Red Arrows touch down in Maryland for US 250 celebrations after 3,500-mile journey

The Red Arrows have landed in the United States ahead of Operation Eagle Hawk, where they will take part in a series of celebrations to help mark 250 years of American independence. 

The iconic red jets arrived at Martin State Airport, Maryland, accompanied by two A400M Atlas transport aircraft, a P-8 Poseidon, and an Envoy IV CC1. 

The 11 Hawk T1 jets will be performing at Sail 250 Maryland & Airshow this weekend as the group start their US tour. 

• Red Arrows need to get to US but Hawks can only fly 750 miles – so what happens next?
• What do we know about UK Armed Forces involvement in US 250th celebrations?
• Springing into action! Red Arrows head off to Greece to start pre-season training

Since the Red Arrows' jets can only fly a maximum of 1,207km (750 miles) in a single flight, they could not fly directly to the United States. 

Instead, the jets completed eight separate legs and stopped in several locations, including Stornoway, Iceland, Greenland, and Canada, to refuel before landing in the United States. 

The RAF aerobatic team's visit to the US will combine displays at established airshows and set-piece flypasts during their month-long tour.