title: The sky and tomorrow.
abstract: As a member of the "fifty-year" Air Force research and development club himself, the author first takes a "snap-shot" look at the environment surrounding this activity for each 5-year interval--from 1936 to the present, and into the future--and discusses the impact of the changes. Then, seven principal areas--technology, materials, vehicles and control, propulsion, electronics, weapons environment, and man--are discussed with respect to the timing and extent of their impact upon the Air Force, leading up to the opinion of the author that from now on into the foreseeable future, "man-related" R&D is expected to become a "dominant" force. Examples of R&D highlighting the importance of this area are given.
mesh_terms: D001359:Aviation; D005544:Forecasting; D049673:History, 20th Century; D014481:United States; D014857:Warfare