The American Military's History Of Air Superiority | War Machines | Timeline

my name's dan snow and i want to tell you about history hit tv it's like the netflix for history hundreds of exclusive documentaries and interviews with the world's best historians we've got an exclusive offer available to fans of timeline if you go to history hit tv you can either follow the information below this video or just google history hit tv and use the code timeline you get a special introductory offer go and check it out in the meantime enjoy this video the dream of flight quickly consumed by the machine of war wood and canvas gave way to steel and a pistol wielded by a single pilot became a missile flying at supersonic speeds the battlefield of the clouds would climb beyond the stratosphere and the power wielded by a flying fortress would one day be in the hands of a single pilot faster stronger and more brutal each innovation the result of a never-ending quest for supremacy a quest to conquer the sky [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] from humble beginnings the fighter has evolved at breakneck speed with their superiority the aim of military forces worldwide aircraft became faster more sophisticated and increasingly lethal as air-to-air combat raged in the skies the ace and the fighter jet were immortalized as legends during the cold war the united states military required a new fighter capable of defeating the fearsome soviet mig jets to dominate the air they needed to produce an aircraft with exceptional speed maneuverability and climb rate that could outperform their russian counterparts this arms race would create one of the most lethal weapons in the sky the mcdonnell douglas f-15 eagle the first air superiority fighter designed for the u.s air force with a range of variants it is engineered to engage enemy aircraft traveling two and a half times the speed of sound its twin engines producing enough thrust to smash through the sound barrier in a vertical climb the f-15 first went into service with the israeli air force in 1978 but it would be another three years until its long-awaited showdown with the mig on the 13th of february 1981 while patrolling the northern border of israel marcia melnick and israeli air force ace recorded the f-15s first kill shooting down a syrian mig-25 the f-15 has since claimed over 100 victories yet to this day it has never been shot down in air-to-air combat a record exceeding any other aircraft on december 17 1903 in a field south of kitty hawk north carolina the first controlled and sustained heavier-than-air flight took place although wilbur and oval wright were not the first to build and fly an experimental aircraft they were the first to invent the three axis control mechanism a device enabling pilots to steer and maintain an aircraft's equilibrium an innovation still used today a little more than a decade later the first world war broke out in europe aeronautic technology was still in its infancy and planes constructed from wood wrapped in canvas would become tools of war initially flying reconnaissance missions pilots soon began dropping bombs onto ground targets when encountering an enemy aircraft pilots began firing upon each other with handheld pistols however flying a plane and operating a handheld weapon was far from ideal engineers began designing methods to mount weapons to aircraft the first true solution arrived in the form of the synchronization gear a simple device that disabled firing when the blades were aligned with the gun barrel as the blades rotated into a safe position the gear was stripped allowing the bullets to pass harmlessly through the arc between the propellers the airplane had become a weaponized killing machine aerial combat became known as dogfighting and pilots victorious in five jewels achieved the status of ace the life of an ace was all too often short-lived during world war one the average life expectancy of an raf pilot was a mere 93 hours [Music] but the devastation inflicted during those hours could change the outcome of war only 16 years since the plane's debut at kitty hawk the great war came to a close however by this time the royal air force had amassed 4 000 combat aircraft and the fighter was here to stay [Music] in 1940 hitler prepared to invade britain by unleashing the world's most lethal air force on the island nation the luftwaffe relentlessly bombed air defenses and terrorized civilians london burned while air-raid sirens directed people to take cover [Music] britain needed an airborne hero to defeat the german planes and quell the nazi invasion the supermarine spitfire launched in 1938 the spitfire was an interceptor aircraft designed to thwart enemy bombing missions powered by a 1030 horsepower rolls-royce engine it flew at a top speed of 580 kilometers per hour faster than the german messerschmitt fighters at altitudes above 4600 meters it could outmaneuver its enemy providing the edge in a dogfight the only allied plane built throughout the entirety of world war ii the spitfire was british ingenuity at its best carrying the hopes and prayers of a nation on its iconic elliptical wings alongside the spitfire in the uncertain skies was the hawker hurricane at 530 kilometers per hour it was slower than the spitfire and it had a lower climb rate but together the two fighters made a formidable team while the public takes shelter our fighter pilots take off to destroy the enemy the royal air force was heavily outnumbered by the luftwaffe with a force twice the size [Music] winning the battle of britain would take more than superior planes and pilots it would require strategy and revolutionary technology using radio waves reflected off the target and back to the source radar forewarned the british air force of the size speed and scale of an inbound luffer attack headquarters was then able to give the command for squadrons to scramble providing a head start on the incoming assault as the battle waged the spitfires targeted the messerschmitts the hurricanes then slip through the now open defenses and rip the nazi bombers to pieces the first hurricanes carrying eight machine guns in their wings literally soared through the fuselages of enemy raiders the battle of britain resulted in a decisive win for the allies with air superiority the key to victory it was germany's first major defeat of the war with hitler giving the order to retreat from britain and abandoning all plans of an invasion winston churchill said of the battle never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few escalating their war against the south in 1950 the bulk of north korea's air force consisted of inexperienced pilots and world war ii era planes to compete against american technology north korea turned to her communist allies working in secrecy the soviets had designed a new fighter using turbojet technology the mig-15 had arrived incredibly the british government had granted the soviets permission to copy their rolls-royce nine engine providing the new fighter the power to reach speeds of 1033 kilometers per hour the mig-15 possessed revolutionary swept wings angled backwards the wings reduced aerodynamic drag allowing superior stability and performance a new challenger was needed and it came when the us unveiled its own swept wing jet the f-86 sabre with a top speed of 1091 kilometers per hour the sabre leveled the playing field the korean war would provide the location for the first jet battles the border between north and south became known as mig alley as dogfights against sabres raged american sabre jets sweep into battle to engage russian-built mig-15s and u.s air force camera gun pictures show us the destruction of one of the enemies the sabre's larger wingspan provided exceptional maneuverability and the us's veteran pilots was superior to the enemy with both jets almost a mirror of one another these two factors saw the saber triumph with a kill ratio of almost ten to one on december 7 1941 without warning 353 japanese fighters attacked the united states naval base at pearl harbor hawaii for over seven hours the raiders pummeled the us navy with unyielding ferocity the attack dragged the united states into the second world war and for the next three and a half years the allies would battle the japanese empire in the bloody pacific theater triggering the pacific war the japanese mitsubishi a6m 0 had been in service with the imperial navy for a little over a year [Music] launched from an aircraft carrier they were the longest range single-engine fighter of the war known for their exceptional maneuverability especially at low speeds initially pitted against the u.s grumman f-4f wildcat the zero was clearly a superior fighter the wildcats were slower less maneuverable and underarmed often running out of ammunition before they could strike their target the united states desperately needed a fighter that could defeat the zeroes still recovering from pearl harbor the u.s navy accelerated development of a new military machine moving from prototype to operational in less than a year a new fighter took to the skies the grumman f6f hellcat [Music] far superior to their predecessor the hellcat's engine was more than twice as powerful they were just as agile as their zero adversaries but could clock speeds a hundred kilometers faster the hellcats were armored against enemy fire and their fuel tanks were constructed of multiple layers of rubber and fabric that would swell and expand when mixed with leaking fuel sealing any breach fragile and lightweight the zeroes lacked this technology and would often burst into flames as they plunged into the ocean throughout the war the hellcats built a 13-1 kill ratio against the zeroes destroying more than 5 000 enemy fighters they were responsible for 75 of all u.s navy aerial victories the continual loss of experienced japanese pilots and their planes saw the hellcats achieve their superiority by 1945 the final year of the pacific war the zeroes had already become outdated and a new desperate weapon emerged that japanese plane has been hit and it's going to crash either by chance or in a suicidal effort to strike a final blow plane and pilot crash into an american landing craft full of troops some 3 860 japanese pilots plummeted to their death during the suicide attacks taking ships and servicemen with them [Music] less than a decade after the first flight pilots began unleashing bombs from the sky within just 35 years the super fortress would cast a shadow over hiroshima and the bomber would become the most deadly killing machine the world had ever known but the story of the bomber is more than just destruction a tale of technological ingenuity enabling flight that is faster higher and more silent than ever before a hallmark aviation innovation this jet powered strategic bomber currently holds 61 records for speed payload and distance [Music] the rockwell b1 lancer [Music] the backbone of the u.s long-range bomber force the lancer flies at high altitudes achieving supersonic speeds beginning life at the end of the cold war the b-1 was designed to carry a payload of nuclear weapons the original prototypes were constructed with an escape capsule protecting the four crew against the extreme conditions of the jets operational altitudes the design feature was abandoned when a b1 crew member died after a low altitude ejection the b1's original nuclear capabilities were dismantled in favor of conventional munitions it now carries over 56 tons of armament the largest payload of both guided and unguided weapons in the air force's infantry a proving killing machine the rockwell b1 will be standing up to enemy combatants well into the future the nazi bombing roads over the skies of britain aimed to force the country into a peace treaty but the plan backfired the royal air force won the battle for britain and the seeds of revenge were quickly sown in 1942 the british air force retaliated by unleashing the avro lancaster long-range heavy bomber the lancaster's massive bays were able to carry the largest bombs ever known in air warfare including the 10-ton grand slam earthquake bomb the lancaster is the best in the world and we believe it's a weapon with a great destiny in the winning of this world with germany well within the lancaster's 2 000 kilometer combat radius the allies began pounding cities 24 hours a day air marshal harris has promised germany a tremendous unprecedented non-stop bombing one of the most inventive campaigns occurred in may 1943 when the british launched operation chastise the targets were two german dams that when ruptured would [ __ ] vital nazi infrastructure the challenge was to deliver an explosive past the defensive torpedo nets to each dam's vulnerable base the solution required a low altitude approach before the lancaster would launch their bouncing bombs the chargers backspinning at 500 revolutions per minute would skip along the water over the nets and hug the dam walls as they sank to the base the dams were spectacularly destroyed and the flooding was catastrophic whilst a tremendous display of british ingenuity the attack itself was strategically underwhelming within nearly a month water output was restored and the electricity grid was producing full power worse still the majority of lives lost in the attack were civilians and prisoners of war over the course of the conflict lancaster's dropped more than 608 thousand tons of bombs the most successful british bomber of world war ii the lancaster was essential to allied victory but with almost half of all lancasters and their crew failing to return home the service of these brave men and this incredible aircraft will never be forgotten perhaps no technology is more synonymous with the development of bombers than the turbo jet engine invented by frank whittle for the royal air force in 1921 the turbojet engine enabled speeds and heights vital to the operations of new age bombers [Music] the jet engine works by ingesting air through a gas-powered turbine the air is then compressed by a series of rotor blades before moving into a combustion chamber where it is heated by fuel the turbine exhaust is then expanded in the propelling nozzle where it is accelerated to high speeds the birth of the jet age combined with the arms race of the cold war set military development on a fast track as the iron curtain was drawn military forces around the world began equipping their aircraft with this new power [Music] in 1951 the british royal air force unveiled their first jet bomber the english electric canberra [Music] in the year of its introduction the canberra was the first jet to make a non-stop transatlantic flight traveling from northern ireland to newfoundland in canada in 1957 it set a world altitude record of 21 430 meters new glory is shared on the british aircraft industry by the success of the record-breaking canberra adaptable and advanced the canberra was used in a variety of roles from that of a tactical nuclear strike aircraft through to a photo reconnaissance jet its popularity saw 1 352 of the cameras produced in a decade [Music] as the cold war continued a school of thought arose believing that if aircraft could travel high and fast enough they could simply outfly enemy interceptors and ground to air missiles speed and altitude quickly became the focus of development and in 1960 the us unveiled the first supersonic bomber the convair b-58 hustler [Music] a high-altitude strategic bomber the b-58's delta-shaped wings enabled 19 world speed records its 1963 record of longest sustained supersonic flight remains unbroken to this day however despite its incredible performance it had been built on a false premise in the same year as the b-58's unveiling a cia reconnaissance aircraft operating at the same high altitudes intended for the hustler was shot down by a soviet missile the hustler's speed and top altitude were revealed to be within enemy range the b-58 was repurposed for low penetration rolls but never saw active combat retiring within a decade [Music] just as the hustler was leading service the us unveiled a new trailblazing bomber the f-111 hardback able to alter the position of its wings with a swept configuration the f-111 could perform at altitudes and speeds similar to the b-58 wings in the full forward position the aardvark was optimized for lower speed maneuvers and could carry a greater payload the f-111 also employed ground-hugging technology enabling it to fly below enemy radar as the aardvark's own radar scanned the upcoming landscape a flight path was mapped for the autopilot allowing consistent altitude and speed using this technology the f-111 could fly as low as 60 meters above the ground at supersonic speeds delivering its payload into enemy territory without detection although the b-58 and the f-111 both flew their last missions decades ago these first-generation supersonic bombers remain pioneers of technologies that live on in military aircraft today during the 1960s tensions between the u.s and the soviets was at fever pitch as part of operation chrome dome 12 nuclear-armed bombers constantly encircled the soviet union 24 hours a day 365 days a year the boeing b-52 strato fortress waiting on the go command from the u.s president the b-52s were poised to retaliate if the soviets launched a nuclear attack for over seven years a fully armed b-52 was never more than two hours away from soviet targets operation crime dome came to an end in 1968 when a b-52 flying over greenland crashed into sea ice in the north star bay causing radioactive contamination from the four hydrogen bombs on board with intercontinental ballistic missiles replacing bombers as the primary means of nuclear weapons delivery the b-52 was redesigned to carry non-atomic weapons with plans to keep the bomber active until 2045 the b-52 service duration will stretch 90 years unprecedented for any aircraft military or civilian the bombing campaigns undertaken by both the axis and allied forces during world war ii have long been debated both on moral grounds and effectiveness rather than only attacking military targets operations focused on industry and infrastructure aiming to [ __ ] the enemy and terrorize populations civilians were all too often casualties of war one heavy bomber designed for high altitude strategic missions would go on to become the single most destructive weapon in the world the boeing b-29 superfortress after the savage blows at pearl harbor production of the b-29 was fast-tracked 500 would be constructed before a single prototype had even been tested here the planes are assembled planes embodying every advanced idea gained by boeing in the last 10 years when the b-29 entered service in 1944 they were exclusively assigned to strategic japanese targets with a top speed of 560 kilometers per hour they were not exceptionally fast however the b-29 was able to fly well beyond the reach of japanese fighters the attacks gravely damaged japan's ability to support its population and war efforts in only one night of bombing alone 25 of all the buildings in tokyo were destroyed while 1 million people were left homeless still japan refused to raise the white flag in august 1945 two modified b-29s delivered the knockout blows decimating hiroshima and nagasaki with uranium bombs that's the atomic bomb exploding at nagasaki the film was taken in a b-29 many miles away all of you who see this picture can judge for yourselves the extent of the menace to civilization of this new weapon with more than 129 000 perishing in the strikes japan surrendered within a month [Applause] [Music] production of the b-29 halted after world war ii however the super fortress would continue to blaze a trail for aviation and bomber technology in october 14 1947 a modified b-29 was loaded with an experimental rocket plane the bell x1 piloted by air force captain charles chuck yeager the x1 was named glamorous glennis after his wife built in the shape of a bullet to remain stable at supersonic speeds the x1 reached mach 1.06 making it the first manned aircraft to exceed the speed of sound engineers could now push aircraft even faster the sound barrier now broken the skies were no longer the limit dominating the skies this flying ghost is able to break through seemingly impenetrable defenses to hit the enemy before they even see it coming the northrop grumman b2 spirit a strategic long-range heavy bomber with the most advanced anti-detection technology on the planet developed in the 1970s anti-reflective paint is used to reduce the spirits optical visibility when flying during daylight the b2 has no visible fuselage or tail with no sharp angles to reflect radio waves the bomber's radar detectability is so small the aircraft can only be spotted when its internal bomb bays open [Music] the four non-afterburning turbofan engines are buried deep within its wings concealing sound and heat signatures the absence of afterburners and therefore hot exhaust decreases the b2's infrared footprint with an array of conventional and nuclear weapons the b2 can carry 18 tonnes of sophisticated gps eight of munitions the b2 is the only aircraft in the world capable of deploying the massive ordnance penetrator otherwise known as the 14 tonne bunker buster bomb a mere 86 years after the first munitions were dropped from a biplane the b2 spirit stands as an example of aviation innovation with diverse technologies coalescing into a superior killing machine from humble beginnings they were soon adopted into service versatile pack mules they changed the mobile nature of warfare before evolving into flying ambulances going where no fighter or bomber could go these aircraft have endured war zones in the world's most seemingly inaccessible areas armoured and armed the utility craft became the gunship switching from lifesaver to deadly killer delivering troops and equipment with pinpoint accuracy whilst carrying a battle-ready stock of guarded missiles this legendary war machine is an essential military workhorse [Music] the uh-60 blackhawk helicopter on the 3rd of october 1993 the blackhawk was deployed for operation gothic serpent in somalia a u.s joint special operations force led by eight blackhawks was sent into downtown mogadishu to capture two warlords the initial extraction was a success but the task force came under heavy fire and two blackhawks were shot down the ensuing battle was the deadliest for u.s troops since vietnam with 18 soldiers killed and 76 wounded but if not for the blackhawk the toll could have been higher the pilot of down blackhawk super 6-4 credited the superior crash-worthy design of the uh-60 for saving his life since entering service with the us army in 1979 blackhawks have logged over 4 million flying hours able to carry 11 combat troops or hall 4 tons of equipment the blackhawk is the world's most advanced twin turbine battle helicopter its state-of-the-art flight instruments include an autopilot system allowing the copter to fly itself defining rotorcraft versatility the uh-60 blackhawk has proved invaluable on the modern battlefield [Music] a wartime legend the salvation of hundreds of thousands of troops in one of the most brutal conflicts in history it redefined military aviation the single-engine twin blade bell uh-1 iroquois was introduced by the united states army in 1959 when the u.s army arrived in vietnam to support the south against the communist viet cong they brought with them a fleet of the untested iroquois nicknamed the huey and capable of speeds of over 200 kilometers per hour its gas turbine engine made it lighter and more powerful than previous piston engine rotorcraft [Music] the huey was perfect for the dense jungle landscape of vietnam inaccessible to most vehicles the flying horseman of the united states gallery dismount for action able to fit six wounded on stretchers the huey was an essential lifeline over the course of the war more than one hundred and fifty thousand u.s soldiers were injured and the huey played a major role delivering the wounded to care the viet cong showed no mercy and the medevac helicopters routinely came under heavy fire the dangers for the crew were immense with the huey's thin lightweight aluminium body offering no ballistic protection crews would often place their personal body armor under their seats to shield bullets coming from below if an attack took out the pilot and co-pilot the huey was equipped with a handle behind their seats which when pulled would flatten their seats so their bodies could be rolled out enabling another crew member to jump into position and take the reins this gruesome yet essential feature illustrated the brutality of the vietnam war and the resilience required to fight it to provide essential fire support many of the 7 000 hueys that served in vietnam were retrofitted with a variety of weapon systems including a gatling style minigun capable of firing 6000 rounds per minute the vietnam war had gone from the ground to the skies the gunship was born and in 1965 the first air cavalry division was the premier cavalry unit to depend upon the helicopter tasked with searching out the vietcong upon discovery the air cavalry blasted them with lethal firepower the huey had arrived in vietnam as a medical support tool but after quickly displaying its resilience under fire it became a combat weapon although production of the uh-1 halted in 1987 this vietnam war hero having flown more than 7.5 million combat assault sorties and nearly 4 million gunship attacks will forever hold its place in history as with most technologies the early days of the helicopter yielded little success despite the setbacks the goal was clear achieving controlled vertical lift and flight one of the biggest obstacles blocking rotorcraft design was torque reaction an example of newton's third law where for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction with helicopter blades spinning one way the body of the aircraft would simply be pushed in the opposite direction not until 1936 when german professor heinrich focker unveiled his prototype fw61 did the world have what it considered to be the first fully functional helicopter focker solved the torque reaction dilemma by employing two separate rotors spinning in opposite directions driven by a 160 horsepower engine the counter rotation of the rotors provided equilibrium at a starting lift rate of 206 meters a minute the helicopter was born and it gave opportunity to all including germany's first female aviator and iron cross recipient hannah reich an astonishment takes the place of ridicule as the aircraft hovers and moves slowly around in the confined space flown by a girl pilot hannah reich no mirrors or concealed wires aid this amazing performance the helicopter once just a fascinating folly had become a reality and it would dare to go where no other machine could [Music] fleeing a russia ravaged by civil war the father of the modern helicopter emigrated to the united states in 1919. igor sikorsky had originally studied engineering but upon hearing of the wright brothers flight he said within 24 hours i decided to change my life's work i would study aviation after years of research into rotary wing flight sikorsky's first experimental machine the bs 300 helicopter took flight in september 1939. igor sikovsky the veteran aircraft designer breaking a record in his latest helicopter for one hour 32 minutes 30 seconds it went nowhere and stayed there powered by a 75 horsepower engine it was the first successful single lifting helicopter in the united states as a result of sikorsky's success with the vs300 that model was used as a prototype for the first helicopter designed for military use setting new records for helicopter speed endurance and altitude sikorsky's r4 would become the world's first mass-produced helicopter he embraced the need for helicopters in the military constantly perfecting his new war machines [Music] when korea erupted into war in 1950 the united nations came to the aid of the south although helicopters had been used in a limited capacity during world war ii the rough korean terrain often impenetrable by land vehicles resulted in their widespread use with the deployment of the sikorsky h-19 helicopters impacted the mobile nature of war the latest comes from the korean front where the hover machine has now become a rocket gun transporter the idea is to fire at the enemy and then rapidly change position before the communists can locate them [Music] a visionary sikorsky had foreseen the military application of the rotorcraft delivering a revolutionary war machine on january 17 1991 the first shots fired in operation desert storm came from the sky iraqi air defense towers were wiped out and the skies opened for 700 allied fixed-wing aircraft to strike 500 strategic targets those first shots came from six boeing ah-64 apaches the most advanced attack helicopters in the world in 1986 after more than a decade in development the us army introduced the apache taking interactive military systems to a new level the combat-ready apache is the most lethal helicopter in the world armed with 70 millimeter armor piercing rockets and laser-guided missiles its nose-mounted sensor suite locates tracks and attacks targets a revolutionary helmet-mounted display system referred to by crews as the green eyed monster enables pilots to sink on board gun movements to the perspective of the helmet wearer potential targets need only be looked at before being fired upon wrapped in a titanium and kevlar shell the apache is able to take an enormous amount of punishment and keep on flying at speeds nearing 300 kilometers an hour the apache employs infrared countermeasures that divert missiles away from the aircraft the tandem cockpit is divided in two by bulletproof shielding increasing crew survivability if one of the pilots is hit [Applause] the apache has flown more than 1 million combat hours for more than 13 nations with no plans for retirement anytime soon the apaches sophisticated technology and devastating weaponry will see it continue as a deadly force across the world's most unfriendly skies a developing technology that still frustrates and excites an equal measure the vertical and short takeoff or b style aircraft is attempting to have it all the vertical lift of a helicopter with the speeds of a jet for decades the world's most brilliant minds have tried to perfect the technology pushing the laws of physics the pursuit of fast combat aircraft that don't require runways has created some of the most revolutionary and sophisticated military machinery in 1982 british sovereign territory was invaded for the first time in many years when argentinian forces mounted an amphibious landing on the falkland islands the british responded deploying a fleet of strike fighters to support ground forces [Music] the crisis would see the combat taboo of the most successful family of v-style aircraft in history the harrier jump jet outnumbered 10-1 by the argentinian air fleet the harriers flew over 2000 sorties including air-to-air combat ground attack and reconnaissance the harriers were excellent dogfighters but it was their v-style capabilities that provided the edge argentinian pilots had to fly long distances before reaching the engagement zone leaving only 10 minutes before retreating or risk running out of fuel on their return to base the harriers also with limited range could take off and land almost anywhere downing 20 enemy aircraft with no air-to-air losses the harrier's development began in 1957 when the bristol engine company in england designed the vectored thrust pegasus engine allowing pilots to manipulate the orientation of the thrust controlling the aircraft's angle and altitude together aircraft and engine first flew in 1960 six years at a series of redevelopments later the harrier jumpjet family was finally born mastering the system is complex and pilots describe the flight controls as unforgiving most services require pilots to have extensive experience flying rotocraft and fixed-wing jets before undergoing harrier training after serving in conflicts around the globe the production of the harrier ended in 2003. they will retire from the battlefield by 2025 60 years since their deployment began during the 1956 revolution hungarian jets were dominating the soviet occupying forces [Music] in retaliation the red air force turned their attention to the hungarian airfields destroying runways and stopping the uprising in its tracks the world was watching and military strategists suddenly recognized the runway as the jets achilles heel while helicopters don't require runways they are subject to the unbreakable laws of physics even the most advanced rotorcraft has a built-in speed limit that if exceeded will spin the aircraft out of control with speed and maneuverability vital to air supremacy engineers turn their attention to developing vertical takeoff abilities in jet powered aircraft launched in 1954 the british rolls-royce flying bedstead was one of the first veto aircraft to leave the ground it may look like an optical illusion but this thing is rarely flying the bedstead will be used to study the problems of vertical takeoff and landings on which may be applied in the future to high-speed aircraft however the bedstead's lift engines were redundant during forward flight adding unnecessary weight a solution emerged on the other side of the atlantic the ryan x-13 was the first veto jet aircraft taking off from a platform it would then transition to a horizontal flight position before resuming its landing orientation two prototypes of the x-13 were built but the u.s air force was unconvinced about the future of the technology over the next decade a number of veto developments were made but nothing came close to the speed of a combat jet until germany unveiled the vj-101c designed by the father of the measure schmidt fighter the 101 was the first vtol aircraft to break the sound barrier with engine pods mounted on each wingtip they could be swivelled 90 degrees this taboo of thrust vectoring would be the key to the next generation of vtol combat aircraft [Music] in 1980 the united states armed forces attempted to rescue 52 embassy staff held captive in iran eight sea stallions were deployed but three suffered from critical failures and one crashed into a transport aircraft resulting in a fire taking nine lives [Music] the failed mission demonstrated the need for a new troop carrier not just capable of vertical precision landings but endowed with speed and reliability the bell boeing v22 osprey in 2007 the osprey entered active service when it departed for iraq on board an amphibious assault ship while on board carriers the osprey's wings and rotors are folded to reduce valuable storage space when it comes time for takeoff the osprey's horizontally positioned blades lift it from the carrier deck as the aircraft gains speed the blades are positioned for forward flight turning the osprey into a turboprop aircraft capable of 440 kilometers per hour transporting 24 combat troops or over 15 tons of cargo the osprey is relatively lightly armed with the loading ramp lowered a gunner can take their position with the capabilities of a helicopter combined with the speed and range of a fixed wing aircraft the v22 osprey is perfect for precision operations [Applause] designed with some of the most advanced stealth capabilities in the world enemies of this aircraft may never know what hit them a fifth generation fighter jet designed for front-line combat it is as controversial as it is sophisticated the lockheed martin f-35b lightning the world's first vitol stealth aircraft designed to be the primary tactical fighter for the us military its development process has however been plagued by setbacks cost overruns and technical difficulties at 100 million us dollars per unit the f-35 could be the most costly mistake in military aviation proponents of the f-35 however maintain that it's worth every penny a state-of-the-art killing machine that has no rival the f-35b derives its take-off thrust from a lift fan located behind the cockpit that ingests and expels air the cruise engine exhaust is passed through a vectoring nozzle that can be deflected downward this dual thrust system gives the f-35b twice the power of the second generation harrier the vtol flight controls have been completely redesigned since the days of the harrier the f-35s systems are so advanced the aircraft has been called a flying computer with cutting-edge radar avionics communications and weaponry designed with the whole battlefield in mind an interactive helmet allows pilots to see a 360 degree view of the skies while the aircraft itself scans the air for hundreds of kilometers in every direction providing the pilot with unprecedented situational awareness with plans to launch in 2018 for the f-35 the sky appears to be limitless um [Music] you

Channel: Timeline - World History Documentaries

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Keywords: History, Full Documentary, Documentaries, Full length Documentaries, Documentary, TV Shows - Topic, Documentary Movies - Topic, 2017 documentary, BBC documentary, Channel 4 documentary, history documentary, documentary history, aviation history, wright brothers, harrier jump jet, attack helicopters, biplanes, american aviation, ww2 fighters, royal air force, ww2 britain, american fighter jets, f-16s, cold war, vietnam history

Id: ch2IXSdibcg

Length: 50min 14sec (3014 seconds)

Published: Sat Nov 27 2021