The program looks at the evolution of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, and how the aircraft carrier adapted into a floating military base of extraordinary potency.

World's Deadliest Aircraft P-40 Warhawk: Documentary about warplanes. The P-40 Warhawk was the US Air Forces WWII frontline fighter, and was eventually used in 28 other countries.

When the USS Macon met its end, the Navy's zeppelin ambitions died with it. The USS Macon was one of only two flying aircraft carriers ever built. The other was her sister ship, the USS Akron. The Macon was built by Prague-born engineer Dr. Karl Arnstein in Akron, Ohio. Her first flight was in April 1933. Both the Macon and the Akron were capable of carrying small F9C “Sparrowhawk” propeller planes, which were launched and retrieved during flight.

Before the onset of World War II, Germany's planes were far superior to those of the US and the UK. This programme explores how the scientists and engineers improved on technology and helped to defeat Nazi Germany. Using specially commissioned computer graphics, previously unseen archive footage and interviews with aviation experts, this programme brings back to life the Secret Allied planes of the Second World War.

History has overlooked the unimaginable hardships Russian designers faced under the paranoid rule of Josef Stalin. Frequent purges represented a constant threat. Yet, in spite of the ever-present danger, Soviet aircraft designers mastered technical hurdles astonishing even by today's standards. This hour features extensive archive images of never-before-seen aircraft and the designers who brought them to life. The innovative aircraft profiled include a swept-wing Delta aircraft design; a rocket-powered fighter; a long distance fixed-wing aircraft with features later incorporated in the U-2 spyplane; a flying tank prototype; a submarine-bomber combination; and a canard-wing aircraft. And we highlight remarkable aircraft launched after Stalin's death in 1953, like the delta-winged supersonic Concordski and the world's largest plane, the Antonov 124 Ruslan.

When the USS Macon met its end, the Navy's zeppelin ambitions died with it.The USS Macon was one of only two flying aircraft carriers ever built. The other was her sister ship, the USS Akron.The Macon was built by Prague-born engineer Dr. Karl Arnstein in Akron, Ohio. Her first flight was in April 1933. Both the Macon and the Akron were capable of carrying small F9C “Sparrowhawk” propeller planes, which were launched and retrieved during flight.

Starting in the 1930's, Japanese aircraft designers made incredible strides, and by the time hostilities broke out, the Imperial Air Force had some of the most sophisticated and effective planes in the world. SECRET JAPANESE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II traces the development of the Japanese industry and its famous creations, like the Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. But the program also exposes the frantic, top-secret programs to produce weapons that would have made these legendary planes seem tame by comparison. With the help of some of the world's foremost aviation historians, HISTORY UNDERCOVER® reveals how, at the end of the war, Japan was close to unveiling a new generation of rocket and jet-powered planes that could have turned the tide of the conflict.

Starting in the 1930's, Japanese aircraft designers made incredible strides, and by the time hostilities broke out, the Imperial Air Force had some of the most sophisticated and effective planes in the world. SECRET JAPANESE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II traces the development of the Japanese industry and its famous creations, like the Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. But the program also exposes the frantic, top-secret programs to produce weapons that would have made these legendary planes seem tame by comparison. With the help of some of the world's foremost aviation historians, HISTORY UNDERCOVER® reveals how, at the end of the war, Japan was close to unveiling a new generation of rocket and jet-powered planes that could have turned the tide of the conflict.

Starting in the 1930's, Japanese aircraft designers made incredible strides, and by the time hostilities broke out, the Imperial Air Force had some of the most sophisticated and effective planes in the world. SECRET JAPANESE AIRCRAFT OF WORLD WAR II traces the development of the Japanese industry and its famous creations, like the Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar and the Mitsubishi A6M Zero. But the program also exposes the frantic, top-secret programs to produce weapons that would have made these legendary planes seem tame by comparison. With the help of some of the world's foremost aviation historians, HISTORY UNDERCOVER® reveals how, at the end of the war, Japan was close to unveiling a new generation of rocket and jet-powered planes that could have turned the tide of the conflict.