UN SECOL DE TRANSFORMĂRI ÎN ISTORIA AVIAȚIEI MILITARE ROMÂNEȘTI: DE LA PILOT LA AUTONOMIE
A CENTURY OF TRANSFORMATIONS IN ROMANIAN MILITARY AVIATION: FROM PILOT TO AUTONOMY

Summary/Abstract: From the first ascents of the “Mihai Bravul” balloon to the modern aircraft that cross Romania’s skies today, the evolution of military aeronautics reflects a continuous search for identity and progress. Pioneers Vlaicu, Vuia, and Coandă opened the path to a national ambition that gradually turned the sky into both a strategic and symbolic space. This paper follows that development: the emergence of aviation in World War I, the professionalization of the interwar period, the dramatic trials of the world wars, and the restructurings imposed by the postwar era. The analysis highlights how political, technological, and military contexts shaped the air forces, up to the transition toward the F-16 and F-35 era. Thus, the history of Romanian aeronautics becomes the story of a nation that found, in the sky, the direction of its evolution.

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