“Red Arrows” visit “Wings of Storm” at Zemunik base

The members of the British aerobatic team were welcomed by the UK Ambassadotr to the Republic of Croatia  Andrew Stuart Dalgleish, the Croatian Assistant Defence Minister Petar Mihatov, the UK Defence Attaché to the Republic of Croatia, Lt. Col. John Anthony Carswell Kelly, the Chief of Staff of the 93rd Air Base Lt.Col. Mario Pleša, the pilots of the “Wings of Storm” Aerobatic Team and the Team Leader, Cpt. Darko Belančić and the Team Advisor, Lt. Col.  Damir Barišić.
Arriving in the Base at Zemunik the “Red Arrows” performed a salute leaving colour trails .
The Red Arrows Team is composed of  120 members, and the displays are flown by nine pilots on BAE HAWK  T-1.
The Ambassador, H.E. Andrew Stuart Dalgleish praised the visit of the UK aerobatic group to the Croatian Air Force and Air Defence affirming the co-operation and friendly relations between the two aerobatic teams and the partnership between the ministries of defence of the Republic of Croatia and the United Kingdom.  “The bilateral co-operation has so far mostly engaged  Army and Navy units, and we are now extending it to the Air Force as well. We wish to further intensify it , and this visit is an excellent example of the partnership between the Republic of Croatia and the United Kingdom.
The “Red Arrows” Leader, Major David Montenegro expressed satisfaction over the visit to Zemunik and to the excellent Croatian aerobatic team “Wings of Storm“  “The manoeuvres performed by the  “Wings of Storm” are most demanding, which we particularly respect. Our wish is to see joint  activities of the two aerobatic teams during our departures or returs from Cyprus, where we rehearse our flying programme“, said  Major Montenegro.
The “Wings of Storm“ Team Leader, Cpt. Darko Belančić said the Team enjoyed hosting one of the world’s most famous aerobatic teams.  “We last met at the “Royal International Air Tattoo”, the most prestigious international air show, when we won the award for the best overall performance. We then suggested the Red Arrows visit us in Zadar, and  through our talks with the British team the mutual interest was expressed in continuing mutual visits and joint activities and making them a tradition“,said Cpt. Belančić.
The British Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team “Red Arrows” was established in 1965; over the past 52 official seasons it has performed  over 4800 times in 57 countries. The record year was  1995, when they flew as many as 136 performances in a year. The Tean’s full sequence is 25 minutes long and contains some 25 manoeuvres , dynamic and eye-catching trailing the national flag of the UK. The “Wings of Storm“ and  “Red Arrows” first performed jointly at an international air show in 2010, at the occasion of marking the 50th anniversary  of the Italian aerobatic unit  -the  “Frecce Tricolori”, and repeated it at the Royal International Air Tattoo  in the RAF Fairford Base in the UK in 2016.