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The article discusses the sampling of the research and application developments for applied aerodynamics in areas ranging from micro air vehicles to hypersonic flight in the U.S. It cites the unmanned aerial vehicles and micro air vehicles, the improvements for reduced fuel burn, and the analysis and design method. It notes that the Air Force Research Laboratory joined Aeronautical Systems Center to fund full-scale validation testing of an active flow control concept for weapons bays.

The article reports on developments related to electric and hybrid aircraft in 2015. Topics discussed include the Airbus E-Fan electric aircraft flying across the English Channel in July 2015, the University of Cambridge testing an aircraft with a parallel hybrid engine and which can recharge its batteries in flight and United Airlines investing in Fulcrum BioEnergy, a company which developed a technology that converts municipal trash into fuel.

The article discusses significant developments in electric aircraft technology in 2014. Topics covered include the Flight demonstration of Electric Aircraft Technology for Harmonized Ecological Revolution (FEATHER) project of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the use of biofuels in aviation, and the results of the flight tests of the cryogenic hydrogen-fueled unmanned plane called the Phantom Eye developed by aerospace company Boeing.

The article looks at several developments in applied aerodynamics in 2009. Active wing technologies are being developed by the European Smart Fixed Wing Aircraft Integrated Technology Demonstrator. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) common research model is the concentration of the Fourth Drag Prediction Workshop. The collaboration of NASA with Georgia Tech Research Institute is aimed at conducting two-dimensional (2D) circulation control experiments.