“The Red Arrows’ Hawk aircraft are known and loved by millions of people around the world.” said Wing Commander Jas Hawker, Red 1. “We needed to keep a careful balance between making our famous aircraft unrecognisable and reminding people that we are proud to represent the Royal Air Force. This is especially important when many Royal Air Force personnel are away from home, serving overseas in front line operations such as Afghanistan and Iraq. We are a visible way of reminding people of our colleagues’ hard work and professionalism in the line of duty. The change to our aircraft paint scheme will help us to do this more effectively.”
If someone can prove that Wg Cdr Hawker came up with the words in bold himself, and with no prompting from a spin doctor, I'll do a Tombstone round the Market Square in Wallingford on a market day, during shopping hours...