BANGKOK — Air force aerobatic and demonstration teams from China, India and the United States streaked through Bangkok’s overcast skies Friday in a rare joint-showcase marking the 88th anniversary of the Royal Thai Air Force.
China’s August 1st Aerobatic Team of People’s Liberation Army Air Force, the U.S. Air Force’s F-35A Lightning II Demonstration Team and India’s Air Force Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team each performed separately, entertaining crowds at Bangkok’s Don Mueang air base.
Also present was Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn, a former F-5 fighter jet pilot.
“We did not have special conditions to have both the U.S. and Chinese aircraft to join. Politics is set aside and mutual respect is there,” Thailand’s air force chief Air Marshal Punpakdee Pattanakul told reporters.
