London: Typhoon fighter jets and the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows swooped low over Buckingham Palace yesterday as Falklands veterans gathered to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the war.
The flypast by 49 aircraft over central London formed part of a national event to remember those who helped recapture the South Atlantic islands from Argentine forces in 1982.
Hundreds of veterans marched down the Mall past Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair, Chancellor Gordon Brown and other senior political and military figures.
Margaret Thatcher, who as prime minister at the time of the invasion ordered the dispatch of a force to reclaim the disputed islands, also attended.
The war claimed the lives of 255 British and 649 Argentine troops and ended with Argentina's surrender 10 weeks after it invaded the islands a few hundred miles east of its coast.
"The achievement of the Falklands Task Force, working against the odds 8,000 miles away from home, remains an incredible feat," Defence Secretary Des Browne said in a statement. "Tragically, 255 lives were lost in this operation. Through this event we will honour their memories."
The London commemoration featured a video link to a ceremony in the Falkland Islands attended by Prince Edward and Armed Forces Minister Adam Ingram.
Some of the most famous planes used by the British during the conflict were missing from the flypast.
The single-engine Harrier jump jet is not allowed to fly low over central London for safety reasons, while the Phantom fighter was replaced by its modern counterpart, the Typhoon.
The Red Arrows display team flew in a V-shape to represent the plane that was used for attacks on the airfield at Port Stanley.
