Royal Air Force Airshow
RAF Cosford, United Kingdom Dateline 8th June 2025
The Royal Air Force’s premier airshow took place once again at RAF Cosford, United Kingdom in early June and Airways Magazine is pleased to bring some expert coverage from one of our roving UK reporters.
As usual with this event not only do you have access to the RAFs premier International Airshow primarily highlighting RAF frontline aviation capabilities, but also a major Royal Air Force Museum containing many famous exhibits, which document advances in British military aviation in the last eighty years. The museum includes a history of major aviation development as well as referencing notable events in the history of the Royal Air Force, this will be a feature of a future Airways Magazine article alongside a number of other museum visits in the U.K.
As well as being home to the R.A.F. Museum (Midlands) R.A.F. Cosford is also the home of RAF engineering and has a large selection of decommissioned aircraft from both the RAF and indeed the former Royal Aircraft Establishment so a visit to this airfield allows the visitor to see aircraft captive in their original squadron colours and markings but long since retired from active duty. These aircraft form part of a much wider static display of STEM demonstrations (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) as evidenced by demonstrations in the main hangar area.
Another benefit of a visit to this annual show is the opportunity to see several of the museum's exhibits sitting alongside those aircraft used in the engineering apprentice training role, indeed wandering inside the extensive museum is a historic collection of developmental aircraft, a number of which are occasionally rotated outside and given “their day in the sun” to form part of a formidable and interesting static display.
Alongside these exhibits is the nostalgia of the tented Victory village and wandering around this area, one was immediately drawn to a couple of the most interesting aircraft in the static, notably Spitfire 1X /G-CGZU coded EF-F owned in the United Kingdom by Mark Arwyn Bennett and based at the famous WW2 airfield of Biggin Hill, just outside London. With the delightful lines of a privately owned Hawker Hurricane and the RAFs Museums own Spitfire in attendance this made for a magnificent salute to commemorations here in the United Kingdom celebrating the 80th Anniversary of V.E Day (Victory in Europe). Incidentally, the theme of this year’s show was indeed Commemorate, Celebrate, and Innovate and it is fair to say each was demonstrated to some aplomb with the mixture of aviation history and cutting-edge aviation technology both on the ground and in the air. As if to demonstrate the old and the new, two aircraft taking pride of place on the ground were the BAe EAP (Experimental Aircraft Programme) and a Eurofighter DA4.
Long since retired the EAP has been housed inside for many years but was at one time at the forefront of technologies now incorporated in the aircraft parked alongside it, the Eurofighter Typhoon, with this example being prototype DA4, others included DA1 To DA7. ZH590 being one of seven development aircraft built with varying equipment fits and flight test roles. Both aircraft provided a vital role in developing technologies evident in the Eurofighter fleet of today! It was a pleasure to see both aircraft nestled adjacent to each other and a gesture warmly appreciated by those with in interest in photography. Elsewhere in the showground was a welcome international appearance by the Netherlands Air Force displaying their NH Industries NH90. In Europe, the NH90 is also in operation with French, German, Italian and Spanish air arms alongside a dozen other countries, the NH90 is notable for being the first fly by wire helicopter to enter service.
After a glorious morning, the weather became somewhat overcast for the start of the flying routines, but making one’s way down to the flight line alongside the runway the occasional light shower allowed for some spectacular photography which in many ways made the air display even more enjoyable. As is unusual the R.A.F. Falcons parachute display team opened the display, with a polished arrival in front of an assembled sell-out crowd of some 50,000 onlookers. This display was followed by the venerable RAF Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight with their as ever graceful routine paying tribute to those airmen and women who both served and were lost in battle in World Ward Two, a rapturous round of applause followed as the crowd were appreciative of the sacrifice made and the homage paid. In a change of pace next up was the frontline RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 with an ear-splitting display of low level aerodynamics under what was now a blanket of low dark skies, the audience were unfazed by the weather with vapour trails in abundance as this year’s display pilot Squadron Leader Nathan Shawyer gave an impressive and exhilarating performance of the aircraft’s low level capabilities.
Next to display was a nod to the contribution by allied air forces in WW2 and the beautifully restored U.K based Republic P-47 Thunderbolt 54912. The P-47 was one of the main United States Army Air Forces fighters of WW2, many P-47s were involved in the D Day landings over Normandy, France flying combat missions to soften up enemy emplacements prior to the main landing force at Omaha Beach. The aircraft went on to provide combat support missions throughout Europe from USAAF bases across Southern England. Continuing the Allied Forces theme there next followed a glorious routine by Spitfire LF MK732 of 322 Squadron and The Royal Netherlands Air Force Historical Flight Foundation. Manufactured in 1943 this aircraft also participated in the D-Day landings and again provided a whiff of nostalgia for the assembled crowd. After a delightful demonstration and tight display by a Grob Tutor, the RAFs lead-in basic trainer, it was back to some heavy metal thunder with a short salute to the crowd the latest entrant to RAF service the F35B lightning, a fifth-generation multi role steal fighter. The F35 is now a key component of UK air power capable of air to surface strike, electronic warfare and simultaneous intelligence gathering operating from both land and sea. A deafening display with hi speed flybys and gut-wrenching turns culminated in a demonstration of full STOL capabilities before the aircraft returned to home base at RAF Marham in Eastern England where the RAF currently have forty-eight aircraft on strength. After the deafening departure of the F35 it was time to take a breath with an immaculately choregraphed display by the UK based Vintage Pair De Haviland Chipmunks. Some 60 years ago the Chipmunk was another example of a lead-in basic trainer with the RAF, the Vintage Pair gave a fine display of expert close formation flying and opposition passes leading us nicely into similar exploits by The Royal Air Force Aerobatic display Team The Red Arrows. Following on their heels was a similar performance by the “Swiss PC-7 Team”, a name derived by use of their Pilatus PC-7 turboprop trainers. For many then came the highlight of the show with the U.K debut of the Polish General Dynamics F-16 Tiger Team, The F-16s were acquired in the mid-2000s with the Polish air Force acquiring 48 F-16C and D block 52 aircraft. Careering around the skies the F16 was a fantastic crowd pleaser providing the audience with another gut-wrenching display of impressive aerobatics demonstrating the low-level capabilities of this stunning aircraft.
Creating an itinerary for any airshow especially one containing military hardware is always problematic, especially given World events and two aircraft which were pencilled in to display but fell foul of operational difficulties were the French Air Force Dassault Rafale and the Belgian Air Force Airbus A400M, but it is fair to say the appearance of the Polish F16 certainly made up for these disappointments.
No Cosford show would be complete without a nod to the helicopter air wing of the RAF and notably a crowd favourite the versatile heavy-lift Chinook which closed the show after six hours. Having seen service in numerous campaigns, notably The Falklands conflict, Iraq, and latterly Afghanistan it is always a popular display and one which defied gravity, as it was thrown around the skies with great simplicity. A fitting end to a superb display of airmanship from a varying number of types throughout the whole afternoon.
Airways Magazine wish to thank to Sqn Ldr Chris Wilson and Sarah Jones at RAF Cosford.
