Air Warriors

AC-130 Spectre

Take the versatile design of the storied C-130 Hercules transport model, add a lethal number of miniguns, cannons and howitzers, and you get one of the most fabled and feared assets in the USAF inventory – the AC-130 flying gunship. This plane does not drop bombs or break speed records. Flying night or day, loitering at low altitude, it fires shells you’d expect to find on a tank or a battleship. In this episode of AIR WARRIORS, we’re profiling one of the deadliest combat weapons on the planet, the indomitable AC-130.

F6F Hellcat

It is the aircraft that secured victory for the Allies during World War II. It is a custom-built fighter plane, designed during wartime to go head-to-head with the Japanese A6M Zero. And it’s the weapon the U.S. Navy used to win control in the Pacific and ultimately, the war itself. Meet the F6F Hellcat—the fighter plane that turned the tide for the Allies.

F-4 Phantom

The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II – otherwise known as the Bent Wing Wonder, Old Smokey, Rhino, Elephant, Double Ugly, and other nicknames not fit for print – is arguably one of the finest combat fighters of the 20th Century. It was produced in larger numbers than any other Western fighter of the time, and served with the U.S. Air Force, the Navy, and Marine Corps, and with 11 other nations around the world. In this episode of AIR WARRIORS, we profile one of the most effective combat jets in US combat: the Phantom II.

F22 Raptor

It is supposed to be the jet for the 21st century—a combination of super-cruise, supermanueverability, sensor fusion and stealth all in one package. Through a combination of delays, cost-overruns, wide dispersement of manufacturers and a changing combat landscape, it never really took off….both literally and metaphorically. While many stood by its creation for years, it finally fell victim to its own hype. This episode of AIR WARRIORS profiles the F-22 Raptor, the history of stealth fighters and where fighter jets are heading next.

OV-10 Bronco

The OV-10 Bronco is the Swiss Army Knife of military aviation, faster than a helicopter, more maneuverable than a jet, and able to provide optimal support for troops on the ground in the most difficult of environments. Follow the journey of this light attack aircraft, from its humble origins five decades ago in the garage of two Marines to its heroic missions in Vietnam. Then see how a disastrous role in Desert Storm nearly grounded the warbird for good until it got a shot at redemption two decades later against ISIS.

MiG

When the Soviet-built MiG-15 first screamed over the battlegrounds of the Korean War, America is horrified at what this new enemy fighter could do. Nimble, jet-powered, and capable of diving at supersonic speed, it outperforms any machine in the sky. Its sole purpose: ambush and bring down the B-29s bombers that are decimating the North Korean infrastructure. As it accomplished its mission time and again, the MiG-15 achieves the impossible – it steals air supremacy from the Americans. In the episode of AIR WARRIORS, we profile the MiG 15, the grandfather of the MiG fighter jet & the evolution of this infamous plane.

P-38 Lightning

Od prvního motorového letu člověka v roce 1903 se lidé snažili dobýt nebe a vyvíjeli a vyráběli obrovskou škálu leteckých válečných strojů. Tato série nabízí podrobný vhled do zrození a existence tří nejvlivnějších, a někdy i kontroverzních, letadel moderní doby. F-15 Eagle se narodil v době studené války a je nesporným králem okřídlených bojovníků USA. Hlavní bitevní vrtulník Apache, také z USA, má u nepřátel přezdívku Černá smrt, protože strašidelný stín pokrývá bitevní pole po více než dvě desetiletí. Částečně letadlo, zčásti vrtulník - V-22 Osprey je jedinečný, a po více než desetiletí politické nestability a mediální kontroly konečně povstává z popela. Zjistíme, jaké napínavé příběhy skrývají tito revoluční vzdušní válečníci. (Viasat)

Spitfire