April 26, 2023 11.00 am This story is over 16 months old

RAF Scampton Red Arrow Gate Guardian sells for £90,000 at auction

A piece of RAF history for one winning bidder
The total flying time for the XX306 is 7,378 hours and 15 minutes and it made 13,007 landings. | Photo: GPSV Specialist Vehicle Auctions
By Local Democracy Reporter

The Red Arrows jet which became known as the Gate Guardian of RAF Scampton has fetched exactly £90,000 after it went under the hammer.

The BAE Hawk T1A XX306 was one of the Red Arrows’ historic original Hawk T1, and it was the last jet to leave RAF Scampton after the base’s closure.

A live auction was held by GPSV Specialist Vehicle Auctions for the jet, running from Wednesday, April 12 to Wednesday, April 26, with the final bids flooding in before the 10am deadline.

The final total eventually reached the round figure of £90,000 – though the buyer is as yet unknown.

Former Red Arrows Hawk T1A and RAF Scampton Gate Guardian sold at auction | Photo: GPSV

The aircraft seems to just be for show, with amateur pilots being reminded that it comes with no engine, and no logs are supplied.

Its rich history began in May 1980, when the XX306 was handed over to the Royal Air Force at RAF Valley, before joining up at RAF Kemble – the former home of the Red Arrows – two months later.

It retired from the Red Arrows in 2012 and placed into storage for three years.

Inside the Scampton Gate Guardian’s cockpit | Photo: GPSV

The jet was then selected to be the Gate Guardian of RAF Scampton in 2015, and was taken to RAF Cranwell for cosmetic refurbishment.

The aircraft has clocked up 7,378 hours and 15 minutes of flying time during its career, with a total of 13,007 landings.

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