2024 in Review: Defense

Originally designed as a ground demonstrator, the first prototype of Turkish Aerospace Industries’ Kaan indigenous combat aircraft made a 13-min. first flight from the company’s Ankara facility on Feb. 23. A second flight followed on May 6. Two more-representative prototypes are under construction.

The U.S. Air Force in April selected Anduril and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) to design and build competing test articles under Increment 1 of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, with a production decision planned for fiscal 2026. Anduril is developing the Fury while GA-ASI’s design is based on the experimental XQ-67A flown for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).

GA-ASI flew the XQ-67A Off-Board Sensing Station for the first time on Feb. 28. Built for the AFRL, the uncrewed, jet-powered XQ-67A validated the “genus/species” concept of building several aircraft variants from a common core chassis explored under the Low-Cost Attritable Aircraft Platform Sharing program.

Sierra Nevada Corp. (SNC) won its largest defense contract to date in April when it was selected for the $13 billion Survivable Airborne Operations Center contract to develop the replacement for the U.S. Air Force’s Boeing E-4B Nightwatch nuclear command post aircraft. SNC has purchased five Boeing 747-8is from Korean Air to start building the fleet.

Boeing’s updated F-15EX Eagle II achieved initial operational capability with the U.S. Air Force in July, with the delivery of the eighth operational aircraft to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing, The milestone was delayed by production problems. The Air Force plans to buy at least 90 F-15EXs.

NATO in July begun the process of acquiring six Boeing E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft to replace its fleet of 14 Boeing E-3 Sentrys by 2035. The U.S. Air Force signed a much-delayed $2.65 billion contract for two E-7A prototypes in August, with plans to buy 26, and in September the first of three E-7s to be modified in the UK for the Royal Air Force made its first flight.

Israel in November signed a U.S.-funded $5.2 billion contract to acquire 25 Boeing F-15IAs for delivery beginning in 2031, the first export order for the updated F-EX Eagle II. The deal followed U.S. approval of a potential $18.82 billion deal for up to 50 new-build F-15IAs and modification kits to upgrade Israel’s existing 25 F-15Is to the same standard.

Ukraine received an initial batch of long-awaited Lockheed Martin F-16s at the end of July, the first of at least 85 surplus fighters pledged by Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway. Ukriane’s F-16s made their combat debut at the end of August, intercepting drones and missiles launched by Russia with the loss of one aircraft.

SNC won a second large defense program in August when it was awarded a $991 million contract to deliver intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft to the U.S. Army under the High-Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) program. SNC is building two Rapcon-X prototypes based on Bombardier Global 6500 business jets, under the Athena project. The first flew in November.

Romania in November became the 20th nation to buy the Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter, with an order for 32 F-35As. The Czech Republic signed for 24 F-35As in January, followed in July by Greece with the purchase of 20 aircraft. Serbia, meanwhile, signed a contract for 12 Dassault Rafales in August.

China’s Shenyang J-35 stealth fighter made its public debut at the Zhuhai Airshow in November. Powered by two indigenous WS-21 engines, the J-35 is China’s equivalent to the U.S. F-35. A prototype land-based J-35A for China’s air force was displayed in flight at Zhuhai. A naval prototype has been photographed, and a full-scale mock-up was seen on the flight deck of a Chinese aircraft carrier in February.