Although it was due to fly the friendly skies of Lakehurst, New Jersey in mid-June, Northrop Grumman's usually unmanned surveillance was only just caught floating over the Jersey Shore as part of a maiden flight on August 8th.

ENGADGET: US Army's LEMV spy blimp spotted hovering over New Jersey, may take up cargo duties (video)

Although British Airways broke with tradition by placing its first ever order for Airbus' A380, it still gave a boost to Boeing by ordering 24 Dreamliners, the mid-sized craft that has so far raked in over 700 orders and is set for a maiden flight before the end of the year.

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It should be noted also that the 2017 maiden test flight will use a "lite" variant, one capable of lifting about 70 tonnes to low-Earth orbit.

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Kaziranga chief NK Vasu said the maiden drone flight on Monday was a "milestone in wildlife protection".

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The Vulcan made its maiden flight in 1952 before acting as a deterrent during the Cold War and seeing active service in the Falklands War.

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Its maiden flight, last January, came only hours before a visit by the US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to Beijing, a coincidence which many analysts saw as a deliberate signal by China.

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