The Royal International Air Tattoo (R.I.A.T.) is held annually (next show: 19–21 July 2024) in support of The Royal Air Force Charitable Trust at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire – United Kingdom, home of the 420th Air Base Squadron.
The Red Arrows – back at full strength with a full team of nine jets – will be celebrating their 60th anniversary with a display that will bring in many formations and shapes not seen in years.
In addition to the Red Arrows, we have two fantastic fast jet solo displays. First, the Eurofighter Typhoon. A fan favourite that has a real impact with its high-octane display.
Second is the F-35B, this year performing a full display with a mixture of high-speed passes, tight turns, and its iconic hover.
Finally, we have the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. Friday visitors will be treated to a series of flypasts, whilst on Saturday and Sunday, join us to see a very special display which will see the Lancaster accompanied by four historic fighter aircraft.
Alongside the RAF announcement, we also have a whole host of aircraft from QinetiQ attending the static display. We aim to park these alongside other British flight test aircraft for our ‘Pushing the boundaries’ theme.
Each year the Air Tattoo celebrates aviation and airpower across its broadest spectrum; however, organisers also designate annual themes to promote the attendance of different aircraft types and focus professional discussion at the event. RIAT 2024 focuses on the following themes:
- 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the F-16 Fighting Falcon’s first flight, and with over 4600 airframes manufactured over the last five decades, the aircraft has become one of the most successful combat jets in history.
Our main theme will highlight the important work of Flight Test & Evaluation in modern aviation, looking back at 100 years of British military test flying. We hope to display specialised, modified and instrumented test flight aircraft from organisations from around the world dedicated to Flight Test, Evaluation and Scientific Research. - Since it was established in the early 1970s, the Air Tattoo has been committed to demonstrating the importance of the NATO Alliance. Therefore, it is highly appropriate that at RIAT 2024 we will celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
- One of our focus areas for the Royal International Air Tattoo 2024 will be celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In a special ground area, we will host both modern RCAF assets, as well as historic aircraft types formerly flown by the RCAF, alongside displays of Canadian culture for visitors to enjoy and interact with. In addition, we are excited to welcome the Canadian CF-18 Demo Team to perform in the flying display.
Last year’s show: our aspiration for RIAT 2023 was to deliver an eclectic mix of aircraft on both flying and static displays, focusing on our various themes. This aircraft participation list will be updated each Thursday, once written confirmation of aircraft participation has been received from the aircraft operator. The operational theme for this year’s Air Tattoo was SKYTANKER23, which highlighted the vital role of air-to-air refuelling in modern military aviation. It was our aim to display the history of air-to-air refuelling from humble beginnings in 1923, evolving through the last century, to the modern aircraft which we see in service around the world today.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world’s largest military airshow. A record crowd of nearly 200,000 people enjoyed a feast of flying at the 2023 Air Tattoo. In total, 302 aircraft, from the Air Force, Army, Navy, representing 27 nations attended the airshow. There’s such a vast array of aircraft that were either static or flying – from the latest of; U2, B-52, Osprey, F-15, F-16, F-35, Eurofighter Typhoon, C-17, KC-135, Harrier, Grippen, (helicopters) Chinook, Sea King, Apache, Mil Gunship, Tornado, C-130’s, F-4 Phantom, to the Hurricane, Spitfire, Lancaster, P-51 Mustang, Hawker Hunter, Meteor, Vampire and SO MUCH MORE – THE LIST GOES ON! Among the flying display highlights were a number of unique flypasts with the “star” of the show, a replica Messerschmitt Me 262, making its only flying appearance on Sunday.
Whether you want to fly straight into London and sight-see before or after the show, (the RAF Hendon Air Museum is a MUST!) hire a rental car or catch a train to Swindon (1hr 10min by rental car or 1hr 50min by train from Heathrow) then onto Fairford, we can tailor arrangements to your preference. We also have access to a number of accommodation options around Fairford to suit your budget and preference.
Many of England’s best-known tourist destinations are on the doorstep of RAF Fairford. The base is a gateway to the Cotswolds, an area that combines the harmony of nature and period architecture with major shopping centres, first-class sporting facilities and excellent restaurants.