Military Jets Photography: August 2011

2005 09 03 Koksijde Airshow

Every year Koksijde airbase helds it's airshow the first weekend of July. But this year the show was postponed untill the first weekend of September, as the usual date was dedicated to the Defence Days.
The organisers had prepared a mixed programme with some vintage jet, some display teams and some military solo displays.
The Belgian Air Force was well represented in the flying display with demonstrations of the Fouga Magister, the F-16AM, the Alouette II and III, a Falcon 20 (which is very rare) and off course the Sea King. Vintage jets were present in the form of a T-33A, a F-86A, a Folland Gnat and a Jet Provost. A regular display team at Koksijde is the Danish Baby Blue Team flying their 4 T-17's. Patrouille de France had to challenge the lovely weather with a hazy sky. This sky made it also very challeging to make some good pictures.
Other military were a PC-7 from the Netherlands, a Danish F-16, a French Mirage 2000C but the star of the show must have been the MiG-29UB from the Hungarian Air Force. This one alone was worth the small trip to Koksijde.
This year I choosed to stay outside the base and try my luck at the Burgweg. This wasn't too bad because the sun was in my back but most aircraft banked too early which didn't resulted in the shots I wanted. Next year I'll try another spot more to the west.

ERJ-145LR Belgian Air Force CE-04

MiG-29UB Hungarian Air Force 26

MiG-29UB Hungarian Air Force 26

MiG-29UB Hungarian Air Force 26

2005 07 20 Kleine Brogel COMAO

Kleine Brogel, home of the 10th Tactical Wing, Belgian Armed Forces, hosted a large Operational Integration Exercise during July with the participation of seventy aircraft and almost two hundred and fifty aircrew. A spottersday was held on Wednesday 20 July.
The first jets that drew our attention when entering the base were four Romanian Air Force MiG-21s, a single Su-22UM-3K, in a attractive tiger colour scheme, and a CASA 295, both from the Polish Air Force. The tone of which caliber this spottersday was made of, was set immediately. And throughout the day the quality wouldn't slip back.
Unfortunately the Romanians and the Polish didn't fly in the COMAO. But there were some other very interesting participants in the form of two French Navy Rafale Ms together with four Super Etendards from 11F and 17F. Two other exotic aircraft came from Araxos, Greece, namely an A-7E and a TA-7C. Other aircrafts came from Danemark, Czech Republic, France, Germany and Switzerland.
During the spottersday the organisers managed to attract some very nice visitors. Among them were a Canberra and a Jaguar from the RAF, a pair of Tucanos from the French Air Force, a F-4F from the Germans, a Cougar from the Netherlands Air Force as well a Mi-35 from the Czechs.
The day was filled with take-offs, landings and flypasts of the aircrafts participating in the DACT and the COMAO excercise, the visiting aircrafts espacially for the spotterday or from various aircraft in the vicinity, which included aircraft training for the National flypast in Brussels the next day.
All the organising staff from 10 Tactical Wing at Kleine Brogel should be applauded for organising such a fine spectacle.

MiG-21MF-75 Romanian Air Force 6707

MiG-21MF-75 Romanian Air Force 6305

Su-22UM-3K Polish Air Force 707

F-16AM Belgian Air Force FA-94

Tornado IDS German Air Force 45+45
That impressive line-up at Kleine Brogel

Sea King Mk48 Belgian Air Force RS04

Super Etendard French Navy 30

Mirage 2000C French Air Force 12-YN/103

Tornado IDS German Air Force 45+09

Mirage 2000D French Air Force 3-JV/651

Mirage 2000D French Air Force 3-IM/603

F-16AM Danish Air Force E-195

Rafale M French Navy 2

Rafale M French Navy 9

TA-7C Hellenic Air Force 154477

Super Etendard French Navy 31

2005 07 17 RIAT Fairford

The Royal International Air Tattoo, also known as the biggist airshow in the world was held during the weekend of 16 and 17 July. With over 300 aircraft participating each year, more then 170,000 visitors and support from the Royal Air Force, this is a show not to miss.
After some years on the FRIAT stand, I changed my 5 days of RIAT into 1 day. Early Sunday morning we left home to catch the Eurotunnel for the cross under the Channel. We arrived around 6 o'clock on the Red parking. Once entered on the showground I began with a walk in the static.
RIAT 2005 had three themes: Tiger Roar, the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations and the main theme Surveillance. 'Tigers Roar' was likely to provide a number of special colour schemes but this was not the case. There were a couple of nicely painted or decorated Tigers like the Puma HC1 and the Lynx AH7 from the RAF, a KC-135R from the USAF and the Merlin HM1 from the Royal Navy. All Tiger associated airplanes were parked together except for two, a Polish Air Force Su-22M-3K and a Spanish Air Force EF-18B were to be found within the fighter park.
For the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations there was a display of helicopters and transport aircraft from various nations. The rotary winged element of this part of the static was both impressive and varied and included a German Army CH-53G, Dutch AS532 Cougar, a Lithuanian Air Force Mil Mi-8 and Italian Air Force HH-3F Pelican. Also from Italy were three AB-412s, one from the Army and two from the Guardia di Finanza. Additional to all the helicopters, transport types utilised on UN operations were also well represented by examples of the GAF Transall C-160D, Italian G222, Romanian An-26 and, of course, the C-130 Hercules.
Surveillance 05 was the main theme at RIAT this year, and this theme managed to attract some rare types to Fairford. These include a French Air Force C-160G 'Gabriel' and a AS532UL Cougar 'Horizon' from the French Army, a recce Phantom from the Hellenic Air Force, the RAF brought a Sentry AEW1, Nimrod R1 and a Canberra PR9 and the Italians came with a BR1150 Atlantic.
After the static it was time for some flying action. The flying programme, as always, was full, long and varied, with fast jets, display teams, aerobatic displays and a few historic pistons. The RAF supported the event with everything that was allowed to make a flying display: C-17, Tornado GR4, Tornado F.3, Jaguar GR3A, Harrier GR7, Hawk T1, Tucano T1, Chinook HC2, Merlin HC3, Hercules C5, Blue Eagles, JetsreamT2, 4 Sea Harriers, Black Cats and the famous Red Arrows (who flew an unique flypast with three Spitfires). 2005 also saw the first year of the Typhoon solo display and making its debut on a airshow was an UAV (unmaned airborne vehicle) in the form of the Scan Eagle. Unfortunately 2005 saw also the last solo displays of the Tornado F.3, the Jaguar GR3A and the Sea Harriers. The US came with their F-16 East Coast Demonstration Team, a B-1b and a B-52H, both making some fly passes before landing. Other acts were a French Air Force Mirage 2000B, a Dutch F-16 and a Finnish Air Force F/A-18C, a civilian Hunter, FRADU Hawks and Falcon 20's. As always the Royal Jordanian Falcons are almost a fact a RIAT. Other display teams were the Frecce Tricolori from Italy and Patrulla Aguila from Spain.
Although not the best Air Tattoo I've been to, it was still a very enjoyable airshow, with the best weather we could have.