Aviation and space timeline
The milestones of aerospace history, from the pioneers to today.
- November 2, 1917
Dr.I fleet grounded after the Gontermann and Pastor crashes
Institutional — After the in-flight upper-wing failure of two triplanes — Heinrich Gontermann's on 29 October and Günther Pastor's on 31 October 1917, both fatal — Idflieg grounded the entire in-service Dr.I fleet on 2 November pending an inquiry.
- November 28, 1917
Dr.I returns to service after wing reinforcement
Institutional — After reinforcing the upper wing ribs and improving the waterproof varnish, Idflieg authorized the Dr.I's return to service on 28 November 1917; production resumed in early December.
- August 8, 1934
USAAC issues a specification for a multi-engine bomber
Institutional — On 8 August 1934 the US Army Air Corps (USAAC) issued a proposal to replace the Martin B-10, requiring a useful bomb-load carried at 10,000 ft for 10 hours at a top speed of at least 200 mph, with a desired range of 2,000 miles. The contract would be decided by a fly-off at Wilbur Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, between Boeing's design, the Douglas DB-1 and the Martin Model 146 — the competition that produced the aircraft that became the B-17.
- April 1944
Willow Run reaches one B-24 Liberator every 63 minutes
Institutional — In April 1944, Ford's Willow Run plant in Michigan reached its peak B-24 Liberator production rate: two nine-hour shifts, six days a week, turned out 453 aircraft in 468 hours — an average of one completed B-24 every 63 minutes, and up to 650 units a month at its height.
- July 29, 1958
Creation of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Act)
Institutional — On 29 July 1958 President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act, the US federal statute that created NASA. Drafted by the House Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration, it followed close on the heels of the Soviet launch of Sputnik. Until then space exploration had been treated primarily as a military venture; the Act gave the American programme a civilian character.
- August 6, 1959
Last active-duty USAF B-17 mission
Institutional — On 6 August 1959, a DB-17P radio-directed a QB-17G as an aerial target for an AIM-4 Falcon missile fired from a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo — the last operational USAF B-17 mission, flown out of Holloman AFB, New Mexico. A retirement ceremony followed days later and the aircraft passed to the Planes of Fame museum in Chino, California. The bulk of the fleet, however, had already been withdrawn from front-line USAAF service right after the war, in 1945.
- June 7, 1975
European Participation Air Forces (EPAF) consortium agreement signed for F-16 production
Institutional — Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway, now known as the European Participation Air Forces, signed the agreement to acquire and co-produce the F-16 to replace their F-104G fleets.
- January 27, 1994
JAST program office chartered, the administrative origin of the F-35
Institutional — The U.S. Department of Defense signed the founding charter of the Joint Advanced Strike Technology (JAST) program office, tasked with maturing the airframe, sensor and weapons technologies that would underpin a future tactical fighter common to the Air Force, the Navy and the Marine Corps. That remit became, about eighteen months later, the programme renamed Joint Strike Fighter, and from it the F-35 Lightning II. The office also took in the work of the earlier ASTOVL and CALF efforts, which had been exploring a supersonic replacement for the Harrier.
- November 16, 1996
Boeing and Lockheed Martin selected for the Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstration phase
Institutional — Defense Secretary William J. Perry announced at the Pentagon that Boeing and Lockheed Martin would be the two contractors for the Joint Strike Fighter concept demonstration phase. Lockheed Martin received a cost-plus-fixed-fee contract worth 718.8 million dollars for the X-35 and Boeing one of roughly 661.8 million for the X-32. Each team was to build two demonstrators able to validate all three intended developments: conventional take-off and landing, short take-off and vertical landing, and carrier operation.
- January 17, 2001
The United Kingdom signs the memorandum making it a tier-one JSF partner
Institutional — The United Kingdom signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States to take part in the Joint Strike Fighter's system development and demonstration phase, contributing two billion dollars. It was the only country admitted as a tier-one partner, with a say in the aircraft's requirements, a status tied to its need to replace the Sea Harrier and Harrier GR7. The signature came nine months before the competition's winner was known.
- October 26, 2001
Lockheed Martin wins the Joint Strike Fighter competition
Institutional — The Pentagon announced that the team led by Lockheed Martin, with Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems, had beaten Boeing's and would proceed into the Joint Strike Fighter system development and demonstration phase. The initial contract, worth some 18.9 billion dollars, covered the first twenty-two development aircraft. The full programme was estimated at the time at more than 3,000 aircraft for three U.S. services and several foreign partners.
- July 7, 2006
The F-35 is officially named "Lightning II"
Institutional — At the public rollout ceremony held in Fort Worth, the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff, General Michael Moseley, announced that the F-35 would be named "Lightning II". The name honoured two aircraft: the Lockheed P-38 Lightning of the Second World War and Britain's English Electric Lightning, a nod to the United Kingdom's role as a tier-one partner in the programme.
- November 20, 2008
Norway recommends the F-35 over Sweden's Gripen
Institutional — The Norwegian government announced it was recommending to the Storting the purchase of up to forty-eight F-35As to replace its F-16s, having rejected the Saab Gripen NG in the evaluation. The decision drew protests in Sweden, which questioned the cost comparison Oslo had used. Norway was the first European programme partner to formally settle on the aircraft.
- July 16, 2010
Canada announces its intention to buy 65 F-35A
Institutional — The Canadian government announced its intention to acquire sixty-five F-35As to replace its CF-18 Hornets, without a competition. The decision opened a controversy lasting more than a decade over the programme's real cost, leading to the purchase being cancelled in 2012, the process reopened, and the same aircraft finally chosen again in 2023.
- October 7, 2010
Israel signs the letter of offer and acceptance for its first 20 F-35
Institutional — Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak signed the letter of offer and acceptance for twenty F-35As, the programme's first export contract through foreign military sales. The deal included the integration of Israeli systems into the airframe, a concession the United States granted to no other customer and which gave rise to the F-35I "Adir" variant.
- December 19, 2011
Japan selects the F-35A in the F-X competition
Institutional — Japan's Security Council selected the F-35A as winner of the F-X competition, with an initial order of forty-two aircraft to replace its F-4EJ Phantom IIs. The Lightning II beat the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The agreement provided for part of the production to be assembled in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
- May 10, 2012
The United Kingdom reverts to the F-35B after trying to switch to the F-35C
Institutional — British Defence Secretary Philip Hammond told the Commons that the United Kingdom was reverting to the short take-off and vertical landing F-35B, reversing the 2010 strategic review decision to buy the F-35C. The reason was the cost of fitting catapults and arresting gear to the Queen Elizabeth-class carriers, which had doubled against forecasts. The U-turn locked in the ships' ski-jump flight-deck design.
- September 17, 2013
The Netherlands select the F-35A with a plan for 37 aircraft
Institutional — The Dutch government confirmed the purchase of thirty-seven F-35As to replace its F-16s, as part of the defence budget presented that day. The decision closed years of political debate in which cheaper alternatives had been evaluated and the aircraft's noise had been a recurring argument. The Netherlands had been in the programme since its development phase.
- March 24, 2014
South Korea selects the F-35A for its F-X III programme
Institutional — South Korea's defence procurement agency DAPA approved the purchase of forty F-35As, with an option on twenty more, closing the F-X III programme. The decision came after the country ruled out the Boeing F-15SE, which had been the only bidder within budget, on the grounds that it was not a fifth-generation aircraft. South Korea became the Lightning II's third foreign military sales customer.
- April 23, 2014
Australia confirms 58 more F-35A, raising its order to 72
Institutional — Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced approval for fifty-eight additional F-35As, taking the country's total order to seventy-two aircraft and three operational squadrons. The purchase, worth around 12.4 billion Australian dollars, was intended to replace the classic F/A-18A/B Hornets. Australia had been in the programme since 2002.
- June 9, 2016
Danish Folketing agreement to buy 27 F-35A
Institutional — The main parties in the Danish Folketing reached an agreement to acquire twenty-seven F-35As to replace the F-16s, endorsing the government's May recommendation. The Lightning II had beaten the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Super Hornet in an evaluation scoring strategic capability, industrial risk and life-cycle cost. Denmark had been a programme partner since 2002.
- October 25, 2018
Belgium selects the F-35A over the Typhoon
Institutional — The Belgian government announced the purchase of thirty-four F-35As to replace its F-16s, rejecting the British Eurofighter Typhoon and ignoring the French Rafale offer, which had been made outside the competition. The decision, worth around four billion euros, strained relations with Paris and was justified on grounds of cost and interoperability with European neighbours already flying the aircraft.
- July 17, 2019
The United States formally removes Turkey from the F-35 programme
Institutional — The White House announced Turkey's formal removal from the F-35 programme after Ankara received the first components of the Russian S-400 air defence system. Washington argued that operating the Russian radar alongside the stealth fighter would compromise its low-observable characteristics. Turkey had been an industrial partner since 2002, had ordered a hundred aircraft and made parts for the whole fleet, which had to be resourced to other suppliers.
- December 27, 2019
Algeria signs the first Su-57 export contract
Institutional — In late December 2019, Algeria signed a contract for 14 Su-57E export-variant aircraft, part of a wider arms package that also included Su-34 and Su-35 fighters. This was the type's first known export contract; deliveries have since been repeatedly delayed.
- January 9, 2020
The United States approves the sale of F-35B to Singapore
Institutional — The U.S. State Department approved a possible sale to Singapore of up to twelve F-35Bs, four firm and eight on option. Singapore, which had declared its interest in 2019, became the first Southeast Asian customer and chose the short take-off variant because of the city-state's airspace and runway constraints.
- January 31, 2020
Poland signs the Harpia programme contract for 32 F-35A
Institutional — Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Błaszczak signed the contract for thirty-two F-35As under the Harpia programme at Dęblin air base, worth 4.6 billion dollars. It was the first fifth-generation fighter purchase by a former Warsaw Pact member, and came with Poland still operating Soviet-built MiG-29s and Su-22s.
- June 30, 2021
The Swiss Federal Council selects the F-35A under Air2030
Institutional — The Swiss Federal Council announced the selection of thirty-six F-35As under the Air2030 programme, ahead of the Rafale, the Typhoon and the Super Hornet, at a cost of around five billion francs. The decision proved contentious in a country that had approved the funding by referendum the previous year by fewer than nine thousand votes, and prompted a popular initiative to overturn it.
- December 10, 2021
Finland selects the F-35A at the end of the HX competition
Institutional — The Finnish government announced the purchase of sixty-four F-35As to replace its F/A-18 Hornets, closing the HX competition in which the Rafale, Typhoon, Gripen and Super Hornet had also competed. The contract, worth some 8.4 billion euros, was the largest military acquisition in the country's history and was decided while Finland was still not a NATO member.
- March 14, 2022
Germany decides to buy 35 F-35A for the NATO nuclear mission
Institutional — The German government announced the purchase of thirty-five F-35As to replace the Tornado in NATO's nuclear sharing deterrence mission. The decision came three weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Chancellor Olaf Scholz's budget turn, and ended years of Berlin's reluctance towards the aircraft, which it had ruled out in 2019 in favour of the Super Hornet.
- January 9, 2023
Canada finally closes the contract for 88 F-35A
Institutional — The Canadian government announced the finalisation of the contract for eighty-eight F-35As, worth around nineteen billion Canadian dollars, after thirteen years of reversals since the first announcement in 2010. The purchase closed a process that had included the 2012 cancellation, an interim buy of second-hand Australian Super Hornets and a reopened competition in which the Gripen was the last rival standing.
- January 29, 2024
The Czech Republic signs the letter of acceptance for 24 F-35A
Institutional — The Czech Republic signed the letter of offer and acceptance for twenty-four F-35As, replacing the leased Swedish Gripens it had been operating. With the signature, Prague joined the group of Lightning II operators, with first deliveries scheduled for the end of the decade. The contract was worth around 6.5 billion dollars.
- July 25, 2024
Greece joins the F-35 programme with an order for 20 aircraft
Institutional — Greece signed the letter of offer and acceptance for twenty F-35As, with an option on twenty more, becoming the programme's nineteenth global alliance member. Athens had submitted its formal request in 2020, amid tension with Turkey in the Aegean and after Ankara had been shut out of the programme.
- November 21, 2024
Romania becomes the twentieth member of the F-35 global alliance
Institutional — Romania signed the letter of offer and acceptance for thirty-two F-35As, joining as the programme's twentieth global alliance member. The Romanian parliament had backed the purchase the previous year. The country, a neighbour of Ukraine with a Black Sea coastline, was operating second-hand F-16s acquired from Portugal and Norway.