The F-35 is the latest plane to join the ranks of the RAF. What is so special about it is that it is a single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed for many missions with advanced, integrated sensors built into every aircraft. Missions that were traditionally performed by small numbers of specialized aircraft, such as intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic attack missions, can therefore now be executed by only F-35s – changing the game for aircraft forces across the world. Nor is this the only technological advance in the RAF that boggles the mind with its innovation. From the Martin-Baker ejector seats that have saved thousands of lives over the years to an intriguing Rockwell Collins aviator helmet, to the incomparable F-35 flight simulator itself, it is clear that the future of the British military is going to be pretty extraordinary. In this episode, Dan Snow steps into an event in central London to check out the future of Britain’s military aviation and to marvel at the weird and wonderful objects on display at a RAF event in central London. Join him for a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating technology keeping our country safe and secure now and for years to come.
At the end of World War Two the British public wanted to get back to ‘normal’. The gay men who had served their King and country found themselves subjected to a vigorous enforcement of the draconian law that would put them into prison if they were found guilty of indecency. But servicemen living ...
China started out as a neutral country during the First World War. But by early 1917, one thousand Chinese men were on their way to the Western Front. Tens of thousands more would follow, to provide logistical support to the Allies. They constituted one of the largest labour corps of the war. The...
Katie Wignall, founder of Lookup London, shines a light on the stories of several heroines who transformed the East End of London: Annie Besant, Annie Brewster and Sylvia Pankhurst. From writers to activists and nurses, Katie explains how the legacy of these women endures to this day.
