15 December 2006 (United States) — The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II made its maiden flight.

15 December 2005 (United States) — The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor entered service after 15 years of testing (including the YF-22A version).

15 December 1996 (United States) — The merger of McDonnell Douglas and Boeing was announced, after a $13 billion stock-swap

15 December 1989 (Alaska) — KLM Flight 867, a Boeing 747-400 (PH-BFC), flew through a cloud of volcanic ash from Mount Redoubt while descending to Anchorage, Alaska. After falling 14,000 feet, the engines finally restarted, allowing the aircraft land safely.

15 December 1964 (Vietnam) — The first USAF gunship, the AC-47 Spooky enters combat in Vietnam.

15 December (United Kingdom) 1955 — The de Havilland Mosquito concluded its career with the Royal Air Force.

15 December 1970 (USSR) — Artem Mikoyan, founder of the USSR’s Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau dies.

15 December 1920 (France) — The first of a number of flying schools to train reserve pilots for the military opens at Orly, south of Paris.