The Red Arrows have postponed their return to the UK after a prolonged period of forecast poor weather in north-eastern Canada forced the team to delay its Atlantic crossing. The RAF aerobatic unit, which recently completed a tour of the US, is now staying at CFB Goose Bay, a Canadian military base in Newfoundland and Labrador, until conditions improve.
In a statement, the Red Arrows said: “Due to a prolonged period of forecasted poor weather in the north-eastern regions of Canada, the team is postponing its return Atlantic crossing until further notice. The intention remains to fly the Red Arrows’ Hawk aircraft back to RAF Waddington, Lincolnshire, and recommence the summer season as soon as the jets are recovered to the UK.”
Post-tour maintenance and leave
While the team waits, the Hawk T1 jets are set to undergo a period of planned post-tour maintenance at the base. A number of personnel deployed on the tour will take their mandated mid-season leave with their families in the UK.
The Red Arrows said the weather is currently “outside of operational limits” for the ageing Hawk T1 jets. The conditions have already seen the aircraft forced to return to Goose Bay on one occasion.
Careful planning needed for Atlantic crossing
Crossing the North Atlantic in the single-engine jets, which cannot refuel mid-air, “requires extremely careful planning and the right conditions”, the RAF said. The team is expected to fly home via Greenland and Iceland.
The Hawk T1s have flown with the Red Arrows at airshows since 1980 and are due to go out of service in March 2030. No decision has been made on a replacement, which has sparked fears the military could struggle to find a successor in time.
Future of the Red Arrows fleet
The firm behind the only UK-designed-and-built contender to replace the Hawk entered administration in May, raising the chances that the team will be flying foreign jets for the first time in the future. The Red Arrows are currently flying with seven aircraft rather than their iconic nine for most displays as they transition “to a future aircraft type”.
The move is aimed at enabling forward planning around engineering resources and fleet viability.
Operation Eagle Hawk
The Red Arrows’ tour of the United States, known as Operation Eagle Hawk, began in June. It has included performances in Washington DC, Michigan and most notably New York City for celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of American independence on July 4.
No date has been set for the Red Arrows’ return to the UK, with the team’s next scheduled display due to be at the Eastbourne International Airshow on August 14.
