The Pentagon is talking about retiring its entire fleet of B-1B Lancers, 66 of them. Other types under consideration for the axe are the A-10C Thunderbolt and the KC-10A Extender.

Three Merlin HM2s of No.824 NAS on the ramp at RNAS Culdrose, Cornwall, on July 23, 2013.

F-16D Block 40 Fighting Falcon 90-0796/AV' of the 510th Fighter Squadron 'Buzzards' taxi past Polish Air Force F-16C Block 52+ 4042 at task in Poland on July 16, 2013.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force's Black Knights display team unveiled its new scheme on July 26, 2013 at Tengah Air Base. The team last performed in 2008 and will make a comeback appearance at the Singapore Airshow 2014 in February, flying six Lockheed Martin F-16C Fighting Falcons. The team's aircraft have had the crescent moon and five stars of the nation's flag applied to their upper surfaces and feature larger areas of red than earlier schemes.

UAEAF F-16E 3037 touches down at Konya.

UAEAF F-16Es fitted with conformal fuel tanks and equipped with AAQ-33 Pantera targeting pods.

Ten McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D Eagles of the 122nd Fighter Squadron, 159th Fighter Wing of the Louisiana Air National Guard deployed to Nevatim in Israel for Juniper Stallion 2013. For approximately two weeks from July 21, 2013 the fighters trained with Israeli F-16s and F-15s. Juniper Stallion is a combined, bilateral F-15/F-16 air-to-air exercise to improve interoperability and cooperation between US and Israeli air forces. F-15D 84-0047/'JZ'/'159th MXG' is seen landing on the runway at Nevatim behind F-16A Netz ('Sparrowhawk') 705 used for fire-fighting and rescue training. The Eagles transitioned through RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk, on July 15, returning there on August 4 on the way back to Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, Louisiana.

Block 50+ F-16D 07-1019 assigned to 142 Filo 'Gazelle' was one of 27 Turkish Air Force Fighting Falcons participating in Anatolian Eagle.

Dassault Mirage F1CRs 604/'118-CF' (seen here) and 660/'118-CY' with Escadron de Reconnaissance (ER) 2/33 'Savoie' based at Mont de Marsan AB conducted low-level training over Wales after departing the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, on July 22, 2013. F1CR 604 carries ‘100 Ans de Reco' titles on its tail and special markings to celebrate the centenary of BR11 'La Cocotte', one of the flights assigned to ER2/33.

One of the three Austrian Bell OH-58B Kiowas that took part in Exercise Hot Blade 2013 at Ovar in Portugal.

The first NHIndustries NH90 NFH for the Belgian Defence - Air Component was delivered on August 1, 2013.

Lockheed P-3C Orion 60+01 (c/n 285E-5737, ex 301) of 1 Staffel of Marinenfliegergeschwader 3 (Naval Flying Wing 3) 'Graf Zeppelin' based at Nordholz was displayed at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, on July 20 and 21, 2013. The maritime patrol aircraft has been painted in special colours to mark the centenary of German naval aviation.

The Spanish Air Force marked its 5,000th flight hour in support of Operation Atalanta on July 19, 2013.

Ilyushin Il-76TD Candid TN-AFS (c/n 1033415504, ex EL-WTA) is operated by the Force Aerienne Congolaise (Congolese Air Force). The transport has served with the Presidential Flight and does not carry the air force's roundel or any titles. It is seen at Pointe Noire, Congo, on July 30, 2013.

The Forca Aerea Portuguesa (FAP, Portuguese Air Force) celebrates 50 years of operating the Aerospatiale Alouette III this year. SE3160 Alouette III 19376 (c/n 1818) has been painted in special colours to commemorate the anniversary. The first of the helicopters was received by the FAP on April 25, 1963, at Base Aerea N° 9 in Luanda, Angola, where they were assigned to Esquadra 94. Currently the nine or so that remain in service are based at Base Aerea N° 11 at Beja with Esquadra 552.

The number of Rafales will reach 152 by 2019 (out of 180 on firm order) and investments to further improve the omnirole fighter are confirmed.

British Airways' first Airbus A380-841, G-XLEA (msn 095, ex F-VZWSK), and the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team displayed together on July 20, 2013 at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. The airliner was delivered to London-Heathrow 16 days earlier. Practice flights for the formation started on July 15. On the airshow's second day the team flew with a prototype Airbus Military A400M Grizzly.

LOT Polish Airlines' Embraer 175LR SP-LIN (c/n 17000313, ex PT-XUH) has been painted with an image of Mike Tyson on its tail. The boxer is promoting the Polish energy drink Black the logo of which appears on the rear fuselage. The aircraft has been flying with the special marking since at least June 2013.

In early August, 2013 the Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group handed back the first Lockheed C-130K Hercules (8T-CC, c/n 382-4257, ex XV292) to the Ostereichische Luftstreitkrafte (Austrian Air Force) after upgrading its avionics at Cambridge Airport. The contract covering three aircraft was awarded to Marshall in August 2012. The changes include replacing the autopilot and radar altimeter, updating the flight management system software, installing a standby flight display and a barometric altimeter and replacing analogue flight instruments with multifunction liquid crystal displays. The next C-130K for upgrade will arrive at Cambridge in early September. The other two will be redelivered by early 2015.

Spanish Air Force Typhoon C.16-46/'11-26' of Ala 11 (based at Moron Air Base) at RAF Leeming, North Yorkshire, during Trial Mace XV.

The CH-47 appears to have every prospect of becoming the first helicopter to serve for 100 years.

Boeing 767-330ER(WL) D-ABUE (c/n 26984, ex N1788B) carries both Condor and Thomas Cook Airlines titles and wears a special 'Heart for Children' colour scheme. The airliner is seen departing Frankfurt in Germany on July 18, 2013. The scheme is part of the airline's efforts to support the German charity BILD hilft e.V-A Heart for Children, which helps to fund facilities and projects for them. The characters on the side of the 767 came from the books of Janosch, a prolific German author and illustrator of books for the young.

On July 29, 2013 the first Boeing 767-32SF(ER) for FedEx Express completed its maiden flight from Boeing Field/King County International Airport, Washington. N101FE (c/n 42706) is the first of 50 due to be built for the freight carrier to replace McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30s. The initial delivery schedule covers the handover of three in 2014 and six each year between 2015 and 2018.

CV-22B 11-0057 arrived at RAF Mildenhall in the UK on June 24, 2013 and is assigned to the resident 352nd SOG's 7th Special Operations Squadron.

Shaanxi Y-8F-200, B-632L, one of two of the transports recently delivered in the second batch for Venezuela. The camouflage to be worn in service is visible in places through the whitewash.

Mikoyan MiG-29UB-UPG (KB) 3306 carrying Kh-31 missiles. TMC will integrate the weapon on the Rafale, the winner of the Indian Air Force's Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft competition.

Antonov An-30A-100 Clank TN-AHP of Aero-Fret Business was seen at Pointe Noire-Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport in the Republic of the Congo on August 1, 2013. The scheduled and charter company undertakes regional and domestic freight flights using a number of Antonov turboprops. It began operations in 2003.

The first Eurocopter EC665 Tigre HAD-E (HA.28-07, c/n 10008) assembled by Eurocopter Espana at Albacete completed its maiden flight on July 29, 2013. It will be handed over to the Spanish Army's Batallon de Helicopteros de Ataque I (Attack Helicopter Battalion I) at the Agoncillo army base at the end of this year, the first of 18 examples of the Helicoptero de Apoyo Y Destruccion - Espana (HAD-E, Support and Attack Helicopter - Spain) variant for the service.

Italian flag carrier Alitalia operated a student charter into Manchester Airport on August 2, 2013 using Airbus A320-214 EI-DSA (msn 2868, ex F-WWBE). The aircraft carries the titles 'Muoviamo Chi Muove L'Italia' (we move the people who keep Italy going), one of the slogans used by the airline. This was its first visit to the British airport.

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was rolled out of the paintshop at Everett, Washington, on July 27, 2013. The prototype has received a new corporate colour scheme adopted by Boeing for its commercial aircraft, with a '9' on the tail to identify the variant. The 787-9 features a fuselage stretch of 20ft (6m) compared with the 787-8, and can carry an additional 40 passengers a further 300nm (555km). The aircraft is due to be flown later this year, with launch customer Air New Zealand due to receive the first of ten in the middle of next year. A total of 366 orders have been placed for the 787-9.

The first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner for AeroMexico completed its first flight on July 21, 2013 from Paine Field/Snohomish County Airport at Everett in Washington. AeroMexico is leasing N961AM (c/n 35306) from the International Lease and Finance Company, the first of nine examples that will replace the carrier's Boeing 767-200ERs by 2016.

Chile's Sky Airline has retired its last Boeing 737-200s from revenue service. On July 26, 2013 737-2Q3(Adv) CC-CVI (c/n 22367, ex-N763AA) flew from Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International in Santiago to La Florida and Desierto de Atacama airports; 737-230 Adv) CC-CTK (c/n 22402, ex N261LR) operated the Santiago-Carriel Sur International Airport sector and CC-CTH (c/n 22636, ex N271LR) flew from Santiago to Atacama. The aircraft returned to Santiago later that night before CC-CTH performed the last Sky flight with a 737-200 on July 28 - a round-trip between Santiago and Ministro Pistarini International Airport. Boeing 737-200s were flown by Sky since the airline's launch in 2002. Sky operated a fleet often, which are being replaced by 11 ex-easy Jet Airbus A319-100s and five A320-200s. The 737-200s had transported more than 11 million people during their time with the airline.

An EA-6B Prowler assigned to the Gray Wolves of Electronic Attack Squadron 142 (VAQ-142) prepares to land on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

An EA-6B Prowler assigned to VAQ-142 'catches the wire' on the flight deck of thr aircraft carrier USS Nimitz

Airbus Military CN235-300M TJ-XDG undertaking a crew training flight from San Pablo Airport, Spain, on July 22, 2013.

Cessna 750 Citation X N5233J on its maiden flight from Wichita, Kansas, on August 1, 2013.

Ilyushin Il-22 Coot-B RF-95673 (c/n 0393610501, ex RA-75906) is another of the type that has recently been overhauled, upgraded and repainted. It is based at Chkalovsky outside Moscow.

Airbus A330-223 UR-WRQ (msn 296, ex CS-TRJ) is the first of its type for WindRose Aviation of the Ukraine. It is seen after being rolled out of the Air Livery hangar at Manchester Airport on August 4, 2013, after repainting from basic Malaysian Airlines scheme. The airliner departed for Boryspil International Airport, Kiev in the Ukraine, the following day. WindRose is a charter airline based at Boryspil and operates eight A320 family airliners.

Airbus A330-202 F-WWCB (msn 871, ex EC-332) departed Getafe, Spain for Dresden in Germany on July 17, 2013 using the flight code AIB871. The aircraft would have been the first KC-45A produced by Northrop Grumman for the US Air Force, but the original KC-X programme for which it was destined was cancelled before it could be converted. It arrived for storage at Getafe on March 24, 2009. The aircraft will undergo a C-check at Dresden. The AIB code is used by Airbus, possibly indicating that the aircraft has been transferred from Airbus Military to the company's commercial division.

Airbus Military C295MPA Persuader 16710 (c/n S-063) of the Forca Aerea Portuguesa (Portuguese Air Force) has been fitted with new equipment. It is one of two Portuguese C295MPAs that are in the process of receiving the EADS Fully Integrated Tactical System, which was installed on the other three in service prior to delivery. The aircraft was noted conducting a test flight at San Pablo, Seville in Spain on July 17, 2013, prior to making its public debut at the Royal International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire, three days later.

Flying from the manufacturer's facility at San Pablo Airport, Seville in Spain on July 29, 2013, Airbus Military C295M 901 (c/n S100) is the first of the type for the Royal Air Force of Oman. The 100th example built, it made its public debut at the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget in June, albeit with its customer's markings covered over. Oman ordered eight C295Ms on May 21, 2012, five as transports and three as maritime patrol aircraft. The first was handed over in June but remained at Seville for crew training. It will be ferried to Oman later this year.

All Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft wear 'God Bless You' on the nose as seen on this F-15D Eagle.

IATA's current environmental targets are to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% each year to 2020. One way to make this happen is by the introduction of modern, fuel efficient aircraft such as the Airbus A350 and A380 and Boeing 787, and more efficient air traffic managements systems.

Two MBB Bo 105Ps have received special schemes to mark the end of operations by Kampfhubschrauberregiment 26 (KHR 26, Attack Helicopter Regiment 26) at Roth. Bo 105P1 86+49 (w/n 6049) carries the hornet emblem of the unit on its rear cabin, while Bo 105P1M 87+28 (w/n 6128) features saluting soldiers in front of Roth's skyline. The regiment is due to be disbanded in October 2013, with its Bo 105s passing to the last units that fly the type, at Celle and Fassberg.

London Oxford Airport-based FlairJet has delivered the 400th production Embraer Phenom-series business jet. The aircraft (Phenom 300 D-CHCS, c/n 505000150) was captained by the company's flight operations director, Gerry Rolls, from the Brazilian manufacturer's factory at Sao Jose dos Campos to new owner The Hansgrohe Group of Siegerland. The jet's delivery flight covered 8,270 nm (15,316 km), routing via Belem in Brazil; Barbados; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Bangor and Goose Bay in Canada; Keflavik, Iceland; and Prestwick in Scotland to Dortmund over four days. FlairJet has now delivered nine Phenom 100s and 12 Phenom 300s.

At the end of July, 2013 Eurocopter Espana handed over two of the 17 Eurocopter EC135s ordered by the Turkish Aeronautical Association's commercial arm, THK Gokcen Aviation. The helicopters will be used in the air ambulance role. THK Gokcen Aviation has a five-year air ambulance service contract from the Turkish ministry of health. EC135 TC-HFV (ex EC-034) is seen at the manufacturer's facility at Aibacete in Spain on July 19 prior to being ferried to Turkey in company with TC-HFU (ex EC-030). EC135 operations by THK Gdkgen Aviation began in August.

The Dutch Kustwacht (Coast Guard) Dornier Do 228-212 PH-CGN (c/n 8181) has been upgraded during recent scheduled maintenance at Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany by RUAG. Its original four-blade propellers have been replaced by five-blade Hartzell units and improved navigation and communications were installed. The aircraft has also received a new scheme. The second Dutch Coast Guard Do 228 (PH-CGC, c/n 8183) will also be similarly modified.

Beech 1900D 5U-TNB is operated by Tamara Niger Aviation, a charter company based at Niamey-Diori Hamani International Airport in Niger. The commuterliner was seen at its home base on August 7, 2013.

Rockwell Commander 695 AB-0211 (c/n 95007) is the sole example flown by the Aviacion Naval de la Armada Venezolana (Venezuelan Naval Air Arm). The aircraft is assigned to the Escadron Aeronaval de Transporte (Naval Transport Squadron) based at Puerto Cabello, Carabobo. It was noted at General Jose Antonio Anzoategui International Airport, Barcelona, in late July, 2013.

AgustaWestland AW139 CSX81814/‘PS-108' (c/n 31483) was one of the first two delivered to the Italian State Police.

One of the two Cessna 208 Caravans recently donated by the United States to the Niger Air Force.

Boeing P-8I Neptune N535DS (c/n 40612) conducting a test flight at Boeing Field/King County International Airport, Washington, on August 4, 2013. The aircraft was devoid of the Indian Navy markings and serial (IN332) it has previously worn, but 'P8' had been added to its tail and nose. The reason for the change has not been revealed.

According to the French Military Planning Act published on August 2, 2013, the Armee de l'Air will operate 185 fast jets split between Mirage 2000s and Rafales in the 2015-2017 timeframe.

Lockheed Martin HC-130J Combat King II 11-5725/'FT' (c/n 382-5725) is the first of its type delivered to the 347th Rescue Group at Moody AFB, Georgia. The combat search and rescue support aircraft is seen departing Marietta, Georgia, for Moody AFB on July 19, 2013. The unit is scheduled to receive nine HC-130Js over the next five years to replace its Lockheed HC-130P Combat Kings.

This shot shows MC-130J Commando II 10-5714 the first of the type to be delivered to RAF Mildenhall for assignment to the resident 67th Special Operations Squadron's first.

Turkish Air Force F-4E 73-1021 assigned to 111 Filo 'Pantera' has a large shark mouth marking on the nose.

The prototype Scion UAS SA-400 Jackal optionally-piloted rotary unmanned air vehicle.

The AeroVelo Atlas man-powered helicopter designed by the University of Toronto has won the Igor I Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Competition.

The first Boeing 737-81Z(WL) (YI-ASE, c/n 40104) for Iraqi Airways was on the ramp at Boeing Field/King County International Airport, Washington, on July 29, 2013. It first flew on June 20 and wears the new scheme adopted by the carrier. The Government of Iraq ordered 30 737-800s (plus ten options) in May 2008 and the first will enter service with the airline later this year.

Boeing 737-824(WL) N37277 lifts off for a test flight of the Aviation Partners Boeing Split Scimitar Wing lets.