Red Arrows End Historic Middle East Tour

The Red Arrows have returned to the UK after a five-week tour of the Middle East.

The team have performed across the region, including displays in Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Before heading home, they stopped off in Cyprus, at RAF Akrotiri where, until 2014, the team went to practice before the start of the show season.

However, the base is now the hub of RAF missions against the so-called Islamic State, meaning the area is no longer available for the display team’s practice.

For the last five weeks, the world-famous display team has been representing both the RAF and UK PLC with displays across the middle east. Sqn Ldr David Montenegro said of the tour:

“We were given all of Jorden for one hour below 3,000 ft. It was a phenomenal hour, we got to flypast over the dead sea”.

It’s been a busy year for the Red Arrows; they’ve displayed in 26 countries over the last 12 months, representing UK industry worldwide.

It’s estimated their visit to China generated eight billion pounds worth of business.

Unsurprisingly, selection for this elite team is tough, with only the best RAF pilots able to don the famous red flying suit.

It’s not just the pilots allow for the team’s first-class performances- vital to the Red Arrows’ success is the ground crew, known to all as the Circus.

Engineer Alicia Mason joined at Christmas, and says that being a part of the Red Arrows is “living the dream.”

After just one night at Akrotiri, it was time for the Red Arrows to depart.

Despite the financial pressures on military spending, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon confirmed last year that the Red Arrows future was, thankfully, safe.