The U.S. Air Force F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team will perform its only public European display of 2026 this week at Farnborough. Major Sean Loughlin (“RAMBO”) is flying demonstrations during the trade-day flying display Monday through Thursday, serving as the centerpiece of what’s shaping up to be a record-breaking airshow.
Farnborough International Airshow 2026 opens today, July 20, running through Friday, July 24, at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire. Trade-only sessions fill the first three days; the public takes over Thursday and Friday, with Friday designated as a family and STEM day. The response has been overwhelming. Exhibition space sold out twice over, prompting organizers to add a sixth hall with 5,000 square metres of additional display space. The surge reflects record participation. CEO Gareth Rogers attributes the shift to a historic rebalancing of the show’s focus. “This year will see the traditional 60/40 split between commercial aviation and defence transition closer to 50/50,” Rogers said.
Sixth-Generation Tempest Takes Center Stage
The major announcement arrived earlier in July after the UK, Italy, and Japan signed a £4.6 billion ($6.1 billion) contract to advance their Global Combat Air Programme into its next design phase. The Tempest fighter—jointly developed through Edgewing, which is 33.3 percent owned by each of BAE Systems, Leonardo, and Japan Aircraft Industrial Enhancement—will be on display here as the only credible European-led sixth-generation fighter program still in active development.
Germany’s withdrawal from the Franco-Spanish FCAS program in June left GCAP as the clear leader in European sixth-generation combat aviation. The aircraft centers on a “system-of-systems” concept: the manned Tempest acts as a networked hub directing uncrewed platforms across a fully digital command architecture. The demonstrator is expected to fly by end of 2027—Britain’s first combat-air prototype since the Eurofighter era. More than 4,000 personnel across BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, and Leonardo are working on the project in Britain alone, with roughly 9,000 engaged worldwide across 1,000-plus suppliers.
Commercial Orders Expected — Qatar Airways Withdraws
Etihad Airways and Boeing are anticipated to confirm a 10-aircraft 787 Dreamliner order during show week, while multiple Chinese airlines are expected to place major Airbus orders. But there’s a notable absence. Qatar Airways—initially set to display a Boeing 777-300ER and Gulfstream G700—announced on July 13 that it would cancel participation to observe mourning following the passing of former Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on July 12.
Few analysts expect a repeat of 2024’s $105 billion order splurge. The main reason: available delivery slots before the 2030s are scarce. For context, Farnborough 2024 closed its first four days with Airbus leading Boeing 164 aircraft to 118, though Boeing’s higher-value commitments (including Korean Air’s 50 777X/787 order and Qatar’s 20 777-9s) gave the American manufacturer the larger order book.
Historic Flying Display Debuts
The flying schedule features several first-time Farnborough debuts. The Fursan Al Emarat aerobatics team from the United Arab Emirates will fly seven Hongdu L-15E jets—marking the first time these Chinese trainers have performed in the UK. Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft makes its static debut here, fresh from firing an AMRAAM air-to-air missile in recent trials with the Royal Australian Air Force.
Perhaps most significantly, two electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—BETA Technologies’ CX300 and Vertical Aerospace’s VA-1X—will perform simultaneously in the flying display. This marks the first time two such aircraft have performed at a major international airshow on the same day, reflecting the industry’s pivot toward advanced air mobility.
We’ll continue to monitor major announcements across the week. Watch for GCAP workshare details and next-generation contract milestones.
Sources
- Simple Flying — Farnborough Airshow 2026 Aircraft List
- Farnborough Airshow Official Site — FIA2026
- Aerospace Global News — Farnborough 2026 Flying Display Schedule
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