Aircraft
Emirati Knights Parade New Steeds
The UAE’s national aerobatic team is now flying the Hongdu L-15 Falcon from China
Al Fursan Dubai Airshow 2025
© David McIntosh/AIN

Fursan al-Emarat (the Knights of the Emirates)—the UAE’s national aerobatic team—is making its first public appearance with its new mounts in Dubai. Having flown the Leonardo MB-339NAT since the team’s formation in 2008, Al Fursan (the Knights) have now switched to the Chinese Hongdu L-15 Falcon advanced trainer.

UAE interest in the L-15 dates back several years. During the 2022 UMEX/SIMTEX exhibition in Abu Dhabi, China’s CATIC export organization announced an order from the UAE for 12, plus 36 options. Visitors to the Dubai Airshow in the previous year had been treated to a preview of the type when CATIC displayed the L-15A with a non-afterburning AI-222-25 engine.