Dubai Airshow opened on Sunday, November 14, with an impressive flypast of United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence (UAEAF&AD) aircraft. Among them were most types flown by the Joint Aviation Command (JAC), in addition to the newer UAEAF&AD aircraft including the Airbus A330MRTT, Saab GlobalEye and Boeing C-17A Globemaster III.
The six JAC helicopters comprised an AH-64D Apache, Bell 407MRH, UH-60M Armed Black Hawk, AS365N3 Dauphin, AS332 Puma and Boeing CH-47D. They were followed by an Etihad Boeing 777 escorted by the seven MB339NATs of the UAE’s Al Fursan aerobatic team. Then came a mixture of airliners, before the Saab GlobalEye made its first public flying appearance, flanked by a pair of Mirage 2000-9EAD/RADs, an Airbus A330MRTT multirole tanker transport with two Mirage 2000-9s, then four F-16 Block 61s and a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III. The latter was undoubtedly the star of the formation, after it let rip with a huge volley of flares, normally used for self-defence.
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