Air show featuring the Thunderbirds set to return to Scott AFB in 2027

It’s been nearly three years since an air show rattled the skies above Scott Air Force Base and the metro-east, but the once annual display will return in the summer of 2027 with a headliner.

The famed U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds will perform during a two-day show at Scott, which is scheduled for June 12-13, 2027, according to the base’s website. Other acts and displays have not yet been announced.

The Thunderbirds travel worldwide, performing both formation and solo flying routines. It also showcases the capabilities of the F-16 fighter jet.

Scott played host to its most recent Air Show in the summer of 2023 and included the Navy Blue Angels. Past air shows also have included static displays of both current and vintage military aircraft, flyovers by C-17, C-130 and a MiG-17. “Tora, Tora, Tora,” a reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor using period aircraft and pyrotechnics is a traditional favorite as well.