MILITARY aircraft from all around the world have started to touch down in Fairford for this weekend's Air Tattoo.

Thousands of aviation fan have been enjoying the Gloucestershire sunshine while watching the arrival of aircraft that have flown from as far as Algeria, Jordan and Oman as well as closer to home in mainland Europe.

The first aircraft to touch down at RAF Fairford for the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) was a C-27J Spartan airlifter arriving from the Baltic state of Lithuania.

This sizeable unit is always popular with the enthusiasts and puts on one of the most eagerly-anticipated displays as it performs loops and rolls, more commonly associated with a fighter jet.

Among the day’s other highlights was the spectacularly-painted F-16 of the Turkish Air Force’s SoloTurk demonstration team, impressive in its black, gold and silver livery.

The aircraft is making a welcome return to RAF Fairford as it is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Turkish team is one of three F-16s which will be displaying at the airshow this weekend.

Another very popular arrival was that of a trio of Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-22 Fitters from the Polish Air Force.

This will be the first time the Su-22s have performed a role demo display at a British event, and aviation enthusiasts will be eagerly anticipating the sight of appearance of this swing-wing strike aircraft in the flying display.

RIAT begins tomorrow (Friday) with a special Red Arrows Pit Day. Visit airtattoo.com for more information.