The Red Arrows aerobatic display team is set to unveil a woman in its new team of pilots for the first time.
Flight Lieutenant Kirsty Moore, 31, will fly as a member of the Red Arrows from 2010 until 2012.
The RAF said that until recently, no female fast-jet pilot had advanced far enough in their flying career to join the display team, which is based at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire.
Flight Lieutenant Moore, who has undergone a tough training regime since she met up with the prestigious outfit in September, will face the media on Thursday at the Red Arrows' base.
The only other new member of the team is Flight Lieutenant Ben Plank, 30, who is based at Cottesmore in Leicestershire.
Some 30 fast-jet pilots apply to the Red Arrows every year but only the very best are successful.
Flight Lieutenant Moore was based with a Tornado squadron at RAF Marham in Norfolk before she made her successful application.
