THE RED ARROWS 1991 (BRITISH AEROSPACE)

This pamphlet is illustrated in nice bright colours.

The Squadron of the Red Arrows 1991 is individually presented. 

ABOUT THE RED ARROWS 

The Red Arrows, officially known as the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, is the aerobatics display team of the Royal Air Force (RAF) based at RAF Waddington. The team was formed in late 1964 as an all-RAF team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by RAF commands.

The Red Arrows have a prominent place in British popular culture, with their aerobatic displays a fixture of British summer events. The badge of the Red Arrows shows the aircraft in their trademark diamond nine formation, with the motto Éclat, a French word meaning "brilliance" or "excellence".

Initially, they were equipped with seven Folland Gnat trainers inherited from the RAF Yellowjacks display team. This aircraft was chosen because it was less expensive to operate than front-line fighters. In their first season, they flew at 65 shows across Europe. In 1966, the team was increased to nine members, enabling them to develop their Diamond Nine formation. In late 1979, they switched to the BAE Hawk trainer. The Red Arrows have performed over 4,800 displays in 57 countries worldwide.

(Source : wikipedia.org)

ABOUT BRITISH AEROSPACE 

Upon formation in 1977, British Aerospace became the largest defence contractor in Europe and established itself as one of the world's leading aerospace companies.

British Aerospace (BAe) was formed as a statutory corporation on 29th April 1977 as a result of the Aircraft and Shipbuilders Industries Act of the same year.  The company brought together the British Aircraft Corporation , Hawker Siddeley Aviation , Hawker Siddeley Dynamics and Scottish Aviation.

In February 1981, the Government sold 51.57% of the shares in British Aerospace in order to return the company to private ownership.  The remaining shares were finally sold in April 1985 but the Government retained a single, £1 'Golden share' that would allow it to veto any possibility of foreign ownership.

In 1986, British Aerospace became a lead partner in Eurofighter GmbH along with Alenia Aeronautica, CASA and DASA for the development and production of the Eurofighter Typhoon.  A year later it acquired Royal Ordnance, the government-owned British armaments manufacturer, which continues today as BAE Systems Global Combat Systems Munitions.

In what was a surprising move, British Aerospace then acquired The Rover Group after the troubled car maker was privatised by the government and split away from its British Leyland roots.  Within 3 years however, British Aerospace faced troubled times with difficult ventures into telecommunications (Hutchinson Telecommunications – Orange Plc) and naval systems (SEMA).  One of the major casualties was the former Vickers Factory at Brooklands, Weybridge, ending aircraft activities after over 80 years of aviation activity.

A major restructuring of the Board and a rationalisation of many of the historic manufacturing sites followed including the sell-off of non-core business interests such as Rover (to BMW in 1994) and its portfolio of property management and development companies. 

The company continued to invest, not only new technologies but also in its existing range of products and services such as the BAe Harrier, BAe Hawk military jets and its range of 146 civil airliners.

(Source : baesystems.com)