Military Aircraft In 2014

AH-64E

A fire caused by an engine failure in an F-35A in June forced a grounding that caused the Joint Strike Fighter to miss its international debut at two major events in the U.K.
Credit: Lockheed Martin

Barely six months after its first flight, Textron AirLand’s private-venture Scorpion light-attack/reconnaissance aircraft prototype crossed the Atlantic in July to make its international debut at both the Royal Air Tattoo and Farnborough International Airshow in the U.K.
Credit: Textron

Designed and developed by South African defense firm Paramount Group, working with Aerosud, the Advanced High Performance Reconnaissance Light Aircraft (Ahrlac) made its first flight on Aug. 13.
Credit: Paramount Group

Even as forces were being withdrawn from Afghanistan—the U.S. and U.K. ended combat operations there in October—a U.S-led coalition began air operations in August against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria. This saw the combat debut of the stealthy F-22 (pictured), as a strike aircraft.
Credit: U.S. Air Force

South Korea formally selected the F-35A in September, with plans to buy 40 for delivery from 2018, but in November Seoul canceled a contract with BAE Systems to upgrade 132 KF-16s (pictured) because of cost concerns.
Credit: South Korea National Defense Ministry

After a contentious contest won by Sierra Nevada Corp., the first of 20 U.S.-assembled Embraer A-29 Super Tucano light air support aircraft for the Afghan air force was delivered to the U.S. Air Force in September to enable pilot training to begin.
Credit: U.S. Air Force

Brazil signed a contract in October for 36 Saab JAS 39E/F Gripen NGs for delivery in 2019-24, with the potential to increase to 108 aircraft by 2032. Brazil will help develop the two-seat -F and integrate its own missiles on the Gripen.
Credit: Saab

Its development funded by the Brazilian air force, the KC-390 was rolled out by Embraer on Oct. 21. The IAE V2500-powered twin-turbofan tanker/transport is expected to fly early in 2015.
Credit: Embraer

The F-35C carrier variant of Lockheed Martin’s Joint Strike Fighter completed its first sea trials in November. A test aircraft is shown conducting arrested landings and catapult launches on the USS Nimitz.
Credit: Lockheed Martin

Japan selected Northrop Grumman’s E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft in December, becoming the first export customer, and confirmed plans to buy Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotors and Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned aircraft.
Credit: U.S. Navy

As the year drew to a close, Congress passed a 2015 defense budget that blocks, at least temporarily, the U.S. Air Force's plans to retire close-air-support A-10s (pictured), as well as E-3s and U-2s. The A-10s joined U.S. strikes against Islamic State forces in November.
Credit: U.S. Air Force