Cloud city

Above is the Long Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicles (LEMV) which will be built for the US Army within 18 months and ready for operations by early 2012. It will cost £350m, with the contract awarded to American military contractor Northrop Grumman, one of the world's largest defence companies. It will be able to stay in the air for up to three weeks at a time and provide what designers describe as an "unblinking eye" of surveillance for forces on the ground, transmitting data without any delays. The skin is also made up of a mixture of tough materials and Kevlar, being able to withstand most small arms fire.

Using my love of comics as a reference point, I predict that it won't be long until we see fully fledged sky bases in our skies, like the Marvel Helicarrier (below). All I can say is bring on the Iron man armor suits. J!