The Royal Air Force enjoyed a fantastic weekend of aviation as The Royal International Air Tattoo 2023 [RIAT] celebrated 100 years of air-to-air refuelling.
To mark the anniversary, the RAF’s refuelling aircraft — Voyager — flew with colleagues from a range of countries to demonstrate the aircraft’s capability.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world’s largest, annual military air show. This year, RIAT was held on the 14th of July to the 16th of July 2023 at Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford and the event boasted over 250 aircraft.
Over 200,000 visitors attended during the three days of the show, with aircraft from around 40 air arms on display in the air and on the ground.
Air Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Air Staff, RAF said:
“RIAT is the world’s greatest military air show and the Royal Air Force’s flagship international engagement event.
It allows us to showcase how we are protecting our nation and safeguarding our airspace alongside our allies. RIAT also allows us to look forwards, as we present our vision for the future of air and space operations.”
The RAF were joined by allies and partners from around the world, including the Italian Air Force, which was also celebrating — with 2023 being the centenary of its formation.
Countries taking part included the Spanish Air Force, Finnish Air force, US Air Force, German Air Force, Swedish Air Force, and the United Arab Emirates Air Force.
Guests also enjoyed a Royal Air Force Experience this year. The experience included Air Display teams, RAFAT, BBMF, ASTRA representatives, Squadrons and Wings from across the RAF offering advice, experience, and knowledge as well as interactive experiences on board the Atlas (A400M), globe master (C-17), Chinook, Hawk, RAF Sports, and RAF Regiment.
Elsewhere, RAF display teams including the Chinook, Typhoon and Red Arrows took to the skies to show off their skills.
The RAF village gave visitors to the show the chance to learn about other trades in the RAF such as the RAF Regiment, reserve units and sporting teams, as well as the pioneering work of the Astra team.
One of the most popular exhibits was the C-17 aircraft used to repatriate Her Majesty The Queen.
There were also plenty of opportunities to get up close with other aircraft, including the F-35B jet and the A400M transport aircraft.
