On 14 March 2026, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma in Arizona opened its gates for the 60th annual Yuma Airshow. Set against the backdrop of the Arizona desert, the event brought together current Marine Corps aircraft, historic jets, warbirds and some of the best-known civilian performers for a full day of flying.
The show was also notable for the return of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels to Yuma. The team had not performed at the airshow for around four decades, making its appearance one of the major highlights of the 2026 event.
With free admission and parking, the airshow attracted visitors from across the region. Gates opened at 9:00 in the morning, with flying displays running through the afternoon.
Marine Corps aviation
As the airshow was hosted by an active Marine Corps air station, military aviation naturally formed the centre of the programme.
The F-35B Lightning II was one of the stars of the day, performing a dedicated demonstration that showed the aircraft’s characteristic high-performance manoeuvres as well as its unique short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities.
The MV-22B Osprey was another major attraction. The aircraft’s combination of helicopter and fixed-wing characteristics makes it one of the most distinctive aircraft in Marine Corps service, and its demonstration provided a very different spectacle from the fast jet displays.
From the Cold War to Pearl Harbor
The programme wasn’t limited to modern aircraft.
Ace Maker Airshows brought two T-33 Shooting Stars, while Planes of Fame presented an F-86F Sabre and MiG-15. Seeing these early American and Soviet-designed jet fighters flying at the same event as the F-35B offered a remarkable illustration of how quickly military aviation has evolved.
Another major attraction was the Tora! Tora! Tora! historical demonstration. A collection of aircraft representing Japanese and American types recreated elements of the attack on Pearl Harbor, with pyrotechnics adding to the spectacle.
The result was a programme that moved effortlessly between very different eras of aviation — from Second World War aircraft, through the first generation of jets, to today’s fifth-generation fighter.
The Blue Angels
The afternoon ended with the U.S. Navy Blue Angels.
Their return to Yuma was particularly significant. The team had been absent from the event for approximately 40 years, and their appearance provided a spectacular finale to the anniversary edition.
Six decades of Yuma
What made the 2026 Yuma Airshow particularly interesting was not any single aircraft, but the combination of everything appearing over the desert.
The F-35B represented the latest generation of Marine Corps combat aviation. The Osprey demonstrated a very different approach to military mobility, while the F-86, MiG-15 and T-33 recalled the beginning of the jet age. The Tora! Tora! Tora! display reached even further back into aviation history.
And then, in the final act, came the Blue Angels.
The 60th Yuma Airshow therefore offered a compact history of military aviation — all taking place above an active Marine Corps air station in the Arizona desert.
For aviation enthusiasts, it was an unusually complete day: modern military aircraft, historic jets, warbirds and aerobatic flying, all in one programme.
The 2026 edition once again demonstrated why Yuma remains one of the more distinctive airshow locations in the United States.
