Battle of the X-Planes
Inside the high-tech, high-stakes competition to create America’s newest fighter plane. NOVA goes behind the doors of the world’s two largest aerospace companies to record classified meetings, climbs into cockpits to fly the most revolutionary planes, and examines the high-stakes battle waged between Boeing and Lockheed Martin to build the most capable and versatile fighter ever created - the Joint Strike Fighter.
You’re on the front line as the two aerospace giants fight for a contract that will make aviation history and help protect America, and that could provide the winner total domination of the U.S. defense fighter industry. Marking the first time filmmakers have been allowed inside a major weapons competition, NOVA enters Boeing’s Phantom Works and Lockheed’s legendary Skunk Works, and travels to the flight test centers at Edwards Air Force Base and Patuxnet Naval Air Station to document key moments of the competition.
Join military brass, aviation engineers, and test pilots as they race to create a single aircraft that meets three criteria - that the winning plane be stealthy, affordable, and adaptable to the widely varying needs of the Air Force, Navy, and Marines. Filmed over four years, Battle of the X-Planes reveals the breakthrough designs, heartbreaking setbacks, adrenaline-fueled test flights, and one final nail-biting decision - the winner of the most lucrative contract in military history- the Joint Strike Fighter.
That Boeing thing looked like a bath tub ... guys: stick to the Dreamliner- thank you :P
LOL LOL alrighty, then... 1:25 - 1:30 "part of a top secret competition".
i love jets so... gud doc great engineering
Go go military - industrial complex ... what do we need ? More dead civilians via your fckn bombs...when do we need it - now ...
I just want to say to every one of those people who are making these machines of death - you are smart, even brilliant scientists, why dont you make something that will benefit humanity rather then kill millions of people?
Great story and a historical record of one of the last generation of manned fighter jets.
Wait you need stealth technology to bomb 3rd world countries now?
Well guys you can argue about the pros and cons of war machines but I started to watch this documentary and once I started I needed to see it to its end. As a documentary it was fully attention seeking. Great one and thank you. Dave J
funny how the engineers seem to be English.
Awesome doc! Imagine what these people could do if they changed jobs to save the planet, rather than destroying it.
Awesome this doc will go down in history as the doc that took two years to watch. 0108hrs
I agree with you Moe, regardless I enjoyed watching this.
Great post moe. interesting documentary!
People, they are talking about killing machines like it is taking a trip to the supermarket. The make it so this garbage is entertaining. There is a good documentary called Militainment. Get a different perspective on an objective way to view our military with facts. Also read War is a Racket written by general Smedley Butler who is one of the most highly decorated men in U.S. history. Don't worry, it's really short and can be found on line for free with no real effort. May not be as exciting as battlefield but far more informative.
Some facts, The largest air force in the world is the U.S. airforce, the second largest is the U.S. Navy. How many do you really need? Better question is who profits off of it? The US is the largest selling of weapons in the world. 895 billion is spent annually on the military, that's more then the next highest 27 military budgets in the world combined, 26 of which are our allies. Can't find the stats now but I do know the friendly fire stats are at record highs and the number grows with each "war" we are in. I believe it is over 40% in the war we are in now. You can say it's because the weapons are more powerful which begs the question, it's good to have the weapons deadlier for our "enemies" and not safer for our "troops"? But I also think it's because we have a bunch of trigger happy video game nuts where taking a life is just like a game. Don't believe that's possible? Take a look at Remco's comment. Enough said.
The JSF is an awesome project, but it cost WAY to much money.
Must say, since Battlefield 2 introduced this plain, I love it.
Great Documentary
Very Interesting
Awesome documentary. I love jets. Vlatko you are doing a great job gathering all these documentaries.
Not really a hard choice the raptor looks way better.