Air Warriors

- Season 4

(2016)

It's fast, it's acrobatic, and it's built to get in your face before you even know it's there. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is the lightest fighter in the Air Force inventory, and ushered in a new breed of dogfighter. Witness its origins during the Vietnam War, as the U.S. military raced to create a fighter that could hold its own against the Russian's MiG. Then see how it evolved over the decades, adapted in order to stay relevant, and continued to soar to become the undisputed king of the multirole fighters.

The B-52 Stratofortress is affectionately known as the B.U.F.F., or Big, Ugly, Fat Fellow. Whatever you call it, the B-52 is one imposing beast of a bomber, stretching 159 feet, capable of flying nearly 9,000 miles in a single trip, and able to carry up to 70,000 pounds of weapons at a time. Join us as we crown the Air Force's longest serving heavyweight champ, a global reach aircraft that has, for more than a half a century, led the way in every major U.S. bombing campaign, from Korea to Vietnam to Iraq and beyond.

With its long-distance range and highflying dogfighting abilities, the P-51 Mustang was designed to dominate the skies and help end World War II. And it did. Take flight on an aircraft that symbolized the power and romance of the fighter plane, a jet that continues to stun and amaze today. We track the history of this nimble, robust Air Warrior, from its international origins to the challenges it overcame in the battle for air superiority over Europe, captured through compelling firsthand testimony and rarely seen combat footage.