Research and development test aircraft and crack test pilots of the U.S. Air Force Test Flight Center are marshalled on the sun-baked surface of the Rogers Dry Lake in California. The pilots and aircraft are identified in information about the cover picture in the issue.
The Lockheed C-130A turboprop combat transport aircraft for the U.S. Air Force in quantity production in Government Aircraft Plant No. 6 in Marietta, Georgia, in 1956.
Displayed at the Paris International Air Show in 1957, Dassault's supersonic delta-wing fighter prototype exhibited the degree to which the French were keeping pace with modern aircraft design.
The Avro Vulcan B Mk. 2 was an aerodynamic prototype for production versions of the delta-wing bomber. The latest aerodynamic modification was what appeared to be a completely new wing. This wing, even more of a departure from the delta layout, began to resemble the "curved delta" geometry used on the Douglas F4D Skyray series.
This Avro CF-105 Arrow, at its rollout in Malton, Ontario, has a thin wing with conical cambered leading edges and a blunt trailing edge area-ruled fuselage.
An overhead view of the McDonnell F4H-1 all-weather jet fighter interceptor depicts a smooth area rule curve over the greatest part of its fuselage, with only a slight pinch at its midsection. It is powered by two General Electric J79-2 engines that push it into Mach 2-plus range.
The Soviet freighter Kuratov photographed at the Cuban port of Casilda loading Sandal MRBM missiles for shipment back to Russia by a U.S. Air Force/McDonnell RF 101 photo reconnaissance plane, whose shadow is visible at the lower right on the dock area.
A U.S. Air Force/North American XB-70A No.1 climbs out to begin its first flight seconds after leaving the runway at the company's Palmdale, California, facility.
A British Aircarft Corp. TSR-2 low-level strike-reconnaissance aircraft makes its first flight at the Boscombe Down experimental test field in England.
The No. 2 U.S. Air Force/General Dynamics YF-16 lightweight fighter prototype, in sky blue and white camouflage, ready to be utilized to demonstrate mission effectiveness.
British Royal Air Force Flt. Lt. Geoff Hulley ejects from his disabled Hawker Siddeley Harrier during an exercise in Cyprus. A Martin-Baker Mk. 9 rocket-assisted seat was used for ejection. Hulley suffered a broken ankle on landing.
The first Rockwell/U.S. Air Force B-1A test aircraft lifts off the runway at Palmdale, California, on its maiden flight, which lasted 1 hr., 25 min. and ended with a landing at Edwards AFB Flight Test Center.
A U.S. Army/Sikorsky XH-59A advancing-blade concept helicopter flies over the Housatonic River, near Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut, plant. The aircraft had been flown nearly 30 hr. by test pilots. Housatonic River, near Sikorsky's Stratford, Connecticut, plant. The aircraft had been flown nearly 30 hr. by test pilots.
A Grumman-designed 698 vertical-takeoff-and-landing model transitions from horizontal flight to a vertical-landing configuration by rotating its engine nacelles.
A U.S. Air Force Boeing B-52 bomber is rolled onto the Air Force's newly completed electromagnetic pulse simulator facility for operational checkouts leading to simulation of EMP threat levels and the inflight effects on the aircraft and its electrical equipment.
A dynamically powered and instrumented model of the Bell/Boeing JVX depicts the aircraft's rotors to a 45-deg. transitional flight during tests in Boeing Vertol's wind tunnel facility.
An enlarged telephoto image of the U.S. Air Force/Lockheed 117A stealth fighter depicts the aircraft's highly swept wings and distinctive V-shaped tail.
21st Century Air Superiority: U.S. Air Force Selects the YF-22
The No. 2 YF-22, a prototype of the U.S. Air Force's next-generation air superiority fighter displays its maneuverability during demonstration/validation tests.
Pratt & Whitney's 35,000-lb.-thrust-class YF119 flight-test demonstrator engine for the Lockheed YF-22 advanced tactical fighter prototype demonstrates its thrust vectoring capability on a test stand.
The Teledyne Ryan Aeronautical Global Hawk reconnaissance aircraft, powered by one Allison AE3007 turbofan engine, makes its first flight on Feb. 28, 1998, at Edwards AFB, California.
The first Lockheed Martin U-2S was delivered to the U.S. AIr Force in 1994, and all of the U-2Rs have been converted to U-2s with its General Electric F118-GE-101 engine. The high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft is 40% larger than the initial U-2Rs have been converted to U-2s with its General Electric F118-GE-101 engine. The high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft is 40% larger than the initial U-2A of 1955.
The Pentagon announces the winner of the contractor for the largest weapons program in history, the Joint Strike Fighter.
The competing companies were Boeing and Lockheed Martin. "No doubt about it, Lockheed Martin's victory is a huge win for the company and its teammates Northrop Grumman and BAE Systems."
The single-engine fighter initially was to be powered by P&W's F119, renamed the F135. General Electric was developing the F120, which was to compete for future F-35 production.
One of the 600 Tomahawks fired at Iraq in the first six days of combat leaves the USS Cape St. George, a guided missile cruiser that was one of four surface ships involved in launching cruise missile attacks.
Two hugely different iterations of U.S. Air Force stealth fighters fly together for photos as the F-22 starts its operational career and the F-117 nears the end of its life as a combat aircraft.
From the entirety of Aviation Week & Space Technology's 100-year archive, our editors have selected the covers featured in this gallery as among the most striking depicting defense-related events. See what makes each cover 'memorable', and click here to vote for your favorite.
