#Editorial – From Balloons to Drones: 10 Years On

By Dr Ross Mahoney

On this day ten years ago, From Balloons to Drones published its first post, an editorial announcing the new webzine. Since then, we have published a range of content, including articles, book reviews, and our podcast series.

The webzine’s origins lie in a 2016 decision to gauge interest among air power scholars on Twitter in creating a collegiate website. After receiving positive feedback, development of From Balloons to Drones moved quickly (indeed, LinkedIn suggests 12 June was the day I ‘created’ the webzine). From then on, we began publishing articles. I originally ran the website on my own, but by 2018, I had recruited a couple of editors, two of whom – Dr Brian Laslie and Dr Michael Hankins – still work for the webzine. Over time, many emerging scholars have worked for From Balloons to Drones. Past editors include Alex Fitzgerald-Black, Dr Victoria Taylor, Dr Luke Truxal, and James Jeffries. In addition to Brian and Mike, the current editorial team consists of Dr Maria Burczynska, Luca Chadwick and Abby Whitlock. I am grateful for the hard work each of our editors has put into the webzine to make it a success.

We have published 333 posts (including this one), including 94 articles on a variety of subjects, 22 research notes, 19 commentaries, 77 book reviews, and numerous editorials. We have also produced 51 podcasts, interviewing numerous experts in air power studies. We have published a few Historic Book Reviews and run a series reviewing Apple TV’s Masters of the Air. In addition, we launched our ‘Air and Space Biography’ on Zotero in 2023 to catalogue works in our fields. The database currently has 2,014 entries and is constantly growing.

The scope of articles published by From Balloons to Drones reflects our philosophy that the study of air power should not focus solely on operations. From Balloons to Drones builds on the argument presented by noted air power scholar John Andreas Olsen in 2018 that air power is more than just ‘aircraft, weapons systems and bombing.’[1] We accept that any analysis of air power must also encompass, though not be limited to, issues such as ‘training, education, values, rules of engagement, leadership, adaptability, boldness in execution, and a range of other factors, tangible and non-tangible, that influence a military operation.’[2] Given this broad view, From Balloons to Drones has always encouraged a healthy discussion of the use of air power in its broadest sense. This has included articles on a wide range of factors, including operations, education, and the experiences of airmen who became prisoners of war.

The subjects covered in our articles are reflected in the webzine’s top 10 most-read articles:

1. Mandeep Singh, ‘Looking Back at Iraqi Air Defences during Operation DESERT STORM.’
2. Michael Hankins, ‘Who Ruined the F-16? The Fighter Mafia’s Battle against the United States Air Force.’
3. Liam Barnsdale, ‘Royal Air Force ‘wings’ Brevets in Second World War Propaganda.’
4. Michael Hankins, ‘Inventing the Enemy: Colonel Toon and the Memory of Fighter Combat in Vietnam.’
5. Thomas Withington, ‘#DesertStorm30 – Electric Avenue: Electronic Warfare and the battle against Iraq’s air defences during Operation Desert Storm.’
6. Jeff Schultz, ‘Supporting the Secret War: T-28s over Laos, 1964-1973 – Part 1: Training.’
7. Justin Pyke, ‘Blinded by the Rising Sun? American Intelligence Assessments of Japanese Air Power, 1920-41: Part 1 – The 1920s.’
8. Michael Hankins, ‘#AirWarVietnam – Making a MiG-Killer: Technology and Signals Intelligence for Air-to-Air Combat in Vietnam.’
9. Jeff Schultz, ‘Supporting the Secret War: T-28s over Laos, 1964-1973 – Part 2: Attack Role.’
10. Michael Spencer, ‘The Downfall of the Red Baron: Lessons Learned from the First World War ‘Ace of Aces’.’

We are grateful for all the submissions we have received over the years. Without our contributors, there would be no webzine and nothing for our readers to read. However, we are always on the lookout for new contributions from established authors or emerging scholars in the air power studies community. If you are interested in contributing, please visit our submissions page to learn how.

So, what about the future? More of the same, but better. We remain true to our original vision of providing an avenue for debate and discussion about air power. We will continue to refine our content offerings and build on the success of the past 10 years. However, we are always keen to hear your views on what we publish. If there is an area of research that needs more coverage, please let us know.

Dr Ross Mahoney is an independent scholar specialising in the history of war with particular reference to the use of air power and the history of air warfare. He is currently the Senior Historian within the Heritage Policy team at Brisbane City Council in Australia. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the education, museum and heritage sectors in Australia and the United Kingdom. Between 2013 and 2017, he was the inaugural Historian at the Royal Air Force Museum in the UK. In Australia, he has worked as a Historian for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and taught at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at The Australian National University based at the Australian War College. His research interests are focused on the history of war, specifically on the history of air power and air warfare, military leadership and command, military culture, and the history and development of professional military education. He also maintains an interest in transport history. He has published numerous articles, chapters and encyclopedia entries, edited two books, and delivered papers on three continents. His Substack is here, and he can be found on Twitter at @airpowerhistory.

Header image: The MC-55A Peregrine is a first-of-type, airborne intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare (ISREW) aircraft for the Australian Defence Force. The first MC-55A arrived in Australia in January 2026. Modelled on the Gulfstream G550 airframe and extensively modified by L3Harris Technologies, the MC-55A is a long-range, persistent ISREW platform able to deliver multi-intelligence effects. The MC-55A Peregrine will be operated by RAAF’s Number 10 Squadron and will be based at RAAF Base Edinburgh in South Australia. Government approved the purchase of four MC-55A aircraft at an allocated cost of $2.399 billion. (Source: Department of Defence)

[1] John Andreas Olsen, ‘Introduction’ in John Andreas Olsen (ed.), Routledge Handbook of Air Power (Abingdon: Routledge, 2018), p. 5.

[2] Ibid.