All language subtitles for Air.Warriors.S06E04.F-22.Raptor.WEB.h264-CAFFEiNE[eztv]

♪
(plane roaring)

Narrator: Fast,
powerful, and stealthy.

Man: We can fly around bad guys
and them not even knowing

That we're there.

Narrator: The f-22 raptor
is america's enforcer-in-chief.

(bomb exploding)

Woman: With an f-22 in
the airspace,

There is no sneaking around.

Narrator: Its
stealth technology,

Born of a cold war need.

(missile exploding)

Man: We were going to have
to make a stealth platform

From the ground up.

Narrator: And developed
so far under the radar

That even those who flew
it questioned its worth.

Man: All the pilots were
not sure that stealth

Was gonna work.

Narrator: All of
this in a quest to build

The most lethal and feared
combat aircraft in the world.

Woman: The air force needed a
lot more stealth aircraft

As quickly as they
could get them.

♪

(bomb exploding)

(guns firing)

Narrator: June 2014,

(soldiers shouting)

The united states
has been fighting

In iraq and afghanistan
for over 12 years.

(speaking in a foreign language)

In nearby syria, a new threat
emerges, the islamic state.

Man: Isis is an organization
that has an apocalyptic,

End of days strategic vision
and which will eventually

Have to be defeated.

Narrator: Us war
planners must tread lightly.

Sending aircraft into
syria could destabilize

The region even more.

Syrian dictator bashar
al-assad is at war

With his own people
and with isis.

He doesn't want
america to interfere.

Isis knows the us is
reluctant to attack.

From its base near raqqa,

It continues its
violent provocations.

Woman: An american journalist
has been beheaded

By isis terrorists.

The victim was kidnapped in 2012

While covering the war in syria.

Narrator: In September,
the united states

And a coalition of allies
decide they've had enough.

President obama: I will not
hesitate to take action

Against isil in syria.

If you threaten america,
you will find no safe haven.

Narrator: To accomplish
this, air strikes.

Allied forces must
wipe out isis targets

But avoid taking sides
in the bitter civil war.

The pentagon plans to use
all aircraft at its disposal

Including its newest
weapon, the f-22 raptor.

♪

Stealth, speed, and
air superiority,

(plane roaring)

The f-22 raptor has it all.

Man: What is behind me is the
premiere air dominance fighter

In the world, the greatest
fighter jet ever built,

Which is the f-22 raptor.

Narrator: 62 feet
long, over 40 feet wide,

The raptor brings the thunder

(plane roaring)

And the lightning.

(missile exploding)

♪

Man: The primary mission
of the f-22 raptor

Is to either shoot down other
airplanes or drop bombs.

(bomb exploding)

Narrator: Air-to-air
or air-to ground,

The raptor has a lethal
option for any situation.

Man: One, two, three.

Man: We can carry
six radar missiles

Two heat-seeking
missiles, as well as

A couple hundred rounds
of 20-millimeter bullets.

Or we can also go to our
air-to-ground load out,

Where we can carry either
two 1,000-pound bombs

Or eight 250-pound
small diameter bombs.

The f-22 is an enforcer,
and we'll put the airplane

Up there to deter any
threat that may try

To impose their will.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: September
2014, al dhafra air base,

United arab emirates.

Four f-22 pilots from
the 27th fighter squadron

Prep their jets for a mission.

Man: We had been in theater as
f-22s for several years already.

Narrator: Lieutenant
colonel dave williams

Served in the us air
force for over 17 years.

Man: None of the f-22s
had been used in combat

Up to that point.

So, the expectation was
that we weren't actually

Gonna be used for anything.

But then, at the very end
of our six-month deployment

We got the call that they
wanted to use us in syria.

♪

Narrator: Williams knows
that flying into syrian airspace

Means taking a dangerous risk.

Man: We weren't exactly sure
what syria was gonna do

When we first
crossed their border.

♪

One of our concerns was that
syria would actually mistake

Our entry into their country
as an act of war against them.

Narrator: The syrians
have an air force,

Anti-aircraft guns, and dozens
of surface-to-air missiles,

All keeping a lookout for
intruders in their skies.

Man: Because of their robust
integrated air defense systems,

Stealth became more of a factor.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: The raptor
is the air force's

Ultimate stealth fighter.

It sneaks up to your house

(bombs exploding)

And then kicks down the door.

Its design, classified,

Both inside and out.

Man: For operational security
reasons, we're unable to open up

The cockpit and let you
film inside the airplane.

That's information that
we don't wanna share

With outside sources.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: There's one
thing pilots can talk about,

The plane's coating called ram.

It stands for radar
absorbing material.

Its active ingredient,
an iron based compound,

Designed to trap and
reduce radar reflection.

Man: The paint is like
an invisibility cloak.

We're adding it to the
aircraft to absorb enemy radar

So the enemy can't detect it.

Narrator: To work, the
coat must be seamless.

Airmen inspect the raptor's
coating for defects

After every flight.

Man: If we notice a paint chip
or a scratch in the paint,

We'll bring it in here, and
strip it down and reapply,

Because any defects degrade
the stealth capability

Of the aircraft.

♪

Narrator: The ram helps make

The raptor nearly undetectable.

On enemy radar, the
43,000-pound plane appears

As small as a bumblebee.

Man: We can fly around bad guys

And them not even
knowing that we're there.

Narrator: At al
dhafra air base,

A 12-plane strike force
lines up on the tarmac.

Among them, four f-15 eagles,

Four f-16 falcons,

And four f-22 raptors.

Man: It was pretty
surreal experience.

There was a flurry of emotions.

Probably the biggest thing
on my mind was making sure

That we can get all of my
guys safely to and from

The airspace and
execute the mission.

Narrator: The plan is for
the non-stealthy fighters

To dip into syria,
take out isis command

And control facilities, and
then return to safe airspace

As fast as they can.

Two of the f-22s are loaded
up with air-to-air weapons

In order to watch the
strike force's back.

Man: They were there to
make sure the rest

Of the strike package
was unmolested,

That they could get
in and out cleanly.

♪

Narrator: Not all
of the mission relies

On the raptor's muscle.

Williams and another f-22
are tasked with a job

That counts on its stealth.

Man: The mission that we had
that night was to drop bombs

On an isis
headquarters building.

It was actually pretty
deep into syria,

Very close to the heart

Of their integrated
air defense systems.

So, f-22s were used 'cause
they could be stealthy.

We were much more survivable

Against the
surface-to-air threats.

Narrator: At midnight, the
fighters begin to take off.

But just before williams
is cleared to go, trouble.

An f-15 up ahead has
a mechanical failure,

Shutting the entire
flight line down.

Man: We had a specific time on
target for all of the airplanes

That were going to
the target that night.

So, for us to be delayed
getting to the airspace

Was a significant
emotional event.

(engine rumbling)

Narrator: The strike is
a finely-timed operation.

All four f-22s must fly
ahead of the other jets.

Man: We wanted the f-22s to
cross the syrian borders first,

Just in case there was
a response from syria.

If they did respond, the
f-22s would be out front

So that we could handle
whatever response

The syrian government provided.

Narrator: 20 minutes
later, the f-15

Is pulled off the runway.

Williams and the other f-22s

Are finally cleared
for take off.

(plane roaring)

With time slipping away,
they push their jets

As fast as they can.

Man: I had my throttles on full
afterburner to get to 1.5 mach.

Once I got there at 40,000 feet,

I pulled them out of afterburner

And I was still
accelerating at 1.5 mach.

We don't have other
assets in the air force

That can do that.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: The f-22 is one
plane that never comes late

To the party.

Two pratt and whitney
f-119 engines make it

One of the fastest fighter
jets on the planet.

Man: We can exceed
mach 2 or go faster

Than twice the speed of
sound, which up high,

Above 50,000 feet that's roughly
about 1100 miles per hour.

Each engine produces
35,000 pounds of thrust

So with both engines operating
you're getting 70,000 pounds

Of thrust propelling this
war machine through the air.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: The engines
offer more than thrust.

These bad boys let the
raptor super cruise.

Man: Super cruise, means that we
can go faster or sustain speed

Faster than the speed of sound
without using afterburner,

Which is the big
flame that you see

Coming out of the airplane.

The ability to fly faster
than the speed of sound

Without using the
afterburner is gonna allow us

To get to places a lot quicker

Than when people
are expecting us.

(plane rumbling)

Narrator: 40,000
feet above the ground,

Colonel dave williams
and his f-22 speed

Straight towards
the target zone.

15 minutes after takeoff, he
crosses into syrian airspace,

Right on time.

♪

Man: When we did cross
into the syrian border,

It was plainly obvious that
there was a civil war going on.

You could see tracer
fire rounds going off

All over the place.

Narrator: Two f-22s stay
close to the strike force,

Keeping an eye out
for enemy planes.

Williams and the other
raptor race further

Into syrian airspace
counting on their stealth

To shield them from
surface-to-air missiles.

♪

If the mission goes well,
it's a hard blow to isis.

But in this volatile
region, it's also easy

For their plans to go wrong.

(planes roaring)

Man: We had to be prepared.

All of our concern and focus
was on the syrian regime

To make sure that
they understood that

We were not there
to start a war with syria.

We wanted to make sure that we
did not start world war iii.

♪

Narrator: High
over syria, f-22 pilot

Lieutenant colonel dave
williams and his wingman

Prepare to drop a bomb
on an isis compound.

To the east, two more f-22s
protect the strike force.

Man: We weren't 100% sure
what the syrian response

Was gonna be.

Our biggest concern
was making sure

That if syria did respond,
it wouldn't escalate

Into something where we're
now shooting missiles

At each other.

(radio operator mumbling)

Man: Copy.

Narrator: Williams locks
on to the isis compound

And drops two 1,000-pound
j-dam laser-guided bombs.

(bombs exploding)

Direct hit.

30 miles away, the strike
force quickly follows suit.

♪

(bomb exploding)

Man: I was actually distracted
from watching my bomb blow up,

Watching the 40
small diameter bombs

That the strike eagles
lobbed at their target area.

That was quite a show to watch.

♪

Narrator: The raptors
and the rest of the aircraft

Quickly return to safe
airspace undetected

And safe from syrian missiles.

(plane roaring)

Man: Officially, that was the
first use of f-22s in combat.

We used the f-22s
against those targets,

One, because the
munitions that we carried.

But in addition to that,
our stealth capability

Gave us a lot bigger
margin for survivability

Against the syrian regime.

Narrator: A stealth
fighter's advantage

Is the element of surprise.

But to truly understand stealth,

You have to first understand
what it's hiding from.

September 1st, 1939,

World war ii erupts in europe.

(bomb exploding)

Engineers all around
the world develop

High-performance bombers and
fighters designed to cripple

The enemy before they
know what hit them.

Man: By the time we
get to world war ii,

There's been many, many
technological advances

Introduced into the combat zone.

Narrator: Yancy
mailes is a historian

At the us air force
global strike command.

Man: Airplanes were
flying higher.

They were faster.

The human eye was not
going to be good enough

To alert that there
were incoming forces.

You needed something, a piece
of technology, to do that.

(planes roaring)

Narrator: That
something is radar.

♪

Radar is created by an
antenna which generates pulses

Of invisible energy
called radio waves.

These waves spread out
over a portion of the sky.

If a plane is in their
path, the signals bounce off

The aircraft and return
towards the ground.

(radar pulsing)

The same antenna that
creates the radar waves,

Then captures those
returning pulses of energy.

A device called an oscilloscope,

Translates the returned
signals and displays

The gathered information
to an operator

Revealing how far
away the plane is,

And most importantly,
where it's headed.

(radar beeping)

♪

By 1940, great britain
fully integrates radar

Into their national
defense strategy, using it

To alert the royal air force
of approaching enemy aircraft.

Man: If the british had not
had radar, their forces

On the ground probably
would have been decimated

By the german air force.

(plane rumbling)

Narrator: It's clear
radar is a game changer,

But the brits aren't the
only ones who take advantage.

Man: Radar was not a
monopoly by one country.

The germans devised
techniques to use their radar

To direct the german pilots
to the incoming allied forces.

And then once the german
pilots actually saw the flights

Of bombers, they visually
would start attacking them.

Narrator: War planners
must look for new techniques

To avoid getting
caught in radar waves.

Man: There were multiple ways
that you could avoid the radar.

♪

The most common one
was to use chaff.

It was just large
strips of tin foil

That you dropped
out of the airplane.

Narrator: Chaff
consists of small fibers

That reflect radar signals.

When large quantities are
dropped from an aircraft,

They form a cloud that
temporarily hides the aircraft

From radar detection.

Another tactic, overloading
the radar network.

(planes rumbling)

Man: The british actually
were really good at this.

They would flood the german
radar network by sending

A whole bunch of their
airplanes towards the radars,

And then all of
them would break off

And go to predetermined targets.

So, the german radar had
no idea where to direct

The fighters to because
they had overloaded

The german radar network.

♪

Narrator: Generals
on both sides know

That outsmarting
enemy radar is key

To winning air battles to come.

By the cold war,
radar isn't just used

To see aircraft coming, it's
used to shoot them down.

(missile exploding)

(crowd cheering)
(troops stomping)

August 1955, the united states
is locked in an arms race

With the soviet
union and worried

That it's on the losing side.

Man: We believed the soviets
are actually building

More bombers than we have.

So, we really wanna
see what's going on

In the soviet union.

Narrator: Finding
out what the kremlin

Is up to isn't easy.

The soviets have an advanced
early warning radar system

Along their border.

Man: The soviets they're
using their radar

To not only look and see
that the enemy is coming,

But they also use their radar
to alert their jet forces

To go up and actually attack.

♪

Narrator: The us
considers a solution.

Some believe that the best way
to stay safe is to fly high.

Man: We introduce the u-2,
which flies very, very high.

We believed that if we
could fly high enough,

The u-2 was untouchable
by current technology

That was being fielded
by the soviet union.

Narrator: But
america soon learns

That there's a difference
between a spy plane

And one that is stealthy.

Man: On display in moscow
was alleged to be

The wreckage of
the u-2 spy plane,

Which russia claims to
have shot down by rocket.

♪

Narrator: The us knows
soviet radar is tough,

But the shoot down
reveals the power

Of their new surface-to-air
missile, the sa2.

(missile exploding)

Woman: The sa2 was an advance
because it could reach

Very high altitude.

Narrator: Dr. Rebecca grant

Is an air force
author and historian.

Woman: This sa2 could track
an incoming aircraft

From many miles out, lock
onto the radar signature,

And send a very lethal,
accurate missile

Right into that incoming jet.

(missile exploding)

Man: So the united states
started talking about,

How can we make it
where the soviets

Can no longer see our airplanes?

And that was the very early
introduction of stealth.

♪

Narrator: December
1964, palmdale, california.

The air force tests its
top-secret spy plane,

The lockheed martin sr-71.

It's designed to out-fly
any soviet missile.

Man: The sr-71 is just
one wicked platform.

Three times the speed of sound.

Flew at above 80,000 feet.

That's 16 miles above the earth,

Three times as tall
as mt. Everest.

Woman: At its max altitudes,
80,000 feet and above,

Surface-to-air missiles
simply ran out of energy.

Narrator: The sr-71
doesn't just rely

On altitude and speed.

This jet is modified
for stealth.

Dark paint acts as camouflage
against the night sky,

And leads to its
nickname, blackbird.

Its thin body and tapered
sides help deflect enemy radar,

Making the 100-foot long
plane appear smaller

Than a man on radar.

But the blackbird is a plane
designed to spy not drop bombs.

Woman: The air force knew they
really had to be able

To attack these key targets,
but the only way to do it

Was to devise a
little fighter bomber

That could use
stealth and penetrate

To deliver those weapons.

(plane rumbling)

Man: And we couldn't just
take an existing platform

And attempt to make it stealthy.

We were going to have to
make a stealth platform

From the ground up.

♪

Narrator: November 1975.

Engineers at lockheed's skunk
works launch a secret program

To build the first
pure stealth aircraft.

Using advanced
mathematical equations,

Designers calculate how
visible their prototypes

Will be on radar.

Woman: In order to
achieve stealth,

The entire
external design

Of the aircraft has
to be controlled,

And the skunk works team knew
how to tackle that problem

As a practical matter and
not just some equations

On the page.

Narrator: Engineers
move away from smooth

Aerodynamic surfaces
committing instead to designs

With facets and sharp
angles, which they calculate

Will better deflect radar
signals away from its receiver.

By 1977, skunk works test
their most stealthy design yet,

The have blue.

Man: They flew them multiple
times from '77 to '78,

And both of them
crashed, unfortunately.

But they proved that you could
build a stealth airplane.

By 1978, you see
that the air force

Is very, very interested
in taking this technology

And adapting it to an
operational platform,

And to build

What eventually becomes
the f-117 stealth fighter.

♪

Narrator: November, 1988.

The air force reveals
lockheed's latest,

And highly-classified,
stealth aircraft,

The f-117 nighthawk.

(plane roaring)

Woman: The f-117 was, perhaps,

The most top-secret
fighter ever developed.

It was critical that the
russians not get wind

Of america's success in
developing stealth technology.

Narrator: 65 feet
long, 43 feet wide,

The f-117 nighthawk
looks like a fighter

From another galaxy.

Based off the have blue design,

Its shape makes it
nearly invisible.

To enemy radar, it's
the size of a baseball.

Man: The reason for
that is because

The angles on the airplane

Do not present the radar
signature back to the radar.

Narrator: One
drawback, payload.

To keep its shape stealthy,
weapons are limited

To what can be stored inside.

Woman: The internal weapons
bay of the f-117,

The size limited it
to carrying basically

Two 1,000-pound bombs.

You can't hang bombs off
the outside of the 117

And have it still be
a stealthy fighter.

♪

Narrator: Designers know
if it only carries two,

They'll have to be precise.

(bomb exploding)

Man: It was a
precision-guided platform.

If you look at the airplanes
that actually could deliver

Precision-guided munitions,

The f-117 was one
of those platforms.

Narrator: The f-117
was built for stealth.

But when war breaks
out in panama,

The nighthawk is
needed for its aim.

December 1989,
operation just cause.

Panamanian dictator
manuel noriega

Declares war on
the united states.

Us generals respond with a plan.

Drop two laser-guided bombs
near the panama defense barracks

In downtown panama city.

The goal is to stun the
troops into surrender.

The air force chooses the f-117.

Woman: The f-117 had a
precision bombing system.

So that made it a natural choice

For the operation in panama.

♪

Narrator: Over 3,000
miles away in nevada,

Two f-117s take off
and head to panama.

At one a.M., they
reach their destination

And unload their weapons.

Ac-130 gunships and
ah-64 apache helicopters

Quickly surround the area.

(helicopter whirring)
♪

By sunrise, the base is secure.

Woman: The panama mission was
a good first combat test

For the f-117.

It was a long rigorous flight

With a precision weapons drop.

Narrator: The operation
proves the new nighthawk

Can hit its target, but its
stealth is still untested.

Man: There wasn't much of
a threat for the f-117

From noriega's air
defense system.

Woman: The panama raid

Did not prove that the
f-117 could handle

A full-up integrated
air defense system.

That was simply a question mark.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: January 1991.

(gun firing)

Iraqi dictator saddam hussein

Refuses to remove his invading
army from neighboring kuwait.

The us and its allies
decide it's time to act.

♪

The coalition prepares
a full scale air war

Dubbed operation desert storm.

The plan, to bomb iraqi
hot spots and bring hussein

To his knees.

The only problem, how to get
their aircraft in to do it.

Man: The iraqis had the most
integrated air defense system

In the world.

Narrator: Major
general greg feest

Was an f-117 pilot with
over 800 combat hours.

Man: They had radars that would
locate aircraft coming in

Right when they got over
the border and then they had

Thousands of triple-a
guns and thousands

Of surface-to-air
missiles they could launch

At the coalition
aircraft as they came in

To hit their targets.

Narrator: The iraqi
defenses are controlled

From a command post
deep in enemy territory.

The us needs a plane
that can sneak in

And take out the command
post before the iraqis

Know what hit them.

♪

The aircraft they
choose, the f-117.

January 17th, king khalid
air base, saudi arabia,

Night one of the war.

14 f-117 pilots anxiously
prepare their jets for flight.

Man: Our mission was gonna be

Entirely different than panama.

Operation desert storm was
gonna be the first test

Of the stealth fighter
against any real threat.

Narrator: It's a hell of a
test for the unproven fighter

Flying through
hundreds of radar sites

Without setting off alarms.

Man: There was a lot of
apprehension by all the pilots.

We were not sure that
stealth was gonna work.

The engineers had told us
we'd be able to get in there

And get out, but we
were not positive.

So, we were gonna have
to go in and find out

Whether stealth was
really gonna work.

♪

Narrator: Feest completes
his final pre-flight checks,

Gets into the cockpit,
and starts his engine.

He's the first to take off
and racing against the clock.

Man: Timing was very important.

We did not wanna be early
because once the first bomb

Hit the sky would light up
and all the other aircraft

Coming in after us would
have to fly through

That triple-a and
through those sams.

Narrator: The
f-117s fly in formation

All the way to the border.

(planes roaring)

As they cross into iraq,
they begin to go stealth.

♪

Man: Some of the things we do
are turn off any type of lights

On the aircraft, pull in the
antennas so that there's no

Aperture sticking
outside of the aircraft

That could be detected by radar.

Man: Once we did that we could
no longer talk to anybody.

We couldn't talk to our
wingman, we couldn't talk

To a tanker, we were alone.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: All alone,
feest gives it gas

And bears down on his target.

He knows there is
no turning back.

Man: You think to yourself,
I can't talk to anybody.

What if they wanted
me to come back

And not deliver this bomb?

(plane roaring)

Narrator: Feest
has over an hour

Before he reaches his target.

A long time to be
flying on faith.

Man: The f-117 is not an
invisible aircraft.

It's a low observable aircraft.

So, it's hard to detect on
radar, but it can be seen.

Narrator: On the
ground, hundreds

Of iraqi air radar
sites keep watch for him

And the other
coalition aircraft.

Man: Hopefully the
stealth characteristics

That the engineers told us
would work would save us.

(plane roaring)

♪

Narrator: January 1991,
deep in iraqi airspace,

F-117 pilot major general
greg feest is ready

To drop the very
first bomb of the war.

Man: I was very relieved because
nobody knew I was there.

I was able to concentrate
on tracking my target

And delivering my bomb.

Narrator: His bomb of choice?

Two bunker busting gbu-27
laser-guided bombs.

Man: That was a 2,000
pound bomb that we used

To penetrate targets that
other bombs couldn't hit.

We were the only aircraft
that could carry that weapon.

Narrator: The only catch?

To be accurate, feest
must deploy the bombs

Below 10,000 feet, well
within the line of fire.

Man: Our worry below 10,000
feet was not only sams,

Surface-to-air
missiles, but also

Antiaircraft
artillery, triple-a.

There was a lot of it in
iraq and we were worried

At any second, we could be
hit by some type of triple-a.

Narrator: Feest
lines up the target,

Checks his bombs,

(plane roaring)

And fires.

(bomb exploding)

Direct hit.

(plane roaring)

90 minutes later, feest
makes it back to base

And checks on the nighthawk
pilots following behind.

Man: I thought to myself I'm
not sure all of our pilots

Are gonna be as lucky as I was.

So when I saw that each
one of them had checked in,

I was relieved.

To me I started to believe
in stealth technology

At that point.

♪
man: It's a major success

For the stealthy fighter.

Over the next eight weeks,
it remains undefeated.

Man: We flew 1,271
missions in the f-117

During operation desert storm
and not one piece of damage,

Not one bullet, not one
sam, nothing ever hit

Any of our aircraft.

Woman: There weren't
many skeptics left

After operation desert storm.

Everyone knew that the f-117
was a true stealth fighter,

Capable of precision bombing
against almost any target

In the world.

And what that told the
air force was they needed

A lot more stealth
aircraft as quickly

As they could get them.

Narrator: April
1991, washington, dc.

The air force commits
to skunk works's

Latest stealth fighter,
the lockheed yf-22

Advanced tactical fighter.

Woman: It had to go way beyond
the f-117, have lots more speed,

Better maneuverability, onboard
avionics, onboard radar,

And advanced stealth.

So to get that they had to go

To a far more sophisticated
design that would put back

Some of the
aerodynamic curvature.

Narrator: Six years later,
at dobbins air reserve base,

Georgia, the public
gets its first look.

Woman: The f-22 looked more
like a traditional fighter,

And part of the reason
they were able to do this

Was that computer design
technology had progressed,

So they were able to
more quickly evaluate

Alternative shapes without
having to rely on strict angles

And facets in order to do that.

Narrator: Right away the
new stealth plane impresses

With its speed.

Woman: The f-16 chase plane

Assigned to keep up
with the f-22

Had trouble keeping this
sleek new fighter in range.

The f-22 was a roaring success.

Narrator: But the
new plane is still

Far from combat ready.

And when war breaks
out in yugoslavia,

It's the f-117 that
answers the call.

January 1999, serbian leader

Slobodan milosevic's
parliamentary troops

Kill 45 ethnic albanians,
including women and children.

The international
community is outraged.

By March, they decide
they've finally had enough.

President clinton: If president
milosevic will not make peace,

We will limit his
ability to make war.

Narrator: A nato
coalition of 19 countries

Begins operation allied force.

Generals decide to strike
serbian military installations

Crippling serbian forces.

(plane roaring)

Man: The plan was for this
to be several nights

Of pinpoint strikes against
strategic type targets.

Narrator: Lieutenant
colonel dale zelko

Flew the f-117 for
over five years.

Man: So the idea was,
okay, if we take out

Very, very selective targets
to slobodan milosevic

He would come to the bargaining
table and he would agree

To nato's terms.

♪

Man: Done.

(gun firing)

Narrator: The serbian air
defense is a lot like iraq's,

A capable air force
and plenty of sams.

It's a natural
fit for the f-117.

Man: Because of the
success in desert storm,

There was this feeling and sense
that our stealth capability

Would be very, very
effective and unstoppable.

And as it turned out, that
was not a good attitude

To have, and we
greatly underestimated

The serbian war fighter.

♪
(gun firing)

♪

Narrator: March 27th, 1999,

Aviano air base, Italy,

The fourth night of the war.

Zelko prepares to fly
into serbian airspace.

His mission, take out a
key military command center

Near the serbian
capital, belgrade.

Man: My target was in
the belgrade area,

One of the most heavily
defended cities in the world.

Narrator: F-117 pilots
fly with confidence.

Carrying out their mission
is almost too easy.

Man: The first three nights of
very effective stealth strikes

Definitely added to
the sense and attitude

Of we're invincible
and invulnerable.

And I thought if there was
ever a night for an f-117

To get shot down, it's
tonight and it's my mission.

♪

Narrator: Not
long after take-off,

Zelko reaches the
serbian border.

Man: I went into stealth mode.

Single ship, not
talking, radio silent,

Not emitting the transponder,

Completely alone and isolated.

Narrator: With stealth
as his only defense,

Zelko gives it gas and flies
straight towards a maze

Of serbian air defenses.

Man: It was almost a
full moon night,

So there was that huge threat
of can they visually see me?

That was always on
our minds anytime

We had moon illumination.

Narrator: Zelko
quickly reaches

The serbian command
center unopposed.

♪

Moments later, he
deploys his bombs.

(bomb exploding)

Man: Once I confirmed visually,
on my sensor display

That I successfully
struck the target,

My mind shifted to now

I needed to make my way back

To aviano air base safely.

Narrator: Zelko's
stealth has worked so far,

But maybe not for much longer.

Man: I knew that the most
heavily defended part

Of the airspace was
still ahead of me.

Narrator: His route home
takes him through a maze

Of serbian
radar-guided sa-2, sa-3

And anti-aircraft
artillery sites.

Less than two minutes later,
zelko's worst fear is realized.

Man: I was looking
outside the cockpit,

And that's when I saw them.

Two missiles punch through
this really low deck of clouds,

And I thought, they got me.

(signal beeping)
♪

(plane roaring)

Narrator: March 1999,

F-117 pilot lieutenant
colonel dale zelko

Is deep in serbian airspace.

Two radar-guided sa-3 missiles
are headed straight for him.

Man: As the missiles
were coming at me,

I was still holding out
with that shred of hope.

♪

Narrator: Seconds
later, one of the sa-3s

Flies directly over
zelko's cockpit

Narrowly missing his jet.

But zelko isn't out
of the water yet.

Another missile is
barreling towards him.

Man: I thought, man, that's
gonna run right into me,

And sure enough...

(missile exploding)

Just was a really,
really, really good shot.

♪

Woman: The stealth
fighter came down

Near the serbian
capital belgrade.

Its pilot rescued
by a special team

And taken out of the country.

Man: It was an absolute miracle
that I survived the shoot down.

And reflecting on that today

I couldn't feel more grateful

And I couldn't feel more
blessed to just be alive.

♪
(crowd chattering)

Narrator: It's a wake
up call for the air force.

Their fighter is stealthy,
but not invisible.

Man: It turned out that
stealth technology alone

Is not the magic answer.

♪

Woman: The f-117 had done a
tremendous job yet again,

But it was time to move
on to a more advanced form

Of stealth for future air combat

Against more advanced
enemy air defenses.

What we need now is the f-22.

(plane roaring)
♪

Narrator: 2004, langley
air force base, virginia.

The f-22 is finally ready to go.

Woman: It achieves
what they call

Initial operational
capability.

That means the f-22
is ready to go to war

Should commanders request it.

Narrator: Each raptor costs
approximately $143 million.

By 2008, the air
force is short on cash

And deactivates the f-117.

♪

Man: The f-22 could now drop
munitions and hit the ground,

But it also could
do the dogfighting.

It could do the
air-to-air mission.

And, the f-117 never had
a radar, and the f-22

Does have a radar, and it
can see very, very far.

Woman: So other fighters rely on
the f-22 to detect enemies

In the battle space, to chase
them down, and to broadcast

That big picture about what's
going on in the air battle

Back to our friendly forces.

Man: But in addition, it
can get very, very close

Because it's stealthy, and
the enemy cannot see it.

Narrator: The f-22
raptor is so capable

The air force trusts it with
it's most important duty,

Defending the homeland.

♪

2011, elmendorf air
force base, alaska.

F-22 raptors are on alert,

Ready to respond
to any air threat

To america's northwest border.

Man: In alaska every day at
any hour we've got jets

Ready to go, protect
the coast line up there.

Major chris burn served as
an f-22 pilot in alaska.

Man: With the increasing
terrorist threat these days,

You don't really know
when you're gonna need

That type of fighter.

♪

Narrator: Their mission,
to stop foreign aircraft

From sneaking into the us.

Man: Even if they send
the best fighters

They won't be able
to detect the raptor.

The raptor will be
able to detect them.

Game over.

♪

Narrator: In June,
alaskan north america

Air defense ground control
receives a ping on their radar.

(operators chattering)

At least one russian bomber
approaches us airspace.

Man: We had indications
that it was a tu-95.

We didn't necessarily
know how many

And we didn't necessarily
know if there was gonna be

Any other platforms
embedded with the bomber.

Narrator: The tu-95
is one of russia's

Most ferocious bombers
designed to drop nuclear bombs

And other deadly loads.

Us ground control isn't
certain of moscow's intentions

And with us-russian
relations in decline,

The air force can't
be too careful,

Especially when a
bomber's involved.

♪

Man: Their long-range bombers
have the capability

To get to points along our
coast to release weapons,

To strike our cities.

Narrator: Major burn suits
up and prepares for take-off.

The russians are a
dangerous adversary.

Burn knows this encounter
could lead to all-out war.

Man: It was kind of surreal.

This could turn
bad really quickly.

We're loaded with live
ordinance, we're not sure

If they're loaded
with live ordinance,

We don't know what
their intentions are.

♪
(plane roaring)

Narrator: 60 minutes
later, burn catches

The russian bombers.

He and his wingman are
reluctant to get close.

(radio operators chattering)

But ground control
needs to record

The bombers' tail numbers.

They task burn and his
wingman to find them out.

♪

Under the cover of stealth,
burn and his wingman

Maneuver closer to
get a better look.

Man: When I flew
underneath the tu-95,

That was the first time
that reality set in.

This could be a
dangerous situation.

♪

Narrator: Burn
approaches the first bomber,

Unsure if his raptor
appears on their radar.

In a moment things could
turn for the worse.

Man: Flying next to a
foreign aircraft,

Not talking to that
foreign aircraft,

Being loaded with live
weapons, not knowing the intent

Of that foreign
aircraft is a recipe

That could lead to disaster.

Narrator: June 2011, high
above the alaskan coastline,

F-22 pilot major chris
burn and his wingman

Sneak up on two russian bombers.

The russians can't see the
f-22s right under their tails.

Man: Them not knowing
where you are

And you just showing
up on their wing,

There's a little bit of
job satisfaction there,

But there's also the reality
of this could escalate quickly

If things went downhill.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: Burn and his
wingman continue to shadow

And radio the bombers' tail
numbers down to ground control.

Man: We got the tail number
and then we moved back

To a standoff position
to shadow and monitor.

We manned that location
for a little bit longer

And about 30 minutes later,
the russians proceeded home.

♪

Narrator: The
f-22s are so stealthy

That the russians might not
have known they were ever there.

Man: We never knew what
their intent was,

In fact, I don't
think we'll ever know

What their intent was,
but the important thing is

That we were there.

We were in a position to
engage if they decided

To display any
type of aggression.

Narrator: It's a job well
done for the stealthy f-22

And a display of strength
to america's adversaries.

Woman: With an f-22 in
the airspace,

There is no sneaking
around because the f-22

Has the stealthiness and the
radar to be able to detect

The movement of any enemy
aircraft in a huge battle space.

(plane roaring)

Narrator: It's clear the
f-22 dominates the skies,

But its power comes at a cost.

Since 2008, over 25 raptor
pilots have experienced

Oxygen loss mid-flight,
occasionally blacking out.

Woman: In the end it was
terrible publicity

For the stealth aircraft.

No one wanted to hear
about pilots blacking out

Or having problems
caused by their airplane.

♪

Narrator: By 2012, the air
force discovers the culprit.

An oxygen valve on
the pressure vests

Raptor pilots wear when flying.

The problem requires
total replacement

Of every valve costing
taxpayers millions.

But the pressure vests
are not the only piece

Of the raptor that
requires a safety check.

(radio operators chattering)

At langley air force base,
each pratt and whitney

F-119 engine is
removed from the raptor

And tested for
potential malfunctions.

Air force mechanics from
the first fighter squadron

Run the engines in a
soundproof exhaust facility

Called a hush house.

The air force works to
certify the engine's longevity

Through a series of
rigorous tests making sure

There are no leaks,
mechanical faults

Or other performance
malfunctions.

It's a necessary process
to ensure the f-22s

Can still fly long into the
future, but it's a costly one.

That's more money for
a program the pentagon

Has already spent more
than $67 billion on.

On may 2nd, 2012, the
last f-22 rolls off

The production line.

Woman: The production line
is closed, and right now

The air force has no
plans to replace the f-22

Because it's still at
the very leading edge

Of fighter technology.

♪

Narrator: But the f-22
isn't the only stealth plane

Of the future.

The air force's newest fighter
can also deceive radar.

Man: The f-35 is one
of the latest pieces

Of stealth integration.

It has this stealth
capability, but it also has

These enhanced sensor suites
that allow it to sniff out

Different information
and then passing that on

To be examined by
intelligence people.

Narrator: Meaning the f-35
is both a stealthy fighter

And a reconnaissance platform.

Stealth is no longer
exclusive to america.

Both russia and
china are developing

Their own stealth fighters
and more countries

Will likely follow.

Woman: The air force knows
that stealth is the future

Of air combat.

To dominate in air combat, the
air force will have to have

Stealth fighters on the
line defending and deterring

Against any threats
that might arise.

Narrator: First across
enemy lines, stealth fighters

Are the air force's
hidden heroes.

(bomb exploding)

Man: If you have the
element of surprise,

You're pretty much
guaranteed to win the war.

Narrator: Whether it's
hiding from early radar

Or the latest tech,
mankind's quest

For an invisible plane remains.

Man: I think it'll be
requirement forever.

I don't think we
are ever gonna have

Non-stealthy aircraft again.

Woman: Because with our
stealth aircraft

We can dominate anything

That an adversary
puts up against us.

Narrator: In tomorrow's
wars, whomever remains hidden,

Gains the advantage.

And as new threats
rise, the united states

Will continue to rely
on the stealth fighter.

(plane roaring)