Waddington International Air Show this summer, with their Black Eagles Display Team, in what will be the team’s very first UK air show appearance.
The team, who reformed in 2009 to fly the indigenous T-50 Golden Eagle training aircraft, will arrive in the UK in mid-June and then display at RAF Waddington before moving onto RIAT and Farnborough.
Their display at the RAF Waddington International Air Show will be their debut appearance in the UK and make Republic of Korea the 36th nation to appear at the event since 1995 and the 18th nation to take part in 2012 the RAF Waddington International Air Show.
The illusive SAAB 340 ERIEYE AEW&C, from the Swedish Air Force
More commonly known as the Erieye, due to its radar system, a total of 22 ERIEYE systems have been made by the Saab Group on different platforms, some of which serve with the Swedish Air Force on Saab 340’s.
The Saab 340 AEW&C, sometimes called ‘Argus’, will make a welcome return to the airshow where it will join its contemporaries from the RAF (Sentry AEW Mk1), the Boeing Wedgetail from Australia and the Royal Navy’s venerable Sea Kings ASACS. The airshow team hope that the presence of such a mixed range of Airborne Early Warning aircraft will give the public an interesting insight into the intriguing world of Combat ISTAR. The SAAB 2000 and Argus will combine with the Austrian Air Force SAAB 105 and Czech Air Force SAAB JAS 35 Gripen to make for a unique SAAB Group presence at the RAF Waddington International Air Show.
Royal Saudi Air Force national display team ‘Saudi Hawks’ at Waddington!
RAF Waddington’s International Airshow has welcomed the news that another nation will make their debut at the 2012 show. It will be the first time that the Royal Saudi Air Force has been represented at Waddington International Airshow, and what better way to make an entrance than with their national display team, the Saudi Hawks.
The Saudi Hawks, flying 6 BAe Hawk jets, painted in green and white the national colours of Saudi Arabia, were formed in 1998 to represent the Saudi nation and act as ambassadors across the world. The Team, who are based at King Faisal Air Base Tabuk, completed their first public display in 1999, over the capital city of Riyadh, which marked the 100th Anniversary of the nation of Saudi Arabia. Since then the team have gone from strength to strength, completing tours across the Middle East and Europe, appearing in the UK for the first time last year.
Italian Air Force Display Team – Frecce Tricolori
The skies above RAF Waddington’s International Airshow will see the addition of red, white and green smoke trails as the event welcomes the return of the Italian Air Force’s famous display team, the Frecce Tricolori, their last appearance was in 2004. The airshow held over the 30th June and 1st July 2012 will see Italy’s spectacular military display team take to the skies to perform their polished routine with true Italian style.
The Team, formed in 1961 are one of the largest display teams around, flying Aermacchi MB339 aircraft and the only team to display with 10 aircraft. The team’s routine consists of large formations, solo and synchro elements and are the only team to stall a jet aircraft during a display. Based at Rivolto in North East Italy, Waddington will be Frecce Tricolori’s only UK appearance this year.
The Team have been wowing crowds across the world for many years and in 2012 they mark the 30th anniversary of introduction of the Aermacchi MB339 into their inventory. The Frecce Tricolori demonstrate the very best of Italian flare and panache in the execution of their routines. Their appearance helps to mark the 100th anniversary of the RAF’s Central Flying School, a theme that will be celebrated at the airshow this year.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Air Force Waddington International Airshow is thrilled to announce the participation of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and its Boeing 737 AEW&C, Wedgetail aircraft at this year’s Airshow on 30th June and 1st July 2012.
The Wedgetail, which is the RAAF equivalent of RAF Waddington’s own E-3D Sentry aircraft, is based at RAAF Williamtown on the east coast of Australia and will make the flight to the UK, after taking part in a major exercise in Alaska, solely for the airshow. It will be the first time a RAAF Wedgetail has been to a UK Airshow since the first aircraft was delivered to Australia in 2009, and is a welcome addition to what is shaping up to be a truly international event, at the home of the UK Combat ISTAR capability. Based upon Boeing’s most successful airliner the 737, the Wedgetail aircraft has an endurance of 10 hours without inflight refuelling and can fly up to 41,000 ft.
Combat ISTAR, which means Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance, is RAF Waddington’s primary role, and provides support to allied forces at home for national security and in operational theatres. The combat ISTAR theme is an enduring theme for the Air Show and the participation of the RAAF ISTAR aircraft will give visitors the chance to see a different and new type of platform with an ISTAR capability. RAAF involvement at the Air Show reinforces the strong links between Australia and Lincolnshire, where many RAAF personnel were based during the Second World War, and more recently at RAF Waddington which has a number of personnel on exchange tours between their respective military Services.
The Wedgetail joins the growing list of international participants, with the news that the Swiss F18 Hornet will make a welcome return after 10 years absence from the show, partnered by the Swiss Super Puma display, which has not been seen in the UK since 2001. More information can be found by visiting the RAF Waddington International Airshow at www.waddingtonairshow.co.uk
Top Award for County Airshow
The Royal British Legion (RBL), which provides support to serving and ex-Service personnel and their families, has awarded RAF Waddington Airshow its Courtesy Cup for 2012. RAF Waddington received the prestigious accolade from the Lincolnshire Branch of the RBL following its efforts to promote and raise the profile of the charity during its annual International Airshow.
The Lincolnshire Branch of the RBL is recognised as one of the most active and successful in the country and has been a regular attendee at the Airshow for many years now.
On Friday 17th February at RAF Waddington, Mr. Tony Goodwin the County Chairman of the Lincolnshire Branch of the RBL presented the award to the Waddington Airshow Director Mr. Paul Sall who said:
“Delighted and honoured to receive this award, for it reinforces what is already a fantastic relationship between the RAF Waddington International Air Show and the RBL.”
RAF Waddington International Air Show is the largest RAF Air Show in the country. Indeed; it is one of the largest summer events in the East Midlands calendar. To promote its good work for the community and in particular those who have been in Her Majesty’s Armed Forces, RBL will be in attendance again at this year’s show where crowds in excess of 140,000 are expected over the entire weekend.
The Courtesy Cup will be on display at RAF Waddington until next year when it will be returned to the Royal British Legion.