In addition to their clear photographic skills, this year's Photo Contest winners have impeccable aviation and aerospace credentials.

Talent and technology innovation have shaped society’s past, and they will surely shape its future. But all stakeholders must understand what spawns innovation.

A couple of crossings were powered by alternative propulsion in 2015: the Pacific by solar and the English Channel by electric. But the big news was some approaching operational debuts from CFM and Pratt&Whitney.

From Aegis Ashore to Pakistani nuclear-capable missiles—a look at some of the latest developments on the missile technology and missile defense front.

The six-nation UCAV demonstrator completed an initial phase in November 2015, but will continue flight trials in 2016 and potentially beyond. In a parallel effort, Britain has just completed a third round of flight tests of its Taranis UCAV demonstrator. And a four-nation effort, led by Germany, is to begin designing an unmanned ISR platform in the spring of 2016.

Spacecraft propulsion systems for communications satellites serve a unique purpose—to produce carefully measured pulses that help spacecraft achieve their final trajectory and orbital positions, and to maintain those positions once reached.

Robotic spacecraft traveled throughout the Solar System in 2015 and gave planetary scientists different perspectives on objects ranging from microscopic dust particles at its outer reaches, to the gas giant Jupiter, to the hot clouds of Venus.

With a rapid ramp-up of new aircraft using new materials, MRO providers need to increase R&D to develop repairs.