RAF makes great showing at RIAT 2005.

The Royal Air Force provided many of the highlights of this year's Royal International Air Tattoo held over the weekend of 16th and 17th July at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. Of note was the fantastic flypast by the Red Arrows, who were joined by two Spitfire MkXIXs under clear blue skies.

The static display was littered with examples of all of the RAF types many sporting colourful anniversary markings.Themes of RIAT this year included Surveillence and it was great to see a No 51 Squadron Nimrod R1 joining many other intellegence gathering types from around the world. Also there was a gathering of NATO Tiger Squadrons for which the No 230 Squadron Puma in full Tiger markings provided the highlight for many.

The flying display was filled with all of the RAF display teams and highlights included the first full display of an RAF Typhoon at Fairford togther with the Tornado, Jaguar and Harrier fast jets. The Lyneham Transport Wing provided a "missing man" flypast by three Hercules aircraft as a tributre to the crew lost in Iraq earlier this year.

Amongst the other aircraft taking part over the weekend were a Boeing 757 operated by DHL, the Royal Navy displayed four Sea Harrier F/A-2 aircraft to mark the type's retirement from service later this year. Of the foreign types on show was from the RNLAF, a magnificent display by one of their AH-64 Apache helicopters, which twice deployed flares while inverted at the top of a loop. The Polish Airforce Su-22 in Tiger markings together with the Hellenic F-4 Phantom and A-7 Corsair were the obvious stars of the static lineup.

The images below were captured by Keith Draycott at the show.