What level of air power insurance should we take out and which add-ons should we get? Analysing the suite of air power options available in 2007 and where technology might take them, Sir Brian takes us through the six core roles of air power with the aim of addressing the questions of what is a sensible insurance policy for the future, how much capability risk can a nation take in reducing the premium it needs to pay, whether super-powers are the only ones who can afford “fully comp” and what could be the consequences for those who go for a lower level of cover?

The lecture was addressed to the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Air Power Group on 11 January 2007 and the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.