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In the week preceding this year’s Farnborough International Airshow, a series of events in southern England could overshadow the traditional aerospace showcase in Hampshire. On July 10, the RAF will celebrate its 100th anniversary with a 100-aircraft flypast over central London. On July 11-12 the RAF Air Power Conference in London will attract a large international gathering. On July 13-15 the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) will also mark the RAF 100th with flypasts and provide a venue for aerospace industry engagement as well as a major public spectacle.
The RAF flypast will coincide with a service in Westminster Abbey and a parade on The Mall. Skeptics have suggested that the RAF will struggle to get 100 aircraft airworthy after the UK defense cuts of the past decade or more. The flypast is supposed to be led by three of the four F-35Bs that recently arrived at RAF Marham.
More than 70 armed services chiefs from 61 nations are expected to attend the Air Power Conference, along with 400 other delegates. “We want to look at how air power moves into the information age in terms of command and control, the recruitment of the right people, skills and mindset, and the application of new technologies. This needs to be a forward-looking, next-generation debate,” said Air Vice-Marshal Mike Wigston, the UK’s assistant chief of the Air Staff.
More than 300 aircraft are expected at RIAT, where the flying display lasts for seven hours. In addition to a major RAF presence on the ground and in the air, diverse foreign air forces will participate. Many of the delegates from the Air Power Conference will attend RIAT, as well as Farnborough. For this reason, aerospace companies have increasingly embraced RIAT to demonstrate new hardware and services and offer hospitality.
For instance, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems has announced that its new MQ-9B SkyGuardian will be on display at RIAT, after flying there from the U.S. A company spokesman confirmed to AIN that the remotely piloted aircraft would not be moving on to Farnborough for display there.
The defense industry marked a number of significant events in the week leading up to this year’s Farnborough International Airshow. On July 10, the RAF celebrated its 100th anniversary with a 100-aircraft flypast over central London. On July 11-12 the RAF Air Power Conference in London attracted a large international gathering. On July 13-15 the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) marked the RAF 100th with flypasts and provided a venue for aerospace industry engagement as well as a major public spectacle.
The RAF flypast coincided with a service in Westminster Abbey and a parade on The Mall. The flypast is supposed to be led by three of the four F-35Bs that recently arrived at RAF Marham.
More than 70 armed services chiefs from 61 nations attended the Air Power Conference, along with 400 other delegates. “We want to look at how air power moves into the information age in terms of command and control, the recruitment of the right people, skills and mindset, and the application of new technologies. This needs to be a forward-looking, next-generation debate,” said Air Vice-Marshal Mike Wigston, the UK’s assistant chief of the Air Staff.
More than 300 aircraft were expected at RIAT, where the flying display lasted for seven hours. In addition to a major RAF presence on the ground and in the air, diverse foreign air forces will participate, including many of the delegates from the Air Power Conference.
Of note General Atomics Aeronautical Systems new MQ-9B SkyGuardian was display at RIAT, but the remotely piloted aircraft would not be moving on to Farnborough for display.