The Farnborough International Airshow is a week-long event that combines a major trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries with a public airshow. The event is held in mid-July in even-numbered years at Farnborough Airport in Hampshire, England. The first five days (Monday to Friday) are dedicated exclusively to trade, with the final two days open to the public. The airshow is an important event in the international aerospace and defence industry calendar, providing an opportunity to demonstrate civilian and military aircraft to potential customers and investors.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of production of the Mi-24, the first purpose-built Russian combat helicopter, at Rostov Helicopter Plant, today called Rosvertol, a Russian Helicopters company. The design of the Mi-24, a strike and transport helicopter was, was so successful that versions are still in use today: some 1,500 Mi-24s serve with the armed forces of 60 countries worldwide. In 1978, helicopter test pilot and Hero of the Soviet Union Gurgen Karapetyan set a world helicopter flight speed record of 368.4kmh in an Mi-24.