Air Warriors

There are few wartime conflicts as dramatic or as breathtaking as a dogfight. Two planes chasing and dodging each other at supersonic speeds. The stakes: life or death. Witness some of the most spectacular battles in the air, from World War II to Vietnam to Desert Storm. We celebrate both the remarkable aircraft involved, including the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 Phantom, the F6F Hellcat, and the P-38 Lightning, and give firsthand accounts from some of the bold fighter pilots who looked death in the face and won. Other fighters highlighted are the Mikoyan MiG 29, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, the Mitsubishi A6M Zero, the F4F Wildcat, and Messerschmitt Bf 109 (aka the Me 109).

They're sleek and steadfast, high-tech and high-capacity, dynamic and deadly. No matter the mission, from attack to rescue to disaster relief, these military helicopters always rise to the challenge. Get an up-close, inside look at the AH-64 Apache, UH-60 Black Hawk, CH-47 Chinook, and V-22 Osprey as we examine the machines and their most memorable missions. Through rare footage and interviews with the pilots who flew these choppers into danger, we show what gives these air warriors the ability to get the job done time and again.

Close air support planes are the guardian angels of American ground troops, protecting soldiers with precision firepower. We look at the military's greatest fighters, bombers, and attack aircraft over the last 60 years, from the AV-8B Harrier Jump Jet, the world's most famous vertical/short takeoff and landing fighter jet, to the B-52 Stratofortress, the Air Force's go-to bomber, to the A-10 Thunderbolt II, aka, the "Warthog." The Lockheed AC-130 Gunship and F-16 Fighting Falcon are also featured. We also look back on some of the most thrilling gunship missions, saving lives and winning wars in hotspots across the globe. 

The F-18 has been the backbone of U.S. Navy carrier operations since it was first introduced in the 1980s. It's built to pack a one-two punch as both a fighter and an attack aircraft, capable of dominating both the skies and the battlefield. We examine its origins, beginning in 1973, when the Navy looked to update its aging fighters, including the F-4 Phantom. We then follow the F-18 Hornet and Super Hornet on their most thrilling and perilous missions, from the baptism by fire in Desert Storm to recent bombing campaigns against ISIS.