September 2025 and a return visit to JRB Andrews for the Air Show.
I’d applied for and been granted a media access pass, which enabled me to be present for the STEM and service members day on Friday, as well as the two weekend days of the show.
The weather played ball on Friday and Saturday, with clear blue skies – Sunday was a little more cloudy but nevertheless bright.
Generally, the static was the standard fare but somewhat smaller than on previous occasions. For example, despite being based at Andrews, there was no F-16 from the 133rd Air Wing (D.C. National Guard) on static display. In fact, their only participation was on Friday, with four aircraft performing a flyby as part of the opening ceremony.
Equally, there was no participation by the US Marines at all.
The highlight of the static display for me was an EA-37B Compass Call, operated by the 43rd Electronic Combat Squadron based at Davis-Monthan AFB in Arizona. Sitting quietly in one corner of the static. Not often seen close up, these aircraft play a significant role in electronic surveillance and jamming missions. A great article on some of its capabilities by my friend Howard German can be found here on The Aviationist website.
Nearby was a Boeing E-7A Wedgetail of the Royal Australian Air Force, which was being shown in conjunction with Boeing as a precursor to the USAF getting some of these aircraft. That said, in June 2025, the USAF stated their intention to cancel its order for the aircraft in favour of more space-based technology; however, the US Senate has pushed back and reinstated the 2026 budget for the program. We shall see where this eventually goes.
In terms of flying, the F-22’s from Langley cancelled on Thursday evening, nor was there any F-35 display – two examples from the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin ANG were on static display.
That left the fast jet display to the US Navy, with the East Coast Rhino Demo Team, displaying the F/A-18 from VFA-106, based at NAS Oceana and, of course, the Thunderbirds.
Because of its use as the main transport base for Washington diplomats and senior politicians, as well as, of course, the US Presidential Flight, Andrews Reserve Base never stops providing service to those communities. Accordingly, during both the Saturday and Sunday displays, Boeing VC-32 aircraft departed carrying senior figures from the US Government.
My main highlight was that I was offered a chance to fly with the US Army Golden Knights parachute display team – no, I didn’t actually jump, but I was able to witness their preparations and watch as they jumped from 12,000 ft – more details are in my dedicated report, which you can find here.
My thanks go to Matt Ebarb, Chief, Media Operations, 316th Wing Public Affairs, Joint Base Andrews, MD and his team for providing me with media access and looking after us during the show.
On with the images:
