The 2025 interaition of the annual Waterstone Bank Milwaukee Air and Water show was held on July 19th and 20th 2025 at the Milwaukee Wisconsin lakefront, adjacent to Bradford Beach. This year’s show featured several military performers which included the United States Navy Blue Angels, and the United States Air Force, Air Combat Command Raptor Demo Team as headlining acts. As with past years all of this year’s performers staged out of the Wisconsin Air National Guard’s 128th Air Refueling Wing, located at Mitchell International Airport. Mitchell International Airport is located due South of Downtown Milwaukee and is a short flying distance from the airshow box.
The United States Navy Blue Angels flying the Boeing F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet along with their support aircraft a Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules, affectionately dubbed “Fat Albert” co-headlined this year’s show. The team was founded in 1946 is based out of Naval Air Station Pensacola Florida and comprises a team of 17 officers and over 100 enlisted personnel. The team transitioned to the Super Hornet in 2021, the same year as their 75th Anniversary and currently has 11 aircraft in their inventory. The team has flown such iconic aircraft as the Grumman F-6F Hellcat, the Grumman F9F-8 Cougar, the McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom and the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk II.
The Super Hornets the Blues fly were specially modified by Boeing by removing the weapons along with the addition of a smoke oil tank. The control stick was modified with a spring system for more precise control inputs. These aircraft are still considered combat capable and can be returned to a combat configuration in under 72 hours if need be. The Super Hornet is powered by a pair of General Electric F414-GE-400 afterburning turbofan engines that produce 21,000#’s of thrust each in afterburner, giving the aircraft a top speed of Mach 1.8. The Aircraft can pull up to 7.5 G’s, has a climb rate of 44,882 feet PER minute and a roll rate of 225 degrees per second. This gives the Super Hornet the performance characteristics that the Blues need to pull off such famous maneuvers as the Diamond Dirty Loop, Double Farvel, Fortis, Minimum Radius Turn, Burner 270, and the Sneak Pass.
In 2020 the United States Marine Corps purchased a surplus Royal Air Force Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules as the new Fat Albert. This C-130 flown by an all-Marine Corps Crew and is used to transport spare parts, engines, ground support equipment, and their personnel between show sites. Fat Albert also flies to open the Blue Angels portion of the airshow with a series of high speed and banana passes. The “J” model is powered by 4 Rolls Royce AE 2100D3 Turboprop engines giving the aircraft a top speed of 417 miles per hour. Over 500 of these highly modified C-130s have been produced to date. The C-130 is the longest continuously produced military aircraft and has been in production since 1956.
The United States Air Force’s Air Combat Command F-22 Raptor Demo Team also headlined this year’s show. The 11-person team is commanded this year by Captain Nick “Laz” Le Torneau and is part of the 1st Fighter Wing based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis Virginia. The Lockheed Martin F-22A is powered by a pair of Pratt &Whitney F119-PW-100 afterburning turbofan engines which generate 35,000#’s of thrust each giving the F-22A a top speed of 1,500 miles per hour and a maximum range of 1,600 miles. This 5th Generation Fighter features thrust vectoring technology which allows it to perform maneuvers that no other fighter aircraft can. The F-22A can employ either air to air or air ground weapons from its internal weapons bays. This demo was quite unique as several of the maneuvers featured the use of flares which are used as a countermeasure to defeat heat seeking missiles. The use of flares is normally reserved for demos which are performed overwater, so this was a rare treat for airshow fans.
Flying alongside the F-22A, in the always popular Heritage Flight was a 1944 vintage North American P-51D Mustang, Happy Jack’s Go Buggy, flown by Bruce “Doc” Winter. This beautifully restored P-51D wears the colors of World War II Ace Major Jack Illfrey who shot down 7 ½ enemy aircraft and evaded capture twice. The P-51D was the premier fighter of World War II and is one of the most popular Warbirds still flying.
The East Coast C-17 Demo Team flying the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, which is part of the 437th Airlift Wing based at Charleston South Carolina, flew a dynamic airshow performance. The C-17 first flew in 1991 and performs a variety of missions including strategic airlift and airdrop missions. The C-17 is powered by 4 Pratt&Whitney F117-PW-100 Turbofan Engines each generating 40,400#’s of thrust, giving the aircraft a top speed of 520 miles per hour. The aircraft has 3-person crew and has a maximum payload of 170,900#’s with an unrefueled range of 2,400 miles.
2 pairs of gloss black Northrop T-38C Talon’s participated in this year’s show. The first pair are assigned to the 71st Fighter Training Squadron based at Joint Base Langley-Eustis Virginia. These T-38’s are used to conduct adversary air training for the F-22 squadrons also based at Langley. The second pair are flown by the 9th Reconnaissance Wing and are based at Beale Air Force Base California. These T-38’s are used as pilot proficiency trainers for the pilots assigned to the Lockheed U-2. The Talon first flew in 1959 and has been in service for over 60 years and is due to be replaced by the Boeing T-7 Red Hawk.
The 104th Fighter Squadron, nicknamed the “Fightin’ O’s” flew the Republic Fairchild A-10C Thunderbolt II in the airshow. The 104th is based at Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River Maryland and has operated the A-10 since 1979. A total of 4 A-10’s were present and flew a demo routine highlighting the combat capabilities of the A-10,if they would be called upon to help friendly troops under enemy fire. The 104th flew several passes simulating the use of its 7-barrel GAU-8 Avenger cannon which can shoot 3,900 rounds a minute and also simulated drops of 500# bombs. The 104th can trace its heritage back to the 104th Observation Squadron of the U.S. Army National Guard back in 1921 and is the oldest unit of the Maryland Air National Guard. This will be one of the final appearances of the 104th and the A-10 as they will be retired by the end of 2025.
The 182nd Airlift Wing based out of Peoria International Airport Illinois and part of the Illinois Air National Guard provided a Lockheed C-130H3 Hercules to be used as the jump plane for the United States Air Force Wings of Blue Parachute Team. The H3 model of C-130 features an 8 bladed propeller which delivers more power and efficiency while reducing maintenance. The 182nd has flown the C-130 since 1995 in the tactical portion of the airlift mission and was formed in 1942 as the 304th Fighter Squadron.
The United States Coast Guard flew a simulated water rescue mission using the Eurocopter MH-65E Dolphin based at Coast Guard Air Station Detroit Michigan. This demo simulated the deployment of a rescue swimmer as well as the recovery of the victim. The “E” model Dolphin features a modernized glass cockpit known as CAAS (Common Avionics Architecture System) by Collins Aerospace, which is similar to the avionics found on the Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter. The Dolphin carries a crew of 4, has a top speed of 210 miles per hour, and a range of 409 miles. The United States Coast Guard operates approximately 100 of these helicopters.
Our hometown unit, the 128th Air Refueling Wing flew their locally based Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker in the airshow. Boeing KC-135R serial number 91516 made several passes with the flying boom extended as well as the aircraft in the landing configuration. The 128th has flown the KC-135 since 1977 and currently has 10 aircraft based at Mitchell International Airport. The 128th recently painted serial number 71514 in a special heritage paint scheme which was seen departing Milwaukee on the Friday before the airshow heading up to Oshkosh Wisconsin for EAA AirVenture.
A very welcome and rare participant was N2871G, a 1945 vintage Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer. This World War II and Korean War era patrol bomber was derived from the B-24 Liberator and first flew in 1943. This 4-engine Pratt and Whitney powered long range patrol bomber was originally operated by the United States Navy as Bureau Number 66302 before being handed over to the United States Coast Guard in 1950. It would be converted to a fire bomber in 1959 and operated by Hawkins and Powers. In 2008 Goss Hawk Limited acquired the aircraft and restored it to its original configuration, this is the only flyable PB4Y-2 in the world.
On Sunday, and in a Milwaukee Airshow first, a special visitor descended upon the Downtown Milwaukee Lakeshore in the form of a Lockheed U-2 Dragon Lady. The U-2 is a single engine high altitude reconnaissance platform which first flew in 1955. The U-2 is powered by a single General Electric GE F110-01 Turbofan Engine which generates 17,000#’s of thrust and gives the aircraft a top speed of 470 miles per hour. The U-2 has a range of 7,010 miles and an endurance of 12 hours. The aircraft performing the flyover is part of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing based at Beale Air Force Base California and stopped through Milwaukee on its way to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh.
**Please note these are file images**
This free 2-day airshow (paid ticket options offering several different amenities are very reasonably priced are available) has grown in popularity since its establishment in 2004. The Milwaukee Air Water Show’s mission statement reads “The Waterstone Bank Air and Water Show is Wisconsin’s premier free family event of the Summer, and one of the top airshows in the United States. We invigorate the local economy, support our Veterans and Armed Services communities, and deliver significant economic impact each year exceeding $3 million.” This airshow is well worth checking out, with excellent locations in which to photograph all of the action. I would like to extend a very special thank you to Mr. Paul Rogers President of the Milwaukee Airshow for his help in making this article possible, and his tireless efforts to present this show year after year. I would also like to especially thank the 128TH Air Refueling Wing for hosting a media event with the Blue Angels on the Thursday before the show. I would also like to thank Mitchell International Airport for allowing myself and fellow spotters the opportunity to photograph arriving and departing airshow aircraft from several different vantage points around the field. Until next time, “Blue Skies To All!”
