Royal International Air Tattoo gets underway in Gloucestershire
Military aircraft from around the world arrive for three-day airshow
Last updated 17th Jul 2025
More than two hundred aircraft from twenty countries have arrived at RAF Fairford for this year's Royal International Air Tattoo.
The airshow is considered one of, if not, the biggest military airshows in the country with around two hundred thousand people expected to attend over the next three days.
For aviation enthusiasts it's an opportunity to view and photograph rarely seen aircraft, and for the wider public it's an exciting family day out.
Aircraft from all over the world are at the air tattoo including representatives who have flown in from New Zealand, the US and Pakistan.
This year for the first time Egypt has sent an aircraft - organisers held a special ceremony to greet the Egyptian delegation as they became the 39th nation to take part.
This year's themes are 'eyes in the skies' celebrating aircraft that carry out surveillance and search and rescue missions. The 50th anniversary of the Apache attack helicopter is also being celebrated with a special line up from around the world. There's also a domestic birthday to mark - it's forty years of RIAT being staged at RAF Fairford.
Aerobatic teams will thrill the crowds - teams from Jordan, Italy and of course the UK's ever popular Red Arrows will display.
The Red Arrows’ performances across the weekend will be history-making for any national aerobatic team – using not only SAF for jet propulsion but also a renewable biofuel, known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), to produce its distinctive trademark vapour trails.
Money from the event will go to the The Royal Air Force Charitable trust which promotes the RAF and inspires young people to fulfil their potential.