RAF past and present: Last two airworthy Lancaster bombers in flypast at Eastbourne airshow before the Red Arrows dazzle the crowds with aerobatic display
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•Two Lancaster bombers currently completing tour of UK to mark anniversary of Battle of Britain
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•Were on display at Eastbourne air show today along with Hurricane and Spitrfire fighter planes
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•Flypast was followed by display from modern-day Red Arrows flying signature Hawk T1 aircraft
By Chris Pleasance For Mailonline
Published: 19:48, 14 August 2014 | Updated: 21:58, 14 August 2014
Air warfare has come a long way since the Second World and nowhere was that more apparent today than in the skies over Eastbourne as two Lancaster bombers were joined by jet planes from the Red Arrows.
The Lancasters, made famous by the Dambusters raid, took part in a flyby over Eastbourne beach along with a Spitfire and a Hurricane as part of a tour to commemorate the Battle of Britain.
The Lancaster Thumper was joined the Canadian Lancaster Vera from a museum in Ontario for what will likely be the last time. The pair of aircraft will be taking place in about 60 events across the UK in the next five weeks.
The Lancasters are equipped with four Packard Merlin engines which are capable of pushing the 102ft wide bomber up to 275mph.
By comparison the modern-day red Arrows fly the Hawk T1 aircraft. Powered by a Rolls Royce jet engine they are capable of flying at 600mph, though have a much smaller wingspan of 30ft.
The Lancaster bombers will be perfoming with the Red Arrows in Eastbourne at the Airbourne air festival for the next four days, before the historic bombers move on to the Flying Proms at Old Warden, Bedfordshire.
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Two Second World War Lancaster bombers took part in a flyby over Eastbourne beach today accompanied by a Spitfire fighter (pictured) and a Hurricane
The Lancaster Thumper was joined by a Lancaster Vera from Canada for a tour which will see them together for what is likely to be the last time
Last two Lancaster bombers take to the skies in Easbourne
The archaic aircraft were followed by a display from the modern-day Red Arrows, the RAF's display team
The Lancasters bombers, which were involved in the famous Dambusters raid, have a wingspan of 102ft and are capable of flying at up to 275mph
By contrast the Hawk T1, which is used by the Red Arrows, is much smaller at just 30ft across and is capable of reaching 600mph using its Rolls Royce jet engine
The Red Arrows' famous coloured smoke is actually produced by inject dye into diesel fuel which is ejected from the rear of the plane as a vapour
While the smoke looks impressive, it also has the practical purpose of allowing the squadron leader to judge the planes' positions and speeds during manouvres
The Lancasters will be in Eastbourne for the next three days, before taking off on a tour of the UK over the next five weeks to help commemorate the Battle of Britain
Before this tour, the last time a pair of Lancaster bombers was seen in the UK was 50 years ago - and this meeting will likely be one of the last
The Red Arrows display will see the jets flow as low as 100ft from the ground and can pull up to 8G during the 'Vixen Break' manouvre
The Red Arrows are celebrating their 50th anniversary after being founded on 1 March 1965. Despite being part of the RAF, their first public display was actually in France
WW2 LANCASTER BOMBER
LENGTH: 69ft 6in
WINGSPAN: 102ft
POWER: 1,640 hp each
ENGINE: 4 x Packard Merlin 224
MAXIMUM SPEED: 275mph
RANGE: 2,530 miles
RED ARROWS' HAWK T1
LENGTH: 40ft
WINGSPAN: 31ft
POWER: 6,000lb of thrust
ENGINE: 1 x Rolls Royce Turbomeca Adour
MAXIMUM SPEED: 600mph
COMBAT RANGE: 345 miles