Three military aerobatic teams from Europe will appear in the daily flying display here, interspersed with a dozen solo acts. The Spanish air force Patrulla Aguila (Eagle Patrol) is making its Dubai debut, flying seven CASA 101 jet trainers. The Patrouille de France and the UK Royal Air Force Red Arrows are making return appearances. Among the solo performers, the MiG-29 OVT will likely attract the most attention.
Test pilot Mikhail Belyaev will demonstrate the Russian fighter’s enhanced agility, thanks to thrust-vectoring (TV) of its two RD-33 turbofans. Unfortunately, the U.S. Air Force canceled a plan to bring the new Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor to Dubai, thus denying the Dubai crowd a chance to compare this stealthy, fifth-generation fighter’s own TV performance with that of the MiG.
But Stealth will still be on display here, as the Lockheed Martin F-117 makes probably its last international appearance before retirement. The U.S. Navy will show off an F/A-18F Super Hornet, and Lockheed Martin pilots Troy Pennington and William Gigliotti will alternately fly an F-16E belonging to the UAE Air Force. The planned appearance of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle has been stymied by that type’s grounding.
