Amazing cockpit pictures show the Red Arrows in their glory and last flight of the Hercules

Mesmerising cockpit pictures have shown the Red Arrows in their glory as they soared above Buckingham Palace to mark King Charles’ official birthday.

Photographers snapped a birds-eye view from above this afternoon when 70 aircraft took to the skies amidst the royal Trooping the Colour event.

Today also marked the final ceremonial flight for the C0120J Hercules which will soon be replaced by newer models after 56 years of service to the Royal Air Force.

Hercules was among numerous other aircraft that took flight from 15 different locations in the UK before uniting in south-east England to fly over the capital in Saturday’s celebrations.

Images taken from inside the cockpit show the pilot to be completely focused on the path ahead, soaring above a great expanse of fields and vegetation.

Second World War Hurricane and Spitfire jets were also part of the six-minute flypast, with crowds watching in awe as they approached London. 

A squadron of Red Arrows then brought the event to a close, ejecting the very British colours of red, white and blue smoke in the sky.

This special moment was also captured from the cockpit, with vibrant smoke trails displayed above the crowded Mall and Buckingham Palace where the Royal Family watched. 

In the midst of the spectacle, the RAF Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton said: ‘We are very proud to be able to showcase our capabilities to our Commander-in-Chief, on this historic occasion for His Majesty The King.

‘We provided a fitting and appropriate tribute for our monarch, that was a true spectacle for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.’

While the RAF’s mighty Hercules has served as the main carriers for decades, they will be taken out of service on June 30.

Critics have hit out at the ‘extraordinary’ decision to retire the much-loved workhorse planes that have been used by the RAF since 1966.

In a letter to The Times, UK defence chiefs called the decision to cut the huge planes ‘perverse’ at a time of ‘great international tension’.

Defence sources speaking to Sky News also slammed the push to take the planes out of service as they claimed the decision would leave Britain ‘dangerously exposed’.

The criticism followed an admission by the RAF that the decision to retire the Hercules planes would leave a ‘gap’ in the abilities of Britain’s special forces.

In their letter to The Times, RAF chiefs said: ‘Of the many cuts to our armed forces in recent years, one of the most perverse is the disposal of the RAF’s remaining 14 C130 transport aircraft.’

‘At a time of great international tension, the decision to remove a proven and effective workhorse is extraordinary,’ the letter said.

The decision to take the Hercules planes out of service will see the carriers replaced with newer Airbus A400M Atlas airplanes.

Air Marshall Sir Richard Knighton in March warned there will be a ‘gap from when the Hercules goes out of service to when the A400M picks up all of those capabilities.

‘The niche issues where the gap is is around the airdrop and the kind of things we can drop from the aircraft.’