The fast-paced world of Military Aerospace Technology
The early aircraft of the 20th century started life as wood and fabric machines with two wings and one or more piston engines driving propellers. The technology of military aircraft evolved, and the two wings became one wing. The cockpit became enclosed and the pilot, or pilots, gained an on-board oxygen supply. The structure and skin became metal by World War Two whilst the piston driven propeller was replaced by a jet engine and the wing became swept to allow for supersonic flight, as the military fighter flew higher and faster.
Eventually engine exhaust nozzles could be vectored for better aerobatics and the infra-red signature of an exhaust suppressed to counter missiles. The transport aircraft remained subsonic but became larger with either jet power or many propellers. A wider variety of military aircraft saw platforms dedicated to missions such as early warning with huge radars. Fighter jets became bombers and electronic warfare specialists, jamming enemy ground radar and communications, not just high-speed interceptors designed for dog fights. A navigator or weapon systems officer would operate the complex avionics systems for these specialised missions and increasingly these onboard computers are linked to a network of satellites. Eventually composites and special coatings came to replace the metal skins as radar defeating stealth technology was adopted.
The Future of Aircraft Technology
On this page you can find the latest in technological developments for military aircraft, piloted or autonomous. You will find here a central resource for the latest advances in aerospace science and engineering, where you can track the progress of research and development programmes around the world, whether they are radar scattering fuselages for stealth, drone wingmen, supersonic engines or avionics that are networked with ground, air and space assets.
Global Hawk flies into RAF Fairford
The arrival of a Northrop Grumman RQ-4B Global Hawk at RAF Fairford marked the first time the multi-sensor air vehicle had landed in the United Kingdom.
RAAF receives its first MQ-4C Triton
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) formally accepted the first of four Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton uncrewed aircraft during a ceremony at RAAF Base Tindal, Northern Territory on 31 July 2024.
DARPA unveils XRQ-73 X-plane
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has assigned the ‘XRQ-73’ designation to its latest X-plane.
First photos of the B-21 Raider airborne
The US Air Force has released the first photos of the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider strategic stealth bomber airborne.
Famous Test Pilot Anatoly Nikolaevich Kvochur – 1952-2024
Once described as “a pilot by the grace of God”, world renowned Soviet, later Russian, test pilot Anatoly Nikolaevich Kvochur died at the age of 71 following a long illness on April 16, 2024.
12 B-2 Spirits perform mass launch
Twelve US Air Force B-2 Spirit bombers launching in quick succession made for an impressive sight recently at Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
Save the Skymaster folds its wings
The team were attempting to return a Douglas C-54 Skymaster to flying status
EXCLUSIVE: Could Sywell Airshow take this year's number one spot? We speak to Richard Grace.
We speak to Richard Grace about the Sywell Airshow, taking place in June 2024
US and UK launch another wave of attacks on Houthi targets
Just before midnight local time on January 22 the US and UK struck further targets in Yemen, following on from the initial raids on January 11 and 12 aimed at dissuading the Iran-backed Houthis from attacking shipping.
Germany to replace Tornado ECRs with EW-configured Eurofighters
Airbus Defence and Space announced on November 29 that the Budget Committee of the German Bundestag had recently approved the firm to convert 15 Luftwaffe (German Air Force)-operated Eurofighter EF-2000s to EK-standard, providing the selected multi-role fighters with additional electronic combat (EK) capabilities
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