BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. (KSLA) — The Defenders of Liberty air show is expected to have thousands of people come and join in the fun at Barksdale Air Force Base.

One of the biggest attractions will be the Thunderbird fighter jets, which touched down at the Air Force base on Thursday afternoon.

“These F-16s that we’re flying are capable of going twice the speed of sound and pulling up to nine times the force of gravity on terms, so it really is a cool airplane to get to fly in just like the wildest rollercoaster you’ve ever been on,” said Maj. Jacob Hall, the Thunderbirds’ flight surgeon.

The Thunderbirds did get in later than expected Thursday due to some delays, but they made it and will be ready to go this weekend.

However, they aren’t the only unique aircraft that people will get to see this weekend.

“This will be the first time in U.S. history that they can see four MIG-17s ever at an Air Force base,” said Randy Ball, lead pilot for the Bandit flight.

“We’ve been at Air Force base before but not open to the public. So, this will be the first time they see the airplanes up close on the ground; they’ll see the aircraft in flight. This aircraft has a significant swept wing compared to most U.S. aircraft, so in the sky it rolls over on its side, you see the dramatic swept wing. It will be very graceful in the sky.”

With the air show being held Saturday and Sunday, many people at Barksdale are excited to meet with the public.

“I’m an airplane nerd, so I love seeing these airplanes fly around. That’s the most exciting thing for me,” said Capt. Miller Trant, director of the Defenders of Liberty Air Show. “When the airplanes arrive, the chaos of parking them and then getting them on their way and seeing their jets up close.

For sure, bomber heavy, we have warbirds out here, fighters,” he continued. “We have a STEM zone as well. There’s something for everybody to come out. So, kids, grandparents, parents. .... We’ve got food out here for the public. So come out, see the show. We’ve been planning for the past 15 months.”

Hall said he grew up just about an hour away from here. “So, for me, this is a special trip back to be close to home in the ArkLaTex area,” he said.

“It’s surely something that we value a lot is the opportunities as we come out into these communities to get to meet the people, talk to them about our experience in the Air Force, sign autographs, take pictures. And then get into town and just experience the culture of the people of the food. It’s just an awesome opportunity.”

Barksdale will open its gates to the public at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Defenders of Liberty Air Show is free for the public.

QUICK FACTS

The team

• The Thunderbirds squadron is an Air Combat Command unit, meaning it is part of our nation’s combat force. If required, the team’s personnel and aircraft can be rapidly integrated into a fighter unit at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.

• The squadron is composed of eight pilots (including six demonstration pilots), four support officers, three civilians and more than 130 enlisted personnel in 25 career fields.

• Officers serve a two-year assignment with the squadron, while enlisted personnel serve three to four years.

• The squadron’s objectives are to:

- support Air Force recruiting and retention programs,

- reinforce public confidence in the Air Force,

- demonstrate to the public the professional competence of Air Force members,

- strengthen morale and esprit de corps among Air Force members,

- support Air Force community relations and people-to-people programs, and,

- represent the United States and its armed forces to foreign nations and to project international goodwill.

The shows

• The squadron performs about 75 demonstrations a year.

• More than 300 million people in all 50 states and 58 foreign countries have seen the red, white and blue jets in more than 4,000 aerial demonstrations.

• The unit never has canceled a demonstration due to maintenance difficulty.

• The formation flying, particularly the four-aircraft diamond formation, demonstrates Air Force pilots’ training and precision.

• The solo aircraft highlight the F-16 Fighting Falcon’s maximum capabilities.

• The pilots perform about 30 maneuvers in a demonstration.

• The entire show, including ground and air, runs about 75 minutes.

• The Thunderbirds’ season runs March-November.

• Winter months are used to train new members. Replacements must be trained for about half of the team each year, providing a constant mix of experience.

The aircraft

• The Lockheed Martin (formerly General Dynamics) F-16 Fighting Falcon represents the full range of capabilities possessed by the Air Force’s tactical fighters.

• This highly maneuverable multi-role fighter has proved to be one of the world’s best precision tactical bombers and air-to-air combat aircraft.

• The only modifications needed to prepare the aircraft for its air demonstration role are installing a smoke-generating system in the space normally reserved for the 20mm cannon, and the painting of the aircraft in Thunderbird colors.

• Since the aircraft are only slightly modified, they can be made combat-ready in less than 72 hours.

History

June 1, 1953: The Thunderbirds were officially activated, meaning they are coming up on their 72nd anniversary. Their first aircraft was the straight-winged F-84G Thunderjet, a combat fighter-bomber that had seen action in Korea.

Early in 1955: The team transitioned to the swept-winged F-84F Thunderstreak.

June 1956: The team moved to Nellis Air Force Base and switched to the world’s first supersonic fighter, the F-100 Super Sabre, an aerial platform that would serve the Thunderbirds for 13 years. More than 1,000 demonstrations were flown in the Super Sabre.

1964: The team changed briefly to the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. After only six shows, the Thunderbirds returned to the F-100 due to an extensive modification that became necessary on all Thunderchiefs.

1969-73: The Thunderbirds flew the Air Force’s front-line fighter, the F-4E Phantom.

1974: The Thunderbirds converted to the T-38 Talon, the world’s first supersonic trainer. The T-38 was more fuel-efficient and less costly to maintain than the larger F-4.

1983: The Thunderbirds reinstituted their traditional role of demonstrating the Air Force’s front-line fighter capabilities. The transition to the F-16A allowed the team to retain manpower and fuel efficiency while demonstrating to spectators the latest in fighter technology.

1986: The Thunderbirds participated in the rededication flyby of the Statue of Liberty. Another milestone was attained when the team went over the 200 million mark for total attendance.

1987: The Far East tour marked their debut in Beijing, China, the first American military demonstration performance in a Communist country.

July 4, 1987: The largest crowd, 2.25 million people, to see a performance was at Coney Island, N.Y.

1990: Operation Desert Storm canceled the European tour and the season was shortened.

1992: The team converted to the F-16C, bringing the F-16A era to an end.

July 1996: The team participated in opening ceremonies of the Centennial Olympics in Atlanta, which were viewed by an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide.

2003: The Thunderbirds made television history while celebrating their 50th anniversary. The commander/leader started the Coca-Cola 600 by broadcasting live from Thunderbird No. 1 as he said, “Gentlemen, start your engines.”

2007: The Thunderbirds visited Europe for the first time since Sept. 11, 2001, with the European Goodwill Tour. The trip included shows in Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Italy, France, the United Kingdom and, for the first time in Thunderbird history, Ireland.

2009: The Thunderbirds traveled back to the Pacific Rim, performing in locations like Malaysia, Guam, Australia, Korea and Japan. The team performed more than 70 shows in 22 states and Puerto Rico.

2010: The team’s 57th year of performing saw the team in 73 shows all over the United States and Canada.

(Source: U.S. Air Force)

Copyright 2025 KSLA. All rights reserved.