Commander of the Royal Saudi Air Forces (RSAF) Lieutenant General Turki bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz attended the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT 2024) opening held at RAF Fairford in the United Kingdom.
Accompanied by a delegation from the Saudi Ministry of Defense, the Commander watched the airshows, explored the accompanying exhibition pavilions, and visited the Royal Saudi Air Force pavilion, which featured a section for the Saudi Hawks that highlights their accomplishments over the past 25 years using various technologies, including Virtual Reality.
The Commander also held a meeting with the Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, Lieutenant General David Alvin, and the British Chief of the Air Staff Rich Knighton, during which they discussed ties and topics of common interest, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The three day Royal International Air Tattoo was held from Friday (July 19) through to Sunday, July 21. The annual air show at RAF Fairford attracts around 150,000 visitors and is one of the biggest events in UK’s annual calendar.
Meantime, the Saudi Hawks team, affiliated to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), performed their aerial displays at “RIAT 2024” airshow. Characterized by harmony and precision, their performance garnered enthusiastic applause from the audience with intricate formations and complex maneuvers.
The team had a dedicated tent at the exhibition, which saw a large turnout. It served as a meeting point for visitors and the team, a venue for cultural interaction, and offered Saudi coffee along with several commemorative gifts.
RIAT 2024 is expected to attract thousands of visitors, similar to RIAT 2023, which drew over 150,000 attendees, according to the show organizers.
In addition to the Saudi Hawks, among those aircraft soaring and roaring over the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside for RIAT were the ever-popular Royal Air Force (RAF) Red Arrows display team. An Italian Eurofighter, a Turkish F16, a RAF F35 and a Spitfire.
RIAT has been running for 52 years and raises money for the RAF Charitable Trust.
