Engine fault grounds RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight ahead of Armed Forces Day flypasts

Armed Forces Day flypasts by the RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) have been cancelled as the flight is grounded due to an engine fault.

The BBMF, which features famous Second World War aircraft, like the Lancaster bomber and Spitfire, will no longer support Armed Forces Day 2023 events – including the national event in Falmouth – in the coming days as planned, the RAF said.

The RAF described this as "hugely disappointing" but said safety remains "our paramount concern", adding the engine fault is being investigated.

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In a statement, the RAF said: "The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is currently investigating a fault on a Merlin engine and has taken the decision to temporarily pause flying.

"Several of our aircraft are powered by the Merlin and, as a result, these historic aircraft will be unable to support Armed Forces Day events around the country as we would have liked.

"This is hugely disappointing for us and to all those who love to see these iconic aircraft, however, safety remains our paramount concern," the RAF said in a statement.

The BBMF's Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane aircraft – which played a vital role in the Second World War – all use a Merlin engine.

Based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, the BBMF is a regular RAF unit manned by service personnel.

Its mission is to maintain historic aircraft and keep them airworthy in order to commemorate those who have fallen in service.

The flight operates six Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a C47 Dakota, and two Chipmunk aircraft (primarily for training).

The aircraft are regularly seen in the skies over the UK from May to September each year and take part in public and military events, such as the flypast for the King's birthday last week. 

It is not the first time the BBMF has been grounded due to a fault with its Merlin engines.

A technical issue grounded most of the historic aircraft including a Lancaster bomber, two Hurricanes and three Spitfires in 2017 when an issue with a pinion gear in the Merlin engines was discovered.