The Red Arrows are taking to the skies today to commemorate Armed Forces Day.
If you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of the impressive displays, you might just be in luck today if you’re on or near one of the flight paths.
Red Arrows are Hawk T1 fast-jets, which can reach a maximum speed of 660mph, while they can exceed the speed of sound in a dive.
At 11.45 am, the famous fleet will perform at the Isle of Wight display for the Battle of Britain.
Around 12.21 pm, they will be visible at Bournemouth, before flying overseas and reaching Southend airport to stop for a break.
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Just after 5 pm, the Red Arrows will leave Southend Airport, passing over Gravesend and flying over Pembury in Kent at 5.08 pm.
The famous planes will then fly over Kent again, reaching Benenden at 5.14 pm, before reaching Headcorn at 5.15 pm.
They will then pass Harrietsham at 5.49 pm, and be visible near Sheppey around 5.50 pm.
Today’s displays are for the Battle of Britain show, and will include flights by Spitfire and Hurricane planes, both of which were involved in the actual battle during World War Two.
From July 10, 1940, until October 31, the Battle of Britain raged over British skies.
It overlapped with the Blitz which saw German bombs rain down on London and other UK cities such as Bristol, Cardiff, Belfast, and Glasgow.
Where are the Red Arrows based, and how do you join?
Anyone dreaming of becoming a Red Arrow pilot needs to have a minimum of 1,500 flying hours under their belt, have completed a frontline, operational tour and be assessed above average as a pilot.
The home of the Red Arrows, aptly nicknamed ‘The Reds,’ is at the RAF Waddington base in Lincolnshire.
The arrows moved there in late 2022 after 40 years at RAF Scampton.
In case you didn’t catch the Red Arrows in London this year, you can find all the landmarks that will be illuminated in red, white and blue tonight here.
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