Su-35S ‘08’ during a display at Airshow China, Zhuhai.

Su-35S ‘08’, with China’s new Y-20 transport parked behind.

Preparations on Su-35S ‘08’ during Airshow China.

A-4 Ahit and M-346 Lavi trainers assigned to Flying Tiger Squadron 102 flyover Hatzerim on November 6, 2014.

F-15C 82-0028 from the California Air National Guard's 144th Fighter Wing seen at low level on a training mission from its home station, Fresno Air National Guard Base, on October 30, 2014. The wing started transitioning to the F-15C Eagle in November 2013 having previously flown the F-16 Fighting Falcon since October 1, 1989.

The two French NH90s after arriving at Gao, Mali, on November 3, 2014.

The US Air Force announced on November 24, 2014 that its new Combat Rescue Helicopter will be designated HH-60W - which, nicknamed the Sixty Whiskey, will replace the current HH-60G Pave Hawk shown.

The Y-12F displaying at Zhuhai during Airshow China in November 2014.

C-17A Globemaster III 03-3121 from the 418th Flight Test Squadron seen on a low-level test flight from Edwards Air Force Base in California. The aircraft recently suffered a mishap while flying an airdrop mission and is currently under repair at Edwards. It was probably testing equipment for the Special Operations Low Level II mission suite fitted to modified aircraft and used by an elite group of C-17 crews based at Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina. Details of the modifications remain classified but are believed to include communication and lighting systems.

Etihad Airways’ first Airbus A380-800 A6-APA (msn 166) at Hamburg in November.

Air Austral Boeing 777-300ER F-ONOU (c/n 35783) departs Manchester where it was repainted by Air Livery with the airline’s new paint scheme, which includes a waterfall design on the tailfin. The aircraft arrived at its Sainte-Marie base on the Indian Ocean island of Reunion on November 27, 2014.

One of the first four Peruvian Mi-171SH-P helicopters seen during its factory check flight at U-UAP.

Specially painted MV-22B Osprey BuNo 168029/‘YW00’ ‘Lady Ann' of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165 (VMM-165) ‘White Knights’ at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California on November 21, 2014. The squadron was officially designated as VMM-165 on April 11, 2011 and completed its transition to the Osprey in 2012. Its first combat tour was undertaken to Afghanistan between August 2013 and February 2014.

Aircraft 110, the fifth Lavi to be accepted by the ILAF, taxies past Ahit 708 at Hatzerim Air Base after its delivery flight from Italy on November 6, 2014.

While military service personnel maintain Ahit aircraft and simulators at Hatzerim, Tor employees, mostly retired ILAF personnel now maintain Lavi jets.

Low-cost airline easy Jet is introducing AVOID ash detectors into its Airbus fleet in 2015.

Boeing 787-8 ZA004 (N7874) tested Boeing's on-going ecoDemonstrator programme.

The crew of Atlas C1 ZM400 are marshalled to parking following its first local sortie on November 18, 2014.

Atlas C1 ZM400 taxies to the runway for its first local sortie on November 18, 2014.

The Armee de l'Air has deployed one of its Airbus A400M transports to the Central African Republic (CAR) for the first time. The aircraft departed its home base at Orleans-Bricy and flew on to N’Djamena in Chad before landing at Bangui Airport on November 7, 2014 and unloading 7.4 tons of supplies for Operation Sangaris forces. The aircraft is pictured departing Bangui.

Atlas C1 ZM400 on the dispersal at RAF Brize Norton on November 18, 2014 following its first local sortie.

Long-time CH-46E Sea Knight operator Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 364 (HMM-364) ‘Purple Foxes' was re-designated on October 9, 2014 as part of its transition to the MV-22B Osprey. One of the squadron’s final helicopters, CH-46E BuNo 153369/’PF19', was still active at the unit's base Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California on November 20, 2014. The squadron flew the Sea Knight between 1967 and 2014. Between November 1967 and February 1971 the unit was deployed to Vietnam during which time it flew 119,309 sorties, amassed 33,413 hours, carried 243,084 passengers, over 10,0 tons of cargo and conducted 16,368 Medevac missions.

The specially-marked A330-200 PR-AIV is one of the A330s used for long-haul flights by Azul Brazilian Airlines.

Vietnamese Air Force (VAF) C295M (8901)/EC-004 (c/n S-123) at Malta International Airport on December 1, 2014 after arriving from the factory at Seville-San Pablo Airport, Spain, on its delivery flight. The aircraft is the first of three on order.

Grumman HU-16 Albatross BuNo 141262/N7025N lands on runway 22L at Edwards Air Force Base, California on November 19, 2014. It was one of four classic aircraft (the others being a CM-170 Magister, a MiG-15 and an SNJ-5) used by the US Air Force Test Pilot's School for one phase of its current course. The aircraft, built in 1955, is registered to Sea & Air Adventures of Wilmington, Delaware.

German Army Bo105 87+51 from Kampfhubschrauberregiment 36 (KHR36) ‘Kurhessen’ at Fritzlar was painted in a special colour scheme for the fly-out of the type from the base on November 26, 2014. The type has been in service at Fritzlar since 1978, but KHR36 will hand over its remaining Bo105s at the year-end to the Heeresfliegerwaffen: (German Army Aviation School) at Buckeburg and then operate only the Tiger UHT helicopter.

An MH-53E Sea Dragon assigned to Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron 15 (HM-15) ‘Blackhawks’ prepares to land aboard the multi-purpose amphibious assault ship USS two Jima (LHD 7).

French Air Force Mirage 2000D 666 ‘133-IQ’ lands back at an unspecified Jordanian air base on December 6, 2014 after carrying out the first armed reconnaissance mission over Iraq along with a second example of the type.

The fifth prototype Chengdu J-20, 2013, during its maiden flight on November 29, 2014.

The first Mi-171A2 prototype, OP-1, making its maiden flight on November 25, 2014.

F/A-18E Super Hornet BuNo 166959/ 400 of Strike Fighter Squadron 25 (VFA-25) Fist of the Fleet is seen at low level during a training sortie from Naval Air Station Lemoore, California. The insignia, comprising a black fist clenching a red lightning bolt on a field of gold, was created in June 1949. Each of the four battle stars represent a war in which VFA-25 has flown in combat: World War Two, Korea, Vietnam and the Middle East.

Kuwait Air Force (KAF) KC-130J Hercules KAF326 lands at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire on December 1, 2014 after a flight from Athens, Greece. Three of the type are in KAF service and were all delivered between last August and September.

The FC-31's nose-flap tips generated strong vortices in the warm and humid air of Zhuhai.

Aircraft 31001 performed a short take-off with afterburners at Zhuhai. The main landing gear legs retract and rotate forward similar to the MiG-29 Fulcrum. The front landing gear leg also retracts forwards. Note tooth-shaped landing gear doors.

This image The FC-31 is powered by two Russian Klimov RD-93 turbofans which generate smoke so typical of this series of engine.

The aircraft's landing distance was short and assisted by a twin brake chute.

After each display, the FC-31 taxied back to its hangar well away from the public area.

The FC-31's display pilot presented a series of simple manoeuvres including a single roll.

The half-size model features an under nose angular electro-optical sensor, which is externally similar to the F-35’s AAQ-40 Electro-Optical Targeting System.

This wide internal weapons bay housed four medium range air-to-air missiles carried side-by-side.

An optical sight, similar in shape to the IRST (infrared search tracker) used by the Russian PAK FA fighter, is fitted to a full-scale mock-up of the FC-31's forward fuselage.

A mock-up of the FC-31's cockpit features a wide, centrally-positioned multifunction display. A head-up display, a data input panel and perhaps another auxiliary display were also fitted.

A half-size model in the AVIC hall had a completely redesigned empennage and cropped wing tips.

LAN Chile’s initial Airbus A321-211 (CC-BEA, msn 6364) receiving the water cannon salute on December 5, 2014 after arriving at Santiago Comodoro Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport on its delivery flight. The jet, to be flown on domestic Chilean routes, is the first of 48 A321s that will be operated by the carrier.

A VistaJet Bombardier Challenger 350 departs Farnborough, Hampshire on November 19, 2014. The Swiss bizjet charter operator was expecting to operate four examples of the type by the end of 2014. Six more are due to be delivered to the company in 2015.

The ZEUS ash detection system will operate on a British Airways Boeing 747-400 for one year.

Avicopter presented a mock-up of its AC3X2 twin-engine, nine-seat helicopter of the three-ton class, during Airshow China at Zhuhai. The prototype's maiden flight is scheduled for 2018.

F-35B BF-02 during the first flutter test mission of the Paveway IV precision-guided bomb, in this case Ballistic Standard Test Vehicles, flown by Lockheed Martin’s test pilot Billie Flynn on November 13, 2014.

F-35B BF-02 during the first flutter test mission of the Paveway IV precision-guided bomb, in this case Ballistic Standard Test Vehicles, flown by Lockheed Martin’s test pilot Billie Flynn on November 13, 2014.

F-35B BF-02 loaded with two ASRAAM Dummy Air Training Missiles over the Eastern Shore of Maryland on November 10, 2014 during a flutter test mission from NAS Patuxent River flown by Squadron Leader Andy Edgell.

The Sagem Patroller on approach to Toulouse-Blagnac.

The final low-level flight by a Lockheed Martin MC-130H Combat Talon Hercules in UK air space took place on December 2, 2014. Assigned to the 7th Special Operations Squadron based at RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk, MC-130H 88-1803 flew through Wales in the UK’s Low Fly Area 7. It will be re-assigned to Huriburt Field in Florida.

A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Beech 350 King Air on approach to its base at Naval Air Station North Island, California, on November 13, 2014. The type is the latest addition to the CBP inventory, with 30 on order from Sierra Nevada Corporation, which installs the sophisticated sensor suite. Fifty of the type are required to replace a range of older King Air variants.