Daredevil Red Arrows get much-needed makeover to keep flag flying high By Marco Giannangeli
THE Red Arrows are to be given a new lease of life – with a muchneeded lick of paint.
The famous fighter jets, which have delighted crowds across the country for almost 60 years – including at Scarborough on Armed Forces Day last weekend – are to be given a makeover as part of the Ministry of Defence’s “Surface Finish” (SF) project.
While the 40-year-old Hawkt1 Is to be retired from the RAF and Royal Navy, the hope is the new paint job will ensure the jets continue to serve the Royalair Force’saerobaticteam for years to come.
The Mod’s Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) branch is to award an eight-year “smartening up” paint contract as part of the project. It will apply to all fighter jets, including thetyphoon, but will be particularly effective in protecting the older Red Arrow Hawks from the wear and tear caused by things such as pollution.
“An efficient, effective, and reliable SF capability can reduce the likelihood of early equipment and component failure,” according to a DE&S document. “This in turn improves mission survivability.”
Companies invited to tender will be told this virtual “makeover” is intended to extend the in-service life of all aircraft, saving taxpayers’ money for new planes.
An RAF source said: “It’s good to know that every aircraft will receive a new paint job which in many cases is long overdue.
“This means that the Red Arrows and other aircraft will once again look as if they have just arrived for operational duty.
“In the case of the Red Arrows, it will also go far to extend their operational lives.”
The Red Arrows first took to the skies in 1964, and other moves to keep them flying will include using “black” Hawkt1s pulled from active service for spare parts.