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Sky high with the winners of the 2019 Royal Air Force Photographic Competition

By Rich Haridy
September 01, 2019
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From Cpl Ashley Keates, 3rd Place in Photographer of the Year. The Red Arrows pull up and loop over the top in Short Diamond formation just before the Spaghetti Break over their home base of RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Cpl Ashley Keates, Circus 10 flew with Red 9, Flt Lt Dan Lowes to capture the flypasts.
Cpl Ashley Keates
A Royal Air Force Chinook from 27 Sqn, RAF Odiham, flies alongside three USMC CH-53 Super Stallions.
SAC Ed Wright RAF/SAC Ed Wright RAF
27 Sqn Tactical evaluation sortie over Dartmoor. This Included moving Royal Marines as part of their own Training Exercise, low level Flying and undertaking a rear wheel landing.
Cpl Rob Travis RAF/Image by Cpl Rob Travis RAF
Image taken from the Cockpit of Chinook Mk5 from 27 Sqn flying a Tactical evaluation sortie over Dartmoor.
Cpl Rob Travis RAF/Image by Cpl Rob Travis RAF
Winner of the RAF Image of the Year. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows perform Concorde over the deep blue sea of Greece.
Cpl Ashley Keates
Two Gazelle Helicopters from the French 3rd Régiment d Hélicoptères de Combat pictured here in formation with a Chinook Mk5 from 18 Sqn.
Cpl Rob Travis RAF/Image by Cpl Rob Travis RAF
Second place, Operations and Exercises. Image shows a single C-130J Hercules flying over the Severn Estuary. Three Hercules C-130J led by Number 24 Squadron, RAF Brize Norton, took to the skies over England to perform some three-ship aerial training. The sortie which started at the aircrafts home in Brize Norton, went over RAF (USAF) Faiford before completing number of passes over the Bristol Estuary.
Cpl Matty Matthews Photo ACSSU
Highly Commended, Image of the Year. A Chinook helicopter lowers bag of aggregates into the breach of a riverbank in an effort to stop the river steeping causing further flooding to the local area. 27 Squadron Chinook helicopters based at Royal Air Force Odiham were deployed at short notice to help with flood relief in Lincolnshire that left homeowners in the town of Wainfleet without power and many evacuated.
Cpl Tony Hawke RAF Benson
Photographed here is the new XXV(F) Sqn livery on the BAE Systems Hawk T Mk2. The Photo chase took place over North Wales, and involved the IV(R) Sqn and XXV(F) Sqn Hawks.
SAC Chris Thompson-Watts Photo ACSSU
From Cpl Tim Laurence, Winner of Photographer of the Year. Image shows a Weapon Systems Operator (WSOP) from 27 Squadron, RAF Odiham, looking out of the front crewmans door of his CH-47 Chinook as the setting sun disappears at MCAS Yuma, Arizona and marks the beginning of a night time training sortie.
Cpl Tim Laurence RAF
From Cpl Tim Laurence, winner of Photographer of the Year. RAF Eurofighter Typhoon at RAF Akrotiri Airfield, Cyprus. Deployed to RAF Akrotiri as part of 903EAW the jets deploy daily in support of Coalition troops on the ground in the Middle East offering valuable target acquisition and fast air support with deadly precision in the fight against Daesh. The Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter.
Cpl Tim Laurence- RAF
From Cpl Tim Laurence, winner of Photographer of the Year. RAF Eurofighter Typhoon at RAF Akrotiri Airfield, Cyprus. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo.
Cpl Tim Laurence- RAF
From Cpl Matty Matthews, 2nd place in Photographer of the Year. Image shows three GR4's that took part in the final farewell tour of the Tornado over the UK.
Cpl Matty Matthews Photo ACSSU
Images Taken by RAF Photographer Cpl Ashley Keates, 3rd place in Photographer of the Year. Reds 6 and 8 (foreground) climbing to transit altitude with the Alps in the background.
Cpl Ashley Keates
From Cpl Matty Matthews, 2nd Place in Photographer of the Year. This photo shows a Royal Air Force C130J Hercules refuelling with an Airbus Voyager Airtanker during a routine training sortie over the West Coast of England. The aircraft were taking part in an airborne delivery training sortie that saw them drop two different loads, ranging in weight from 100 kilograms to a tonne, over Abingdon, Oxfordshire. After completing that part of the sortie they then linked up to a Voyager to complete some low-light air to air refuelling over the West Coast of England.
Cpl Matty Matthews
From Cpl Ashley Keates, 3rd Place in Photographer of the Year. The Red Arrows pull up and loop over the top in Short Diamond formation just before the Spaghetti Break over their home base of RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. Cpl Ashley Keates, Circus 10 flew with Red 9, Flt Lt Dan Lowes to capture the flypasts.
Cpl Ashley Keates
From Cpl Tim Laurence, Photographer of the Year. A pair of RAF Typhoons wait to taxi out and depart from RAF Akrotiri on an Op SHADER night mission. RAF Typhoons are now upgraded and equipped with a new 'Centurion' weapon configuration that now includes Brimstone missiles.
Cpl Tim Laurence RAF
From Cpl Ashley Keates, 3rd Place in Photographer of the Year. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows perform Goose on a very still morning whilst fisherman watch on at Chalkoutsi, Greece.
Cpl Ashley Keates
From Cpl Ashley Keates, 3rd Place in Photographer of the Year. The Red Arrows perform Phoenix streaming red, white and blue over the Chalkoutsi display in Greece during Ex Springhawk 2019.
Cpl Ashley Keates
An RAF Chinook helicopter from No. 27 Sqn RAF Odiham waits inside an RAF C-17 transport aircraft as crew and movers begin the process of unloading it.
Cpl Will Drummee RAF
Image shows the nine Tornado GR4's taking part in the 9-Ship farewell flypast over Marham and Cranwell.
Photo ACSSU
From Cpl Ashley Keates, 3rd Place in Photographer of the Year. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows are seen here completing Cygnet loop during Ex Springhawk 2019 in Greece.
Cpl Ashley Keates
Highly Commended, Image of the Year. A Royal Air Force CH-47 Chinook helicopter rests at night during a training mission in the Arizona desert. The chinook was being used at a FARP (Forward Arming Refuelling Point) to refuel USMC helicopters.
Cpl Tim Laurence
1312 Flt of MPC Falklands recover an A400M back to its hanger.
Sgt Paul Oldfield RAF
This photo shows a Royal Air Force C130J Hercules captured by two photographers who were on the ramp of a second C130J. The aircraft were taking part in an airborne delivery training sortie that saw them drop two different loads, ranging in weight from 100 kilograms to a tonne, over Abingdon, Oxfordshire.
Lee Matthews RAF
“Op Coldstare” and A400M tanker visits the South Atlantic Islands of South Georgia and Sandwich Islands to monitor ice caps, mountains and general eco issues relating to the unique landscapes.
Sgt Paul Oldfield RAF
1st Place, Technical/Engineering. The Missing Bond. This is a composite image created using a focus-stacking technique. The image shows the rifling of a Mauser gun barrel during a technical tasking at the Gun Bay, RAF Coningsby.
SAC Ben Mayfield
2nd Place, Technical/Engineering. Smoke pipes on the back of a Red Arrow hawk. These pipes produce the smoke once the button is pressed by the pilot.
Cpl Ashley Keates
3rd Place, Technical/Engineering. Damaged connector from RAF Akrotiri.
SAC Megan Woodhouse
This image shows part of an engine that the Defense School of Photography now use for training purposes to get imagery with next to no shadows. Taken as part of trade training for additive flash; this is when the object is lit by multiple different flash exposures on a long exposure.
SAC Sian Stephens
3rd Place in the Current RAF Equipment category. Back In The Saddle. This photo shows a Royal Air Force 27 Squadron Chinook CH-47 helicopter from RAF Odiham flying in formation with two United States Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallions in Arizona, USA. Two Royal Air Force Chinook CH-47 helicopters from 27 Sqn, RAF Odiham located in Hampshire (UK), have deployed to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona, USA to take part in a twice-a-year training and development programme.
SAC Ed Wright
This image was taken as part of a Photo Essay on 'Light' from Sian Stephens at the Defence School of Photography, RAF Cosford, Wolverhamton.
SAC Sian Stephens RAF
1st Place winner in the Amateur category, taken by members of the general public.
Simon Hall
2nd Place in the Amateur category.
Ollie Kearsay
3rd Place winner in the Amateur category, taken by members of the general public.
Mal Durbin
View gallery - 34 images

The winners of the 2019 Royal Air Force Photographic Competition have been revealed, offering an incredible peek behind the curtain inside the United Kingdom’s aerial armed forces. The images are primarily captured by serving personnel, highlighting a range of equipment and aircraft.

Over 1,000 images were considered in this year’s competition, spanning 13 categories including Sports, Current RAF Equipment, Operations & Exercises, and Technical/Engineering. As well as individual category winners, the competition celebrates an overall photographer of the year and a single image of the year, selected by three industry professional judges.

Winner of the RAF Image of the Year. The Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows perform Concorde over the deep blue sea of Greece.
Cpl Ashley Keates

“The pictures on show are of a phenomenal standard,” says freelance photographer Edmond Terakopian, one of the judges this year. “Some very well thought out photography and it’s not simply uncontrolled action but some amazing images that have required a great deal of thought that have married creativity with timing perfectly. The level of photography has been fantastic.”

The overall winning image this year is a spectacular shot of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic team performing a Concorde formation. The photograph was taken by Cpl Ashley Keates, an official RAF photographer. Other winning images take you inside the cockpit of a massive A400M tanker, or deliver unique glimpses of elaborate training exercises.

From Cpl Matty Matthews, 2nd Place in Photographer of the Year. This photo shows a Royal Air Force C130J Hercules refuelling with an Airbus Voyager Airtanker during a routine training sortie over the West Coast of England. The aircraft were taking part in an airborne delivery training sortie that saw them drop two different loads, ranging in weight from 100 kilograms to a tonne, over Abingdon, Oxfordshire. After completing that part of the sortie they then linked up to a Voyager to complete some low-light air to air refuelling over the West Coast of England.
Cpl Matty Matthews

Take a look through our gallery at more breathtaking highlights from the 2019 RAF Photo Competition.

View gallery - 34 images

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AircraftRoyal Air ForcePhotographyAwardsCompetitionAircraftJets
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Rich Haridy
Rich has written for a number of online and print publications over the last decade while also acting as film critic for several radio broadcasters and podcasts. His interests focus on psychedelic science, new media, and science oddities. Rich completed his Masters degree in the Arts back in 2013 before joining New Atlas in 2016.
1 comment
ljaques
I liked Keates' work, especially the Red Arrows in the loop pic. Another fave was the sun rising (or was that setting?) on the Tornado.
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