1970s Military Aircraft

Overview

Military aircrafts that first flew in the 1970s. This collection covers fighters, bombers, helicopters, transport planes, and UAVs from this decade in aviation history, with detailed technical specifications, development stories, and operational deployment records.

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NATO reporting names for aircraft

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✈️ Category	All • Combat • Bomber • Helicopter • Training • Transport • UAV • Special
🗓️ Decade	All time • 1940 • 1950 • 1960 • 1970 • 1980 • 1990 • 2000 • 2010 • 2020
🌎 Country	All • 🇦🇷 🇦🇺 🇦🇹 🇧🇷 🇨🇦 🇨🇱 🇨🇳 🇨🇿 🇪🇺 🇨🇳 🇳🇱 🇫🇷 🇩🇪 🇮🇳 🇮🇩 🇮🇷 🇮🇱 🇮🇹 🇯🇵 🇳🇱 🇳🇿 🇵🇰 🇵🇱 🇷🇴 🇷🇺 🇷🇸 🇿🇦 🇰🇷 🇪🇸 🇸🇪 🇨🇭 🇹🇼 🇹🇷 🇺🇦 🇦🇪 🇬🇧 🇺🇸

Country	Model		Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇦🇷	IA 58 Pucará		FMA	110	Argentinian counter-insurgency aircraft, notorious for its use during the Falklands War in the early 1980s.
🇦🇺	Nomad		GAF	172	Australian utility aircraft, renowned for its versatile, multi-purpose usage in civilian and military applications.
🇧🇷	EMB 120 Brasilia		Embraer	357	Brazilian regional airliner, developed during the 1980s, known for its service with airlines for short-haul flights and military deployments.
🇨🇦	CL-600 Challenger		Bombardier	1066	Canadian business jet, introduced in the 1980s, extensively deployed for VIP and corporate travel worldwide.
🇨🇦	DHC-7 Dash 7		De Havilland Canada	113	Canadian regional airliner, dominant in the 1980s, known for its STOL capabilities and extensive usage in challenging terrains.
🇨🇦	Learjet 35		Bombardier	738	Canadian light-jet, distinguished by its service history in the United States Air Force as a utility aircraft since the 1970s.
🇨🇳	SH-5		Harbin	7	Chinese amphibious aircraft, notable for maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare, used primarily in the late 20th century.
🇨🇳	An-72/74 Coaler		Antonov	195	Ukrainian transport jet, recognized for Cold War era service, notably deployed for freight, troop transport, and Antarctic operations.
🇨🇳	Il-76 Candid		Ilyushin	960	Soviet strategic airlifter, prominently deployed for both military transport and humanitarian aid operations since the Cold War era.
🇨🇳	Ka-27 Helix		Kamov	201	Soviet maritime helicopter, primarily deployed for anti-submarine warfare and rescue operations during the Cold War era.

Country	Model		Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇨🇳	Mi-17 Hip-H		Mil	12000	Soviet transport helicopter, prominently deployed during Afghan War, globally used for cargo, troop transport, and rescue missions.
🇨🇳	Mi-26 Halo		Mil	316	Soviet heavy transport helicopter, frequently utilized for cargo and troop transport, infamous for Chernobyl disaster relief mission.
🇨🇳	MiG-27 Flogger		Mikoyan-Gurevitch	1075	Soviet ground-attack aircraft, prominent for its use in the Afghan War, optimized for air-to-ground operations.
🇨🇳	MiG-29 Fulcrum		Mikoyan-Gurevitch	1600	Soviet twin-engine fighter jet, notable in late Cold War clashes, widely exported and integral to various aerial engagements globally.
🇨🇳	MiG-31 Foxhound		Mikoyan-Gurevitch	519	Soviet interceptor jet, famed for its Cold War period deployment, primarily used for high-speed, high-altitude defensive missions.
🇨🇳	Su-25 Frogfoot		Sukhoi	1000	Soviet close air support aircraft, prominent during Afghan War, designed for ground targets engagement under heavy fire conditions.
🇨🇳	Su-27 Flanker		Sukhoi	680	Soviet-originated multirole fighter, distinguished for deployments during the Cold War, globally utilized in air superiority missions.
🇨🇳	Tu-143 Reys		Tupolev	950	Soviet unmanned reconnaissance aircraft from 1970s used for tactical reconnaissance missions
🇨🇳	Yak-38 Forger		Yakovlev	231	Soviet vertical takeoff/landing fighter, developed during the Cold War, primarily utilized on Soviet naval aviation carriers.
🇷🇴 🇳🇱	IAR-93 / J-22 Orao		CNIAR/Soko	88	Romanian-Yugoslav ground-attack aircraft, operational during the Cold War, used significantly in the Yugoslav Wars.

Country	Model		Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇩🇪 🇫🇷	Alphajet		Dassault-Bréguet/Dornier	480	French-German trainer jet, known for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pilot training, used particularly from late 1970s onward.
🇫🇷	Falcon 10		Dassault	226	French light business jet, known for corporate transportation from the late 20th century, with wide usage worldwide.
🇫🇷	Falcon 50		Dassault	352	French maritime surveillance jet, noteworthy for transcontinental capacity, extensively deployed for government, business, and emergency medical services.
🇫🇷	H125M / AS550 Fennec		Aérospatiale	531	French military variant helicopter, notable for service in Desert Storm and Afghanistan, widely employed for scouting and light attack roles.
🇩🇪 🇫🇷	H215M / AS532 Cougar		Airbus Helicopters	408	French utility helicopter, notable for search and rescue missions, extensively utilized in military and civilian sectors since the 1970s.
🇫🇷	Mirage 2000		Dassault	601	French multirole fighter, operational since the 1980s, extensively used in numerous conflicts including the Gulf and Balkan Wars.
🇫🇷	Mirage 4000		Dassault	1	French delta-winged fighter prototype, designed in the late 1970s, not adopted or deployed in any operational military roles.
🇫🇷	Super Etendard		Dassault-Bréguet	85	French carrier-based strike fighter, key in Argentina's Falklands War operations, also deployed in Iraq and Kosovo conflicts.
🇫🇷	TB-30 Epsilon		Socata	19	French trainer aircraft from the 1980s, widely used by French, Greek, and Portuguese air forces for advanced pilot training.
🇩🇪 🇫🇷	Alphajet		Dassault-Bréguet/Dornier	480	French-German trainer jet, known for North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pilot training, used particularly from late 1970s onward.

Country	Model		Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇩🇪 🇫🇷	H215M / AS532 Cougar		Airbus Helicopters	408	French utility helicopter, notable for search and rescue missions, extensively utilized in military and civilian sectors since the 1970s.
🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇮🇹	Tornado		Panavia	990	European multirole combat aircraft, renowned for operational history in Gulf War and Balkans conflict.
🇮🇱	Kfir		IAI	220	Israeli fighter aircraft, known for its late Cold War-era operations, notable for South American and Sri Lankan combat deployment.
🇬🇧 🇮🇹	AW109		AgustaWestland	124	Italian multipurpose helicopter, notable for its use in law enforcement, air ambulance and military roles since the late 1970s.
🇮🇹	G.222		Alenia Aeronautica	111	Italian tactical military transporter, produced during the Cold War, notably employed by NATO and UN peacekeeping missions.
🇮🇹	MB-339		Aermacchi	230	Italian trainer aircraft, recognized for its Cold War era inception, extensively deployed for advanced pilot training and light attack roles.
🇮🇹	P68		Vulcanair	431	Italian light utility aircraft, known for its international use in aerial surveillance, freight, parachuting, and passenger transport tasks.
🇩🇪 🇬🇧 🇮🇹	Tornado		Panavia	990	European multirole combat aircraft, renowned for operational history in Gulf War and Balkans conflict.
🇯🇵	C-1		Kawasaki	31	Japanese transport aircraft, notable for its use in the Self-Defense Forces during the Cold War era.
🇯🇵	F-1 / T-2		Mitsubishi	77	Japanese jet fighter-bomber, most prevalent during the Cold War, notably deployed for defense and patrol missions in Japan.

Country	Model		Manufacturer	Produced	Description
🇯🇵	T-3		Fuji	50	Japanese training aircraft, operational during the late 20th-century, widely adopted for flight instruction in Japan's Self-Defense Forces.
🇵🇱	W-3 Sokol		PZL	149	Polish utility helicopter, renowned for search and rescue missions, particularly during UN peacekeeping operations in Bosnia-Herzegovina in the 1990s.
🇷🇴 🇳🇱	IAR-93 / J-22 Orao		CNIAR/Soko	88	Romanian-Yugoslav ground-attack aircraft, operational during the Cold War, used significantly in the Yugoslav Wars.
🇷🇺	A-50 Mainstay		Beriev	42	Russian airborne early warning and control aircraft, developed during the Cold War to extend radar coverage and coordinate air operations across vast distances.
🇷🇺	Yak-52		Yakovlev	14	Soviet primary trainer aircraft, renowned for its extensive service in DOSAAF training program during the late 20th century.
🇪🇸	C-101 Aviojet		CASA	166	Spanish jet trainer and light attack aircraft, deployed in the late 20th century, notably utilized by the Chilean and Spanish Air Forces.
🇪🇸	C-212 Aviocar		CASA	483	Spanish light transport plane, renowned for its versatility, extensively used for surveillance, rescue, and paratrooping missions since the 1970s.
🇺🇦	An-32 Cline		Antonov	373	Soviet transport plane, widely deployed in domestic and overseas services, notably utilized in various military and humanitarian missions.
🇬🇧 🇺🇸	AV-8B Harrier II		McDonnell Douglas/BAe	337	British-American ground-attack aircraft, infamously deployed in numerous conflicts including the Gulf War with unique vertical takeoff/landing capabilities.
🇬🇧 🇮🇹	AW109		AgustaWestland	124	Italian multipurpose helicopter, notable for its use in law enforcement, air ambulance and military roles since the late 1970s.

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