Air Force
GalleryJoint Base San Antonio-Randolph hosts thousands for air show featuring the modern and the classic
Stars and Stripes
April 7, 2024
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during The Great Texas Airshow, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Ismael Ortega/U.S. Air Force)
An estimated 80,000 spectators were on hand for The Great Texas Airshow on Saturday at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas.
The crowds came despite some dreary weather and drizzle that delayed the start.
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds perform during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Ismael Ortega/U.S. Air Force)
The F-35A Lightning II performs aerial acrobatics at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, for The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
The F-35A Lightning II performs aerial acrobatics at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, for The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
A Mig-17F performs aerial acrobatics at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, for The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Jonathan R. Mallard/U.S. Air Force)
The A-10C Thunderbolt II performs close air support maneuvers during The Great Texas Airshow at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Saturday, April 6, 2024. The A-10C Thunderbolt II is the first Air Force aircraft specially designed for close-air support of ground forces. (Jonathan R. Mallard/U.S. Air Force)
The headline act, the Air Force Thunderbirds, were part of a show that featured the ultra-modern and the World War II classic.
Among the highlights was a performance by the Commemorative Air Force of “Tora! Tora! Tora!” a reenactment of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.
Aircraft from demonstration team Tora! Tora! Tora! perform aerial stunts during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. “Tora, Tora, Tora” is the Commemorative Air Force’s recreation of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
Aircraft from demonstration team Tora! Tora! Tora! perform aerial stunts during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
Aircraft from demonstration team Tora! Tora! Tora! perform aerial stunts during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
Aircraft from demonstration team Tora! Tora! Tora! perform aerial stunts during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
Aircraft from demonstration team Tora! Tora! Tora! perform aerial stunts during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
Aircraft from demonstration team Tora! Tora! Tora! perform aerial stunts during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
The first performance of the show was in 1972, when six replica Japanese aircraft used in the movie of the same name were donated to the CAF.
It is the longest continuously performing non-military air show act in the U.S., according to the CAF.
Also featured were static displays, including a C-5M Super Galaxy, a UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, F-16 Fighting Falcons and an Abrams M1A2 tank.
The static displays give community members the opportunity to see inside some of the military’s most important assets and talk to the troops who use and maintain them.
The Great Texas Airshow concludes Sunday.
Visitors at The Great Texas Airshow tour a static C-5M Super Galaxy, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Jonathan R. Mallard/U.S. Air Force)
Pictured is a static display featured during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
August Vaughns and DeAntonio Vaughns watch Tora! Tora! Tora! perform during The Great Texas Airshow at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Gabriel Jones/U.S. Air Force )
Alex Anderson uses an Explosive Ordnance Disposal robot during a demonstration with 902nd Civil Engineering Squadron as part of a STEM Expo at The Great Texas Airshow, Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Saturday, April 6, 2024. Air shows provide visitors the opportunity to get up close to state-of-the-art equipment and to learn more about Air Force missions and innovation. (Jonathan R. Mallard/U.S. Air Force)
Pictured is an F-16 Fighting Falcon static display featured during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
The Great Texas Airshow visitors tour a static C-5 Galaxy, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The C-5 is a strategic transport aircraft and is the largest aircraft in the Air Force inventory. Its primary mission is to transport cargo and personnel for the Department of Defense. (Jonathan R. Mallard/U.S. Air Force)
The Coronado family of San Antonio pose for a photo in front of a static C-5 Galaxy, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Jonathan R. Mallard/U.S. Air Force)
Pictured is a P-51D Mustang static display “Fragile but Agile” featured during The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Tristin English/U.S. Air Force)
Spectators view and exit a KC-46A Pegasus aerial refueler at The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. The KC-46A aerial refueler and transporter plays a key role in the mobilization of U.S. military assets, taking part in overseas operations far from home. (Thomas Coney/U.S. Air Force)
An Abrams M1A2 tank is on display at The Great Texas Airshow, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Thomas Coney/U.S. Air Force)
Raul and Lindsay Mercado watch the Tora! Tora! Tora! performance during The Great Texas Airshow at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Gabriel Jones/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Nathan Malafa, Thunderbirds commander/leader and Thunderbird #1, administers the oath of enlistment to Air and Space Force recruits in the San Antonio delayed-entry program during The Great Texas Airshow, at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas, Saturday, April 6, 2024. (Gabriel Jones/U.S. Air Force)
