The People's Liberation Army Air Force took its last Su-35s on strength in November 2018.

KnAAZ built 102 Su-35 fighters between 2011 and 2018, including 24 for the People's Liberation Army Air Force.

This is the Tu-22M3M prototype shown at its roll-out ceremony at the KAZ plant in Kazan last August.

First flight of the Tu-22M3 took place at Kazan on December 28, 2018.

A ScanEagle unmanned aerial vehicle sits ready for launch at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. ScanEagle missions include ISR for the NATO-led Resolute Support effort. In December 2018, US Special Operations Command used a ScanEagle to collect full motion video of targets in a combat zone which was automatically processed, exploited and disseminated by algorithms developed under Project Maven.

Members from the 7th Reconnaissance Squadron based at Beale Air Force Base, California prepare to launch an RQ-4 Global Hawk at Naval Air Station Sigonella, Italy. The RQ-4-equipped 7th Reconnaissance Squadron conducts high-altitude surveillance and reconnaissance missions including peacetime intelligence gathering, contingency operations and conventional warfare around the world. If successful, the algorithms developed as part of Project Maven could potentially be applied to the RQ-4 Global Hawk UAV system.

A student pilot gives hand signals to ground maintenance personnel during pre-flight procedures at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Texas as part of his flying training on the Pilot Training Next programme.

Current large unmanned platforms like this Gray Eagle provide ISR and strike capabilities but need a runway to take off. These systems also have lower airspeeds and depend on data links and GPS signals. Future systems will need to be more independent to operate in a complex battlespace and are likely to use Al.