BRITAIN’S iconic Red Arrows were saved by Sir Keir Starmer today from being replaced by Russian-designed jets.
The PM swooped in to stop RAF chiefs selling out by trading in the UK’s ageing fleet of hawks for M-346s.
Following of the “outrageous”; plan, on a visit to the Land Rover manufacturing plant in Solihull, the PM vowed that no new jets would be crafted by “warmongering Russia”;.
Pressed to guarantee Putin’s blood would not flow into the iconic aerobatic team, Sir Keir said: “Yes, of course, that will be uppermost in my mind.
“I can give you that guarantee.
“It's very, very important that we don't have Russian influence in the Red Arrows or anything else for that matter.”
The RAF was weighing up turning to Mad Vlad Putin as the factory that made the BAE Hawks closed in 2020 and the leading UK alternative is years away.
Since being set up in 1954, The Red Arrows have flown British-made aircraft — first the Folland Gnat and then the BAE Hawk.
Predecessors the Black Arrows flew British Hawker Hunters.
But the team’s Hawk T1s are due to be retired by 2030 while the newer Hawk T2s, desperately needed for pilot training, have been beset by engine problems.
They are due to go in 2040, but in November new Chief Air Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said: “I would like to replace the Hawk T2 as soon as we can.”;
Bristol-based Aeralis are the best-placed UK firm to step in, but are yet to make a prototype. Other options include a revamped BAE Hawk, a US trainer, or the Korean KAI T-50 Golden Eagle.
