RAF Cosford Air Show
Sunday 8th June 2025
Cosford is the home of the last remaining airshow hosted by the Royal Air Force. It has robustly survived, continuing to be immensely popular and attracting a sell-out audience despite a rotten run of bad luck in recent years. This year promised an exciting line-up for the enthusiast so UK Airshow Review returned to Shropshire hopeful that the Cosford Air Show had returned to its former glory.
reports, with additional photography from .
It is very sobering indeed to consider RAF Cosford’s airshow as the last one to be organised by the Royal Air Force themselves, the very organisation that probably did most to establish the airshow as we know it. Until a few short years ago the RAF used to host airshows at many of their bases the length and breadth of the country. Now it is down to one, and one which despite being the last is still very representative of the archetypal RAF show of past times; regionally immensely popular and a very effective means by which to engage with the local community. It is very comforting, arriving on site early and with anticipation in the air, that the RAF Cosford Air Show is still here and unchanged in look, feel and atmosphere since my first visit to this show around 25 years ago. There is much to see and do for such a compact airfield site.
The show has evolved with the times of course. In these days of social media the organisers are able to interact with their audience and they made the most of the opportunity to build anticipation for the show with the return of the weekly guess-the-participant emoji game that was such a hit in 2024. Sometimes immediately obvious, sometimes quite cryptic, solving the clue was a bit of fun for a Friday afternoon in the spring months, and this year revealed what was to be a very strong line-up for the airshow. The air forces of Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and Switzerland all pledged their support in addition to UK forces and some choice civilian picks. This was a very good airshow in the making, and dare we say it, promised a return to Cosford’s pre-pandemic level of content moving up a level from more recent shows.
Sadly, in the past Cosford has suffered more than its fair share of bad luck. Pledges of attendance only come to fruition when wheels touch tarmac, and as has almost become standard at Cosford, cancellations beset the programme right up to show day itself. An Airbus A400M from the Belgian Air Force and a three aircraft Irish Air Corps contingent left the static park a little short of visiting airframes, while technical issues with the French Air and Space Force’s Dassault Rafale robbed the flying display of one of the finest fast jet displays in Europe on the day before the show. While the flying display did still have other fast jets the loss of the Army Air Corps’ new Attack Helicopter Role Demonstration of two Apaches, a Wildcat and accompanying pyrotechnics was a unique item, and in entertainment terms probably a bigger loss for the majority of the audience. Its withdrawal on the evening before the show due to a Boeing-mandated grounding was disappointing indeed. However, as much as organisers and visitors alike would rue what could have been, it is true to say that this year there was sufficient strength in depth in the programme, together with some last minute substitutes, to ensure that any absences didn’t spoil the show at all. In fact, it was a very good airshow.
Due to RAF’s Cosford’s operational role as a technical training centre, the base has many instructional airframes on site, and the airshow is an opportunity for visitors to see them close up in the static display. There were many to see. Tornados, both GR1 and F2, Harrier GR3, Sea Harrier, Wessex, Hawks and many, many Jaguars packed the showground. It is wonderful to see all of this cold war hardware of course, even though this aspect of the show varies very little from year to year. There was token gesture from the operational RAF to supplement it, of a based Tutor and a Juno from nearby RAF Shawbury. Fortunately, an AH-64E Apache was flown in by the Army Air Corps before Friday night’s grounding. An NH90 Caiman from the Royal Netherlands Air Force completed the modern military contingent in the static park. It is disappointing the RAF didn’t send anything else, and perhaps too easy to assume that the based instructional airframes make up their numbers so negate the need.
There has long been a tradition here of exhibits from the on-site RAF Museum Midlands being moved into the daylight to join the static park. This year there was only one, the British Aerospace EAP technology demonstrator from the museum’s prototype collection. EAP, used to develop and test in the early days of the European Fighter Aircraft programme, was superbly presented alongside the aircraft it led to, Typhoon DA4, in the revetment or blast pen as the area is colloquially known. This was the first time EAP had appeared alongside the Typhoon and in the blast pen the pair were given a perfect photographic setting. It has been out of bounds in recent shows and it was a highlight of the day to see the location included in the showground once again. A Jaguar set in the temporary hangar adjacent was superbly posed in an operational setting but had rope barriers so close as to render photography virtually impossible; a basic and so easily corrected mistake that was repeated multiple times around historic aircraft all over the ground exhibitions. It was a frustrating inconsistency, as there were some lovely visitors on show including Spitfire IX LZ842, Hurricane I P3717, a sizeable contingent from the AAC Historic Flight and a very unusual and welcome visit from Hebridean Air Services’ Britten-Norman Islander. Whilst acknowledging it is good to get visitors close to aircraft, at times it was difficult to get a clear view much less a photograph of many of the items on display.
With so much to see on the ground a visitor does well to get round it all and get into position for a full afternoon of flying entertainment. The setting is charming and the view over the airfield from the crowdline to the distinctive turf covered Lamella hangars is a fine stage for an airshow. The runway is short, so ground operating aircraft are limited to warbirds, helicopters and lighter types but they operate from a flightline in front of the crowd and add a feeling of intimacy to the atmosphere. The RAF Falcons parachute display team launched the display with the fast moving spectacle that their display has become. The weather was less than ideal for a flying display with cloud and occasional rain, but the parachutists set the scene for the afternoon in not being deterred by the conditions. A full and thoroughly entertaining display followed. The RAF provided their portfolio of display teams. The Battle of Britain Memorial Flight have a new combination display for the season, changing the format of the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane routine to include over-crowd arrival, and for the Lancaster an over-crowd departure too. There are more formation passes at the expense of some of the solo display time previously included. This means no open bomb bay for the Lancaster and no solo aerobatics for the fighters, but the variation in the display and willingness to try something different is welcome. The BBMF were a big miss from the display circuit last season, and it is great to have them back. The Typhoon was also on top form, screaming in over the crowd into what many are saying is the best RAF Typhoon display for years, Tutor, Chinook role demo, a second appearance from the BBMF Spitfire IIa accompanied by a Spitfire PR19 and of course the Red Arrows were supplemented by a very brief appearance by an F-35B Lightning. With a single pass then a quick hover and depart the F-35 didn’t linger but the excitement it raised in the younger viewers, especially those who had never seen an aeroplane hover, was palpable. A full display routine will be very impactful should it appear in future. It has to be considered a little disappointing that the RAF couldn’t find a way to show off anything else outside of their standard displays, other than the F-35. There was a missed opportunity to do something unique at their own show.
The Polish Tiger Demo Team’s F-16C Fighting Falcon was at least as impactful as the two RAF jets on the programme. A dedication pass around the short crowdline drew gasps and applause from the crowd. Other flying display highlights may have been slower and quieter, but were varied and entertaining. Following fine solo displays from P-51D Jersey Jerk and P-47D Thunderbolt Nellie B came a late replacement for the weathered-in Great War Display Team, Kennet Aviation’s L-19 Bird Dog. Flown by Scott Butler and together with fascinating commentary the demonstration of forward air control low, slow flying seemed to strike a chord with an enthralled audience. They seemed equally captivated by Melanie Astles’ aerobatics in her Extra 330, being a perfect combination of technical brilliance and showy flamboyance. The Vintage Pair of Chipmunk T.10s, flown by Jon Higgins and David Petters, have progressed beyond their familiar formation display to include aerobatics. Their first pass down the display axis was three consecutive loops, impressively close together. What an absolute treat it was to see Chipmunk formation aerobatics again.
There was a fleeting, high and dead overhead the crowd flypast by an Airbus A330MRTT, with boom extended, of the Dutch based Multinational MRTT Unit. It was a little bizarre in its execution but a very welcome appearance. From the same country the Netherlands Air Force Historic Flight displayed their gorgeous silver Spitfire IX for the first time in 13 years in the UK. It was accompanied by their Beech 18 in support, which was a very nice bonus, departing during the flying display. The Fleet Air Arm’s fabulously named Black Cats display team of a pair of Wildcat HMA2s arrived in combination with Navy Wings’ Fairey Swordfish as Taranto formation, before their separating into their individual displays, once again displaying showmanship that elevates an airshow from a sequence of individual displays to something greater than the sum of its parts.
This reviewer’s personal highlight of the show was undoubtedly the Swiss Air Force PC-7 team. This nine ship of Pilatus PC-7s are flown not only with precision, but are wonderfully choreographed so that the action is non stop in front of the audience with their commentator pulling everything together into a spectacular and thoroughly entertaining display. Just as airshows should be. The display contains some unique manoeuvres, not least the ‘dog fight’ sequence which is a whirlpool of action. They went down a storm with the audience and with the Swiss commitment to overseas displays reduced this season, this appearance was all the more appreciated by all who enjoyed it. Unsurprisingly, the charming PC-7 Team won the Bill Hartree trophy for best flying display of the day. A solo Harvard display and the Strikemaster duo, accompanied by the rather random detonation of the Army Attack Helicopter Display’s primed but unused pyros completed a thoroughly entertaining flying display.
Cosford has its perennial problems of course. Challenges that seem to remain year on year. RAF Cosford is a compact venue, and a sold-out attendance of 50,000 is a big crowd to accommodate. This year the show felt very crowded indeed. The temporary plastic net fencing that criss crosses the airfield and bounds the car parks and walkways mean that despite the compactness of the venue getting from A to B isn’t a direct line, and it can be frustrating being funnelled through small spaces and marshalled over lanes of traffic. The strip of land for flying display spectators between carparking and crowdline is just that bit too narrow, and as a result these areas were heaving. There would seem no obvious reason why that area couldn’t be widened, even if a couple of rows of car parking were sacrificed. The Cosford Club, usually an oasis of calm, felt crowded this year, sharing facilities with the photography enclosure next door. There seemed to be no escaping what at times began to feel like overcrowding. A smaller capacity or spreading the show over two days would help immensely. It’s a challenge to take in all the show has to offer in a day, but so much more so when crowd congestion makes getting around quite difficult.
In summary then, RAF Cosford delivered a very good airshow, both for casual visitor and aviation enthusiast alike. It was an opportunity for the RAF to show the public just what it is they do at Cosford, and they did that very well. The fact that this event is such a collector’s item in being the last of many similar shows and open days on RAF bases we’ve lost over the years makes it all the more precious to the airshow scene. To be enjoyed while we have it, and that, hopefully, is a long time to come.