RIAT Launches
Colonel Joe Dill, 420th Air Base Group commander at RAF Fairford, with a German NATO E-3A AWACs pilot Lt. Col. Hans Grunwald and Royal Air Force Air Commodore Dai Whittingham, Deputy Commander NATO Airborne Early Warning and Control Force, at the launch of the Royal International Air Tattoo, Europe's largest airshow scheduled for July 18-19 at Fairford.
The NATO E-3A AWACs, from Geilenkirchen, Germany, was taking part in the launch on June 3 to highlight the Air Tattoo's planned tribute to NATO on its 60th anniversary.
Also taking part in the launch were an RAF Nimrod from RAF Kinloss in Scotland and an RAF Search and Rescue Sea King Helicopter, reflecting the maritime theme at this summer's airshow.