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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Catherine Wylie

The aircraft taking part in the six-minute Platinum Jubilee flypast

PA Archive

A six-minute flypast of more than 70 aircraft will feature Apache helicopters, Typhoons and The Red Arrows as part of the first day of Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Dozens of aircraft from the Royal Navy, the Army and Royal Air Force will soar over Buckingham Palace after Trooping the Colour.

First to appear in the London skies will be the Royal Navy Wildcat, Royal Navy Merlin and British Army Apache helicopters.

The Ministry of Defence said more than 70 aircraft, including aircraft used by the UK Armed Forces on operations around the world, will take part.

It will take six minutes to fly over the crowds and is expected to include more than three times the number of aircraft which took part in the Queen’s last birthday parade flypast in central London in 2019.

The Queen and members of the royal family on the balcony at Buckingham Palace watch a 2019 flypast (Victoria Jones/PA) (PA Wire)

The display will include helicopters from the Royal Navy and the Army and RAF aircraft recently seen responding to events in Kabul and Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic.

The flypast will also include highlights from the history of the RAF, with Puma and Chinook helicopters flying over the palace followed by the Lancaster, three Spitfires and two Hurricanes, all operated by the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.

Behind the Memorial Flight are five RAF training aircraft, including a Phenom from RAF Cranwell and four Texan aircraft from RAF Valley.

Three RAF Hercules aircraft are the first of the RAF’s tanker and transport fleet shown in the display.

The second wave of RAF air transport aircraft is made up of an Atlas leading a Globemaster (C-17).

Members of the royal family watch an RAF flypast to mark the centenary of the Royal Air Force (Paul Grover/Daily Telegraph/PA) (PA Archive)

Next to appear will be two aircraft of the RAF’s Intelligence Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) Force, The Poseidon and the Rivet Joint.

Then it will be the RAF Voyager, RAF Typhoon and RAF Lightning (F-35B).

The display will also feature four Lightning (F-35B) aircraft and four Hawks, and completing the flypast is the RAF Aerobatic Team (RAFAT), the Red Arrows.

The aircraft are expected to begin by gathering off the coast of Norfolk and Suffolk, before turning southwest and beginning their formation towards London.

The Red Arrows will make their approach to Buckingham Palace via flying north of Colchester and Chelmsford, Essex, before heading straight down The Mall and over Buckingham Palace.

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