Red Arrows dazzle 50,000 fans at Cosford Air Show

The red, white and blue superstars of the sky delighted 50,000 aviation fans as the RAF Cosford Air Show returned for the first time in three years.

The RAF Red Arrows performed over the Shropshire air base on Sunday at the first post-Covid event.

From their temporary weekend base at nearby RAF Shawbury, the seven jets emerged shortly after 15:30 BST to form the centrepiece of the afternoon's flying action that also saw fighter jet performances by pilots from France and Belgium.

Red Arrows Squadron Leader Graeme Muscat said: "It's fast, it's dynamic, it's exciting. We do what we do best, which is put on a great show for the crowd."

The Red Arrows are booked to appear at 65 shows across the UK in 2022

The 20-minute display is created by Squadron Leader Tom Bould, who is Red 1

In 2022, the Red Arrows are flying in a seven-aircraft formation, although they use nine for major national flypasts

The Red Arrows are BAE Systems Hawk T1 aircraft and have been flying since 1965

The Arrows' 110-strong support team is known as the Blues, because of their display overalls

Each of the Red Arrows pilots has experience of flying the RAF Tornado or Typhoon

The display team is closing in on 5,000 performances since being formed

Reds 6 and 7 are known as the Synchro Pair, performing the opposition manoeuvres

The show's finale sees the jets reach speeds of 360 knots, pulling a G-force of 6G

The display is split into two halves - large shape aerobatics before the team splits into smaller sections