RIAT 2005 Press Release (Dec 06th '04)
MiG-NIFICENT START FOR AIR TATTOO '05
Legendary Soviet aircraft from the Cold War era are set to be among the star attractions at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on July 16 & 17.
The Romanian Air Force has agreed to send four MiG-21 'LanceR' aircraft to the world's largest military airshow and organisers are quietly confident of other Eastern and Central European participation. The MiG-21 is one of the most famous Soviet Cold War fighter aircraft and the four from the Romanian Air Force will be in the UK next summer to conduct a joint exercise with 617 Sqn, the Dambusters, at RAF Lossiemouth.
The Tattoo was the first airshow to feature aircraft from former Eastern Bloc countries following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. The historic appearance of a Russian TU-95 'Bear' at the Tattoo in 1993 paved the way for a number of rarely-seen Eastern European aircraft appearing in the West.
The Romanian MiG-21 is among a number of special aircraft the Tattoo hopes to showcase next year. Others include the ever-popular F-117A stealth fighter and the B-2 stealth bomber from the US Air Force plus the latest fast jets Europe has to offer. They also hope approval will be given for a number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to make an appearance.
Tattoo Director Tim Prince said he is constantly bombarded by enthusiasts calling for aircraft from Central and Eastern Europe to appear at the Tattoo and he was pleased to be in a position to announce the Romanians' participation.
"For many years these aircraft had been firmly hidden behind the Iron Curtain and it has only been during the past decade or so that we have been privileged to view them. The Tattoo has enjoyed close relations with the Romanian Air Force for a number of years and in 2001 we helped develop their airshow at Mihail Kogalniceanu airfield into a truly international event. We are delighted that they are able to come here and display."