Established in 2016, From Balloons to Drones is an online scholarly platform that seeks to analyse and debate air power history, theory, and current operations in their broadest sense, including space and cyber power. Air power is to be understood broadly, encompassing the history of air warfare, including social and cultural aspects and related fields such as archaeology, international relations, strategic studies, law and ethics.

Since its emergence during the First World War, air power has increasingly become the preferred form of military power for many governments. However, the application and development of air power are controversial and often misunderstood. To remedy this, From Balloons to Drones seeks to provide analysis and debate about air power by publishing articles, research notes, commentary and book reviews.

From Balloons to Drones welcomes and encourages potential submissions from postgraduates, academics, policymakers, service personnel and relevant professionals researching air power.

Articles

Scholarly Articles

From Balloons to Drones publishes informative peer-reviewed articles on air power ranging from historical pieces to current challenges. These well-researched articles should attempt to bridge a gap between the specialist and the non-specialist reader. They should be around c.3,000 to 4,000 words, though From Balloons to Drones will accept larger pieces, and we reserve the right to publish them in parts. You can find a list of published articles here.

Air War Books

From Balloons to Drones publishes review articles that examine the top ten books that have influenced writers on air power. You can find a list of published ‘Air War Books’ here.

Commentaries

From Balloons to Drones publishes opinion pieces on recent news on either current or historical subjects. These should be no longer than c.1,000 words. You can find a list of published Commentaries here.

Research Notes

From Balloons to Drones publishes research notes related to contributors’ current research projects. These form more informal pieces and can be a discussion of a source or a note on a recent research theme. These should be c.500 to 1,000 words. You can find a list of published Research Notes here.

Book Reviews

From Balloons to Drones publishes book reviews that aim to be an accessible collection of appraisals of recent publications about air power. If publishers are interested in having a publication reviewed, then please contact us via the email address below. You can find a list of published Book Reviews here.

Historic Book Reviews

From Balloons to Drones publishes occasional historic book reviews that aim to be an accessible collection of appraisals of critical historic publications about air power history, theory, and practice. You can find a list of published Historic Book Reviews here.

Submissions should be submitted in Word format and emailed to the address below with ‘SUBMISSION’ in the subject line. Also, please include a 50-100 word biography with your submission. References can be used, and please be careful to explain any jargon. However, if you are unsure if your idea fits our requirements, please email us with ‘POTENTIAL SUBMISSION’ in the subject line to discuss.

If you are interested in contributing, please email our editor, Dr Ross Mahoney, at airpowerstudies@gmail.com or via our contact page here.