A complete history of military aviation, from the first tentative flights of tethered observation balloons and the flimsy wood and canvas of aeroplanes at the start of the century, to fly-by-wire supersonic jets, airborne battlefield management systems and high-tech spy satellites. In 100 years air power has developed dramatically, due to the demands of a far-flung empire, two world wars, the uncertainties of the Cold War and the complex security demands of the present day. Peter March draws on photographs from the archives of the world's air forces and aircraft makers to show the story of the relentless drive for technological excellence and supremacy in the air that has taken war in the air into the realms of science fiction in little more than a lifetime.