World's fastest fighter jets to soar across Gloucestershire skies during next year's Royal International Air Tattoo

The Royal International Air Tattoo is bringing some of the world's fastest jets to Gloucestershire next summer, as part of its exciting event theme for 2026.

The world's biggest military airshow has officially announced its return next July, following a hugely successful 2025 which saw a record crowd of over 178,000 people flock to RAF Fairford, with tickets selling 'at record pace' for the third year in a row.

And bringing extra thrills for event-goers of all ages, next year's theme, Fighter Meet, will see fighter jets from around the world take to the Gloucestershire skies, including those used in air-to-air combat in the last century along with some modern examples.

RIAT's head of air operations, Peter Reoch said: 'Our Fighter Meet theme is an exciting opportunity to showcase a myriad of aircraft types, particularly fast jets, which are always popular with our visitors.

'As always, our aspiration is to provide an eclectic mix of aircraft from around the world for our visitors to view in July.'

As 2026 marks 30 years since Royal status was granted to the event, there's also a special 'sub-theme' of Royal Flight, too, with a gathering of aircraft used to transport Royal VIPs.

With awe-inspiring displays of hundreds of military aircraft from around the world, both in the air and on the ground, RIAT draws thousands of visitors of all ages to RAF Fairford every year.

Its flagship ground attraction, the Techno Zone® will again be 'a hive of activity' in 2026, with interactive exhibits to entertain visitors of all ages, while there's hospitality for all with a variety of food and drink, shopping and entertainment, both in its enclosures and across the showground.

All proceeds from the event go to its parent charity, the Royal Air Force Charitable Trust (RAFCT), which works to inspire young people to fulfil their potential in STEM, with particular focus on air, space and technology.

In the last three years, grants from the charity have enabled over 750,000 young people aged 5 to 25 to engage in STEM activities.

The specific aircraft participating in next year's event are set to be announced early next year, with tickets on sale now at airtattoo.com.