1980s Military Aircraft

Overview

Military aircrafts that first flew in the 1980s. 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.

Related Pages

NATO reporting names for aircraft

Aircraft Comparison Tool

Find an Aircraft in our Database

Military Aircraft Database

✈️ 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	Year	Produced	Description
🇬🇧	Jetstream 31	British Aerospace	1980	386	British regional airliner, widely used during the 1980s and 90s, known for versatility in short-haul routes and on smaller airfields.
🇬🇧	Short 360	Short Brothers	1981	165	British commuter aircraft, recognized for its mid-1980s production, routinely seen for passenger and freight operations globally.
🇬🇧 🇺🇸	T-45 Goshawk	McDonnell Douglas/BAe	1988	221	British-American trainer jet, integral to U.S. Navy pilot training, operational since the late 20th century.
🇺🇸	208 Caravan	Cessna	1982	3000	American utility aircraft, primarily deployed for passenger and cargo transportation, known for its operational history since the 1980s.
🇺🇸	757	Boeing	1982	1050	American narrow-body jet airliner, commercially operational since the 1980s, extensively deployed for transcontinental and transatlantic routes.
🇺🇸	767	Boeing	1981	1288	American wide-body jet airliner, widely known for its extensive use in commercial aviation since the 1980s.
🇺🇸	AT-500	Air Tractor	1986	470	Taiwanese trainer aircraft, utilized for basic flight training during the late 20th-century.
🇺🇸	B-1B Lancer	Rockwell	1983	104	American strategic bomber, designed during the Cold War, notably deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan for long-range heavy bombing.
🇺🇸	B-2 Spirit	Northrop	1989	21	American stealth bomber, operational since the late 20th century, notably deployed in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq conflicts.
🇺🇸	Beechcraft 1900 Beechliner	Beechcraft	1982	695	American regional airliner, extensively deployed domestically and internationally since the 1980s for passenger and freight transportation.
🇺🇸	E-4 NOAC	Boeing	1980	4	American advanced airborne command post, launched during the Cold War, extensively employed for national emergency operations.
🇺🇸	E-6 Mercury TACAMO	Boeing	1987	16	American command-and-control aircraft, operative during the Cold War era, kept primarily for communications with U.S. nuclear forces.
🇺🇸	Enstrom 480	Enstrom	1989	142	American light utility helicopter, notable for its efficiency in policing, surveillance, and training missions since the 1980s.
🇺🇸	F-117 Nighthawk	Lockheed	1981	64	American stealth attack aircraft, prominent in 1980s-2000s, notorious for service in Gulf War and Operation Allied Force.
🇺🇸	F-15E Strike Eagle	McDonnell Douglas	1986	525	American all-weather multirole strike fighter, prominent in the Gulf War for precision strike and deep interdiction missions.
🇺🇸	Gulfstream G100	Gulfstream	1984	265	Israeli-American mid-size business jet, recognized for transcontinental range, introduced in the late 20th century.
🇺🇸	Gulfstream IV	Gulfstream	1985	900	American business jet from the late 20th century, recognized for its widespread use in corporate and private aviation.