by Kevin Shannahan (Special to the LPJ)
The “sound of freedom” was evident throughout this past weekend as engines from a wide variety of aircraft roared for delighted crowds at the 2025 Defenders of Liberty Air Show held at Barksdale Air Force Base this past weekend.
The air show also featured several civilian aerobatic flying teams, including North Louisiana’s Kevin Coleman. Louisiana Tech was well represented by a group of sharp pilots from LA Tech’s aviation program who flew the university’s distinctive aircraft to display at the airshow.
Well over 100,000 people from our area and surrounding states took advantage of the opportunity to visit our state’s only Air Force base and see aircraft displays and acrobatic flying. Barksdale is home to one of only two bases hosting the iconic B-52 bomber, an aircraft that has served our nation in combat from the Vietnam war to the present day.
There were several of the massive bombers on display for visitors to see. Another B-52 made a low level flyover of the crowd, demonstrating just how massive the aircraft truly is. Each of our nation’s military services had displays.
The headliner for this year’s show was the U.S. Air Force’s Thunderbirds. The storied acrobatic flight team put on their thrilling show of precision flying that never fails to amaze and thrill airshow visitors.
The Defenders of Liberty Air Show is a bi-annual event that is presented to the community by Barksdale Air Force Base and the Shreveport/Bossier Military Affairs Council. The show is open to the public at no charge and is a superb day of family fun for all ages.
