Springing into action! Red Arrows head off to Greece to start pre-season training
The RAF's Red Arrows have left their Lincolnshire home for Greece to complete their final pre-season training to refine their manoeuvres ahead of a busy summer.
Exercise Springhawk is a five-week period which allows the Red Arrows to perfect and polish their new 2026 display.
The Greeks will be able to see the team improving their skills and synchronisation, ensuring they deliver a captivating spectacle seen during the summer airshows.
The finer weather in Greece provides more guaranteed conditions compared to those often found when flying in the skies over their Lincolnshire RAF Waddington base.
The iconic Royal Air Force aerobatic team can fly up to 15 sorties a week in their iconic red Hawk T1 jets at locations and in environments that better simulate what they will find at display venues and airshows in the summer.
Ex Springhawk allows the whole team to gel – both air and ground crew – and to focus on preparing for the demands of a season.
During the exercise, senior RAF officers assess the team, with the aim of gaining Public Display Authority.
If this is awarded, the team's pilots change from green overalls into their famous red flying suits and the ground crews will be able to put on their royal blue display coveralls.
The team's aerobatic displays change each year, with the first half consisting of synchronised, formation aerobatics, following by a more dynamic second half.
Here is the full list of Red Arrows displays for 2026:
24 May – 85th anniversary of the Battle of Crete, Old Harbour of Chania, Crete, Greece
29 – 30 May – English Riviera Airshow, Torbay
30 – 31 May – Midlands Air Festival
4 June – Isle of Man TT Races
6 June – Gassed on Track, Silverstone
13 June – HM The King's Official Birthday Flypast, London – flypast
14 June – RAF Cosford Airshow
27 – 28 June – Sail 250 Maryland & Airshow, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
4 July – International Aerial Review, New York City, United States – flypast
5 – 6 July – FourLeaf Air Show, Jones Beach, New York, United States
11 – 12 July – Great State of Maine Airshow, Brunswick Executive Airport, Maine, United States
17 – 19 July – Thunder Over Michigan Air Show, Willow Run Airport, Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States
24 – 26 July – EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States
14 – 16 August – Airbourne – Eastbourne International Airshow
15 August – Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo – flypast
16 August – Lyme Regis RNLI Lifeboat Week
19 August – Cromer Carnival and Air Display
22 – 23 August – Swedish Air Force 100-Year Anniversary Show 2026, Linkoping, Sweden
27 – 28 August – Clacton Airshow
28 August – Sidmouth Regatta and Airshow
29 – 30 August – Southport Airshow
4 – 5 September – International Ayr Show Festival of Flight, Ayr
9 September – Guernsey Air Display
10 September – Jersey International Air Display
12 September – IWM Duxford Battle of Britain Air Show
13 September – Activity to be confirmed (TBC)
19 – 20 September – Nato Days in Ostrava, Czech Republic
27 September – Le Touquet Airshow, France
4 October – IWM Duxford Flying Finale
You can find more information about the events and locations for the Red Arrows summer schedule here.
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