The Red Arrows will get new jets as part of a £15bn increase in military spending, the government has announced.
According to the UK’s defence investment plan (DIP), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has committed to investing £360m in developing a new “British Jet Trainer System”, which will include “new jets for the Red Arrows to replace the ageing Hawk aircraft”.
Last month, the team said it would fly with fewer aircraft at most displays in a bid to extend the lifespan of the Hawk, which entered service in the 1980s.
Welcoming the announcement, former Red Arrows pilot Andy Wyatt said: “It provides much-needed certainty that the process of replacing the Hawk aircraft is finally moving forward.”
He said: “The aircraft chosen must meet the RAF’s operational requirements, but I hope equal weight will be given to supporting British engineering, protecting highly skilled jobs and preserving sovereign aerospace capability.
“The aircraft carrying the famous red, white and blue smoke for decades to come should be a symbol of the very best that Britain can design, build and support.”
