Hosted at the Royal Air Force Museum, London, this two-day conference will explore the complex ways in which air forces have been transformed since the early 20th Century. This conference will be interdisciplinary and will host scholars working on topics which relate to air forces, their personnel and technologies, the economies and societies with which they interact, the conflicts in which they have engaged, and the global and international context with which they are connected.

The full event will be livestreamed here on Crowdcast for free. The Conference will also be available to watch back in its entirety afterwards. If you wish to support the Museum you can donate directly through Crowdcast.

The research presented will offer new evidence and insights on the development of air forces, speaking to change or lack-thereof. In doing so, this research offers to contribute to and bolster the emerging scholarship on air power.

The panels hosted in this year’s programme will include the latest research on a range of topics including: Scouts and Fighting Biplanes: Progress at the dawn of aviation; Gujranwala: Colonial Violence through Air Power; Be an Air-Wac: Gendering the US Army Air Force in WWII; and Drone Revolution in Military Air Power: African Experiences and Perspectives. The conference will feature papers on the development of Royal Flying Corps training, air forces in the interwar Mediterranean, Britain’s air defence in WWII, female fast jet pilots, strategic bombing in the First Gulf War, and Cold War defence policy. 

The conference will conclude with a panel which considers contemporary applications of air power in Iraq, Africa and Ukraine. This year’s keynote will be delivered by Patrick Major, Professor of Modern History at the University of Reading.

The programme for the Conference is available to download here. Please note that changes in circumstances may require the programme to be altered. Consult the programme to see when each session kicks off.

RAFM Conference 2023 - Progress, Regress, and Change