The Breitling Jet Team – The Largest Civilian Aerobatics Team Flying On Jets

Swiss watch manufacture Breitling has supported the internationally acclaimed Breitling Jet Team since 2003. It is the world’s largest civilian aerobatics team flying on jets.

When Léon Breitling built his first chronographs at the end of the 19th century, aviation was very much in its infancy, and significantly, the watchmaker’s own evolution and its veritable explosion of innovations mirrored that of the age’s intrepid visionaries and their dreams of flying. Within a couple of generations, aviation had come of age and Breitling, which had firmly established itself as a maker of sturdy precision timepieces, became the chronograph of choice for pilots around the world.

In the 1930s, Breitling introduced onboard chronographs intended for aircraft cockpits, and their popularity among aviators made them an obvious choice for military pilots. In 1952, Breitling launched its Navitimer wrist chronograph, which has been a favorite among aviation enthusiasts ever since. Today, Breitling retains a special place in the hearts of pilots. The brand’s long-established ties to aviation are best – and most spectacularly – represented by its partnership with the Breitling Jet Team, whose breathtaking aerobatics have dazzled and delighted hundreds of thousands of fans around the world.

The Dijon, France-based Breitling Jet Team has taken its aerial performances to distant international skies in recent years, attracting and amazing new fans throughout Asia and North America. At airshows and in public demonstrations, the pilots of seven L-39C Albatros jet aircraft fly in close formation – often less than three meters apart – at speeds of 700 km/h (435 mph).

Each time the Breitling Jet Team takes to the skies, it executes a flawlessly choreographed aerial ballet with the precision of a Breitling chronometer. Seven powerful L-39C Albatros military jets are flown at speeds of nearly 700 km/h within three meters of each other by pilots of matchless skill, most of them from the French Air Force or from the Patrouille de France.

Supported by Breitling since 2003, the Team has developed an international following and in recent years, thrilled hundreds of thousands of new fans on its tours of Asia and North America. The Breitling Jet Team is a vital expression of a great brand’s remarkable aviation heritage.