Contents

Aviation's Secret World
From the first days of powered flight, an element of secrecy has been an ever-present facet of military aviation, especially during the Cold War.

Secret Firepower
Today air arms all around the world generate a constant demand for new and more capable weapons. Many are well known ­ but many are not.

FOAS - the RAF's 21st Century Striking Power
From 2017, the RAF's Tornado GR.4s will require replacement. David Isby examines the many concepts now under active consideration.

Area 51 - The Myths and the Reality
Situated in a remote part of Nevada, Area 51 is the home of American black projects. It is a mysterious place, said to be the home of all kinds of advanced aircraft, and even UFOs - but what is the truth?

NASA's X Planes
For years, NASA ­ and previously NACA ­ has been connected with experimental aircraft. This is still true today as the organisation strives to open up new areas of aerodynamics and space flight.

NASA Milestones
A pictorial look at some of the key aviation events attributed to NACA/NASA over the past half-century.

Russian X
Alan Dawes ponders some of the extraordinary experimental aircraft and research programmes undertaken both in the Soviet era and in modern-day Russia.

Small, Silent and Sinister
Micro Air Vehicles are set to be the next revolution on the battlefield.

Unmanned and Dangerous
The use of unmanned air vehicles has blossomed during the past decade. But as David Isby finds out, armed combat variants are set to revolutionise aerial warfare.

Edwards ­ Home of White World Testing
Home of the true X Plane, and to practically all American flight-testing and research since World War Two, Edwards is still the ideal location for such work.

Senior Citizen
Along with classified fighter and reconnaissance aircraft, transport aircraft sometimes fall into this category. Joseph Jones examines the intriguing Senior Citizen programme, an advanced tactical transport believed to be operational with the US military.

Evolution & Derivatives
Upgrades and specialised derivatives have long formed an effective way to maintain the capabilities of an air arm. With defence budgets now on a tight rein, this is a real growth area in the aerospace industry.

Spirit at War
The 1999 Kosovo conflict saw the first combat use of the Northrop Grumman B-2A Spirit stealth bomber

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