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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:01,950 --> 00:00:03,040 - [Rudy] The following program contains 2 00:00:03,120 --> 00:00:04,200 footage of military operations. 3 00:00:04,290 --> 00:00:06,330 Viewer discretion is advised. 4 00:00:06,370 --> 00:00:10,370 Tonight, on The Proof Is Out There: Military Mysteries. 5 00:00:10,450 --> 00:00:12,830 A photo of a doomed American sub. 6 00:00:12,950 --> 00:00:15,040 Was it sunk by an enemy torpedo 7 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:16,370 or one of its own? 8 00:00:17,700 --> 00:00:19,160 - The loss of the Scorpion is one 9 00:00:19,250 --> 00:00:22,080 of the greatest mysteries of the 20th century. 10 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:24,580 - [Rudy] Breathtaking footage of a World War II bomber 11 00:00:24,660 --> 00:00:26,120 exploding in mid-air. 12 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:27,660 What brought it down? 13 00:00:27,750 --> 00:00:29,830 - Was that a friendly fire 14 00:00:29,910 --> 00:00:33,580 or Japanese anti-aircraft attack? 15 00:00:33,580 --> 00:00:36,500 - [Rudy] Yes, it's a real photo of a nuclear bomb in a tree. 16 00:00:36,540 --> 00:00:39,200 How close did we come to nuking North Carolina? 17 00:00:39,290 --> 00:00:41,700 - One simple low voltage switch 18 00:00:41,790 --> 00:00:43,830 stood between the United States 19 00:00:43,950 --> 00:00:46,450 and potential nuclear annihilation. 20 00:00:46,540 --> 00:00:48,870 - [Rudy] And our secret weapon of the week, 21 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,330 a deadly game changer flying 22 00:00:50,450 --> 00:00:53,000 at seven times the speed of sound. 23 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:54,370 - This missile would be able 24 00:00:54,450 --> 00:00:57,000 to reach the US in a matter of minutes. 25 00:00:58,870 --> 00:01:01,160 (dramatic music) 26 00:01:03,660 --> 00:01:06,000 - [Rudy] In the modern history of war, there are films. 27 00:01:06,080 --> 00:01:07,660 - Shazam. 28 00:01:07,700 --> 00:01:08,700 - [Rudy] Photos, 29 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:11,290 recordings, 30 00:01:11,370 --> 00:01:14,200 and documents that raise questions. 31 00:01:14,290 --> 00:01:16,080 - So everything about this story is 32 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:17,290 one big mystery. 33 00:01:18,540 --> 00:01:20,580 - This particular footage has caused 34 00:01:20,580 --> 00:01:22,160 a lot of controversy. 35 00:01:22,250 --> 00:01:24,370 - [Rudy] What's really happening? 36 00:01:24,450 --> 00:01:26,160 - [Frederick] There's so little information. 37 00:01:26,250 --> 00:01:28,370 - Nothing like this has been attempted before. 38 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:31,830 - [Rudy] That's where we come in. 39 00:01:31,950 --> 00:01:34,330 Our mission, investigate the battlefield's 40 00:01:34,450 --> 00:01:38,040 strangest images, sounds, and more. 41 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:40,250 - [Tim] This photo blows my mind. 42 00:01:40,330 --> 00:01:43,540 - You can imagine how terrifying it would be. 43 00:01:43,660 --> 00:01:46,660 - [Rudy] We'll analyze each with military experts 44 00:01:46,790 --> 00:01:48,750 and try to come up with answers. 45 00:01:48,830 --> 00:01:50,000 - I'm Ronnie Adkins, 46 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:52,120 former US Army Intelligence Analyst. 47 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:54,790 - I'm Rudy Reyes, Recon Marine war veteran. 48 00:01:56,370 --> 00:01:58,120 The proof starts now. 49 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:00,450 (dramatic music) 50 00:02:03,700 --> 00:02:05,120 - Hey everyone, I'm Ronnie. 51 00:02:05,200 --> 00:02:06,160 He's Rudy. 52 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:07,500 And we're locked, loaded, 53 00:02:07,540 --> 00:02:09,370 and ready to rock from the battlefields 54 00:02:09,500 --> 00:02:10,950 to the bottom of the ocean. 55 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:12,870 - The USS Scorpion was one 56 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,750 of only two nuclear submarines ever lost by the US Navy. 57 00:02:16,830 --> 00:02:18,000 - That's right. 58 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:21,330 It sank in 1968 and the question is, why? 59 00:02:21,450 --> 00:02:23,950 - Was it a peacetime accident 60 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:25,370 or was it attacked? 61 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:29,870 At the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, 62 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,120 500 miles west of the Azores islands, 63 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:36,000 these eerie images mark the watery grave 64 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:39,200 of the USS Scorpion and her crew. 65 00:02:39,330 --> 00:02:41,410 In this photo, you can see the submarine's sail 66 00:02:41,540 --> 00:02:43,080 ripped from her top side. 67 00:02:43,200 --> 00:02:44,410 How did the Scorpion 68 00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:46,660 end up 10,000 feet underwater? 69 00:02:48,580 --> 00:02:51,700 The mystery begins on May 27th, 1968, 70 00:02:51,790 --> 00:02:52,870 in Norfolk, Virginia. 71 00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:57,000 Wives, friends, and family members gathered 72 00:02:57,040 --> 00:02:59,910 at Pier 22 on the Norfolk Naval Station 73 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:01,750 eagerly awaiting the Scorpion's return. 74 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,950 But Pier 22 would remain empty that day 75 00:03:06,040 --> 00:03:09,200 as the USS Scorpion never makes it home. 76 00:03:09,290 --> 00:03:12,160 - No one really knows why. The Navy doesn't know why. 77 00:03:12,330 --> 00:03:14,410 The Navy kind of goes into dither mode 78 00:03:14,500 --> 00:03:17,290 initially with the families. 79 00:03:17,370 --> 00:03:19,910 Eventually, pretty quickly, people realize 80 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:21,160 there's a big problem. 81 00:03:21,290 --> 00:03:25,790 Submariners are extremely reliable. 82 00:03:25,870 --> 00:03:27,000 When a submariner says, 83 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,370 I'm gonna be at a place at a certain time, 84 00:03:29,450 --> 00:03:31,750 they're either dead or they're there. 85 00:03:31,870 --> 00:03:33,450 - Since our briefing yesterday, 86 00:03:34,620 --> 00:03:37,870 the search effort has expanded considerably. 87 00:03:37,950 --> 00:03:40,450 - [Rudy] Nine days after the Scorpion was a no-show, 88 00:03:40,540 --> 00:03:42,500 the United States Navy declares the sub 89 00:03:42,620 --> 00:03:45,500 and its 99 crew members presumed lost. 90 00:03:45,620 --> 00:03:47,790 They commence a massive oceanic search 91 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:52,000 but it isn't until October that they locate the Scorpion 92 00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,000 on the ocean floor, 93 00:03:54,080 --> 00:03:55,660 at least what's left of it. 94 00:03:55,790 --> 00:03:58,500 What could have caused such devastation? 95 00:03:58,580 --> 00:04:00,620 Rumors begin floating to the surface. 96 00:04:00,620 --> 00:04:03,330 - When it comes to why the Scorpion sank, 97 00:04:03,370 --> 00:04:06,330 there is no shortage of theories that claim to explain it. 98 00:04:07,330 --> 00:04:08,580 - The Scorpions is what's known 99 00:04:08,660 --> 00:04:11,040 as the Skipjack-class of submarine. 100 00:04:11,160 --> 00:04:13,660 After being introduced in 1959, 101 00:04:13,830 --> 00:04:16,080 the Skipjack subs remain the fastest subs 102 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:18,500 in the US Navy, until the mid '70s. 103 00:04:18,540 --> 00:04:20,410 - But what made the Skipjack-class 104 00:04:20,500 --> 00:04:23,830 truly unique, was its teardrop hull design. 105 00:04:23,950 --> 00:04:25,200 It moved the torpedo room 106 00:04:25,290 --> 00:04:27,250 back a bit from the bow of the boat, 107 00:04:27,330 --> 00:04:28,950 which allowed it to fire torpedoes 108 00:04:29,040 --> 00:04:30,950 diagonally from the sides. 109 00:04:30,950 --> 00:04:32,160 Now that made less noise 110 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:34,200 to interfere with the sub's sonar. 111 00:04:34,290 --> 00:04:36,790 - The Scorpion fired Mark 37 torpedoes 112 00:04:36,870 --> 00:04:40,660 that were lethal for almost all but the biggest of ships. 113 00:04:40,660 --> 00:04:45,000 So, she was fast, she was sexy, she was deadly. 114 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,910 But the question is, why'd she sink? 115 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,000 (tense music) 116 00:04:51,200 --> 00:04:54,870 Almost 25 years after the USS Scorpion sank, 117 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,370 the Navy finally declassified its official explanation. 118 00:04:58,500 --> 00:04:59,830 According to this report 119 00:04:59,910 --> 00:05:02,700 from the 1968 Naval Court of Inquiry, 120 00:05:02,790 --> 00:05:06,000 the most likely explanation was the Scorpion was sunk 121 00:05:06,120 --> 00:05:08,540 by one of its own torpedoes. 122 00:05:08,620 --> 00:05:10,370 The battery powered Mark 37 is 123 00:05:10,450 --> 00:05:12,790 somehow activated in its tube. 124 00:05:12,870 --> 00:05:15,500 Unable to shut it down, the crew jettisons it, 125 00:05:15,580 --> 00:05:17,330 but the armed torpedo now hunts 126 00:05:17,410 --> 00:05:20,250 for the nearest target and destroys it. 127 00:05:20,330 --> 00:05:21,700 That would be the Scorpion. 128 00:05:21,790 --> 00:05:24,870 An interesting theory, but former submarine commander 129 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:26,540 David Marquet doesn't buy it. 130 00:05:26,620 --> 00:05:28,700 - I think this is extremely unlikely. 131 00:05:28,830 --> 00:05:31,160 Scorpion, if she knew the torpedo was 132 00:05:31,290 --> 00:05:32,830 coming back after her, 133 00:05:32,910 --> 00:05:35,870 has depth, she has speed. 134 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:37,290 She has a number of ways 135 00:05:37,370 --> 00:05:39,410 to try and evade her own torpedo. 136 00:05:39,500 --> 00:05:42,120 Secondly, the torpedoes are deliberately 137 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:45,080 designed to not do this, 138 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:47,200 and the warheads don't arm 139 00:05:47,330 --> 00:05:50,200 until the torpedo's sufficiently safe 140 00:05:50,290 --> 00:05:51,870 away from the submarine. 141 00:05:51,950 --> 00:05:54,500 - [Rudy] If the torpedo theory doesn't float, 142 00:05:54,580 --> 00:05:55,950 then what really happened? 143 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:57,950 Could the Soviets have been behind it all? 144 00:05:58,040 --> 00:05:59,500 (intense music) 145 00:05:59,620 --> 00:06:01,120 Headed for home, the Scorpion gets 146 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,250 classified orders to change course. 147 00:06:03,330 --> 00:06:04,540 Why? 148 00:06:05,540 --> 00:06:08,000 A suspicious flotilla of Soviet warships is 149 00:06:08,080 --> 00:06:09,500 patrolling the Canary Islands 150 00:06:09,580 --> 00:06:11,660 and the Navy wants eyes on it. 151 00:06:11,750 --> 00:06:13,620 Author and former submarine engineer, 152 00:06:13,700 --> 00:06:15,290 Kenneth Sewell, thinks it was 153 00:06:15,370 --> 00:06:18,620 all a trap to take down an American sub. 154 00:06:18,700 --> 00:06:20,450 - The Soviets knew we would investigate. 155 00:06:20,540 --> 00:06:23,200 They knew we'd be sending a sub. 156 00:06:23,290 --> 00:06:24,870 - [Rudy] Just months earlier, John Walker, 157 00:06:24,950 --> 00:06:27,500 a US Naval Chief Warrant Officer turned spy, 158 00:06:27,620 --> 00:06:29,660 supplied the Soviets with secret codes 159 00:06:29,790 --> 00:06:32,500 that allowed them to intercept naval messages, 160 00:06:32,580 --> 00:06:34,200 like the one that sent the Scorpion 161 00:06:34,290 --> 00:06:36,660 to the Canary Islands. 162 00:06:36,700 --> 00:06:39,200 - They were getting the codes from the spy 163 00:06:39,290 --> 00:06:41,000 and for the first time in their history, 164 00:06:41,040 --> 00:06:45,330 they had the ability to kind of track and know when 165 00:06:45,410 --> 00:06:47,500 that submarine was gonna be there. 166 00:06:47,540 --> 00:06:48,870 There's no doubt in my mind 167 00:06:49,040 --> 00:06:52,620 that the Soviet navy attacked and sank the USS Scorpion. 168 00:06:54,660 --> 00:06:57,410 - [Rudy] Historian Martin K.A. Morgan disputes the idea 169 00:06:57,500 --> 00:06:58,830 of a Russian torpedo 170 00:06:58,950 --> 00:07:01,290 and suggests the fate of the Scorpion may have 171 00:07:01,290 --> 00:07:02,870 been something far more simple. 172 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:05,080 - I think the reality is that the ship was lost 173 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:06,790 for much more mundane reasons, 174 00:07:06,870 --> 00:07:08,500 like there was a fire on board. 175 00:07:08,620 --> 00:07:10,660 They couldn't extinguish it and it knocked out power 176 00:07:10,750 --> 00:07:12,540 and then the submarine just sank 177 00:07:12,620 --> 00:07:14,830 beyond a depth where it could be saved. 178 00:07:14,910 --> 00:07:16,790 - [Rudy] Morgan points to the photos 179 00:07:16,870 --> 00:07:19,120 of the Scorpion's uncrushed bow section 180 00:07:19,200 --> 00:07:20,580 to support his theory. 181 00:07:20,660 --> 00:07:22,500 - If there had been an explosion onboard that ship, 182 00:07:22,580 --> 00:07:24,160 this wreckage would not look like this. 183 00:07:24,290 --> 00:07:25,750 What we would see would be ripped, 184 00:07:25,750 --> 00:07:28,500 torn, and rended wreckage that we largely 185 00:07:28,580 --> 00:07:30,830 just don't see at the wreck site. 186 00:07:30,870 --> 00:07:33,660 The wreck site photography indicates 187 00:07:33,700 --> 00:07:37,200 something slightly less dramatic than an explosion. 188 00:07:37,290 --> 00:07:38,870 It seems like the better, 189 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,160 the more appropriate explanation is one 190 00:07:41,250 --> 00:07:44,200 in which you have a cascading series 191 00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:46,160 of negative events inside the ship 192 00:07:46,200 --> 00:07:47,870 that start with a small fire 193 00:07:47,950 --> 00:07:50,250 that then gets bigger and the bigger it gets, 194 00:07:50,370 --> 00:07:51,500 it knocks out power. 195 00:07:51,580 --> 00:07:53,290 When the ship loses power, 196 00:07:53,370 --> 00:07:56,000 it loses the ability to counter pump 197 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:59,540 and get rid of any water that has come inside the hull 198 00:07:59,620 --> 00:08:00,660 as a result of leaking. 199 00:08:00,750 --> 00:08:02,660 And that's going to drag it down 200 00:08:02,750 --> 00:08:05,200 and the result is the loss of the ship. 201 00:08:05,290 --> 00:08:06,870 - [Rudy] But if it was a fire, 202 00:08:06,950 --> 00:08:08,660 why would the Navy release a story 203 00:08:08,750 --> 00:08:10,500 about a rogue torpedo instead 204 00:08:10,540 --> 00:08:13,000 of one involving basic mechanical failure? 205 00:08:14,040 --> 00:08:17,910 Captain Marquet says it may tie back to another lost sub. 206 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:19,910 - We've operated nuclear submarines 207 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:24,250 since the '50s with an unbelievable safety record 208 00:08:24,370 --> 00:08:27,580 and Thresher and Scorpion are two tragic 209 00:08:27,700 --> 00:08:29,500 black marks on the record. 210 00:08:29,540 --> 00:08:31,790 - [Rudy] The Thresher was yet another US submarine 211 00:08:31,870 --> 00:08:34,620 that sank just five years before the Scorpion. 212 00:08:34,700 --> 00:08:36,870 During deep dive testing near Cape Cod, 213 00:08:36,950 --> 00:08:39,540 a leak shorted out the sub's electrical system 214 00:08:39,620 --> 00:08:41,660 and its ability to surface. 215 00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:46,120 The Thresher and its 129 men never came home. 216 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,000 Many suggest that the isolated torpedo story is 217 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,620 better than revealing a potential recurring issue 218 00:08:51,700 --> 00:08:53,160 the US Navy may have had 219 00:08:53,250 --> 00:08:56,450 with the overall maintenance of its submarines. 220 00:08:56,540 --> 00:08:57,700 - We're in the height of the Cold War. 221 00:08:57,790 --> 00:09:00,200 For God's sake, it's 1968. 222 00:09:00,330 --> 00:09:02,200 There's a lot going on. 223 00:09:02,290 --> 00:09:05,700 The Navy had to keep the loss of this submarine quiet, 224 00:09:05,830 --> 00:09:07,370 and that was for no other reason 225 00:09:07,370 --> 00:09:09,790 than operational security concerns. 226 00:09:09,870 --> 00:09:12,540 Because if it admits that it's been lost, 227 00:09:12,620 --> 00:09:14,450 there's the possibility that the Soviet Union 228 00:09:14,540 --> 00:09:16,000 will be at the scene of the crime 229 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,370 almost immediately trying to pick through the wreckage. 230 00:09:18,500 --> 00:09:21,040 (tense music) 231 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:22,330 - To this day, the wreck, 232 00:09:22,410 --> 00:09:24,660 the USS Scorpion remains buried. 233 00:09:24,750 --> 00:09:26,660 - And the US Navy continues to refuse 234 00:09:26,750 --> 00:09:28,830 all requests to reopen the case, 235 00:09:28,870 --> 00:09:30,410 which has only added to the mystery 236 00:09:30,500 --> 00:09:32,700 and prolonged the anguish of the families 237 00:09:32,790 --> 00:09:34,120 who question the official story. 238 00:09:37,870 --> 00:09:38,660 - One of the most dangerous places 239 00:09:38,700 --> 00:09:39,620 to be during World War II 240 00:09:39,700 --> 00:09:40,790 was onboard a bomber 241 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,540 during a daytime raid over enemy territory. 242 00:09:43,620 --> 00:09:44,660 - And when the World War II bomber 243 00:09:44,700 --> 00:09:46,370 in our next clip exploded, 244 00:09:46,370 --> 00:09:48,330 it left people wondering. 245 00:09:48,370 --> 00:09:50,370 What caused a World War II bomber 246 00:09:50,450 --> 00:09:51,950 to explode in mid-air? 247 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,160 May 4, 1945, it's the tail end of World War II 248 00:09:57,200 --> 00:09:59,540 but the fighting is as intense as ever. 249 00:09:59,620 --> 00:10:02,830 (dramatic music) (explosions booming) 250 00:10:04,950 --> 00:10:06,830 In the skies over Palau in the Pacific, 251 00:10:06,910 --> 00:10:09,750 22 B-24 Liberators bombed Japanese 252 00:10:09,830 --> 00:10:11,950 military installations positioned below. 253 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,080 A film crew has tagged along 254 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,870 and this is the footage they capture. 255 00:10:17,950 --> 00:10:19,750 - [Reporter] Air Force cameras follow our planes 256 00:10:19,830 --> 00:10:23,000 through layers of overcast as they draw near the target. 257 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:26,290 - [Rudy] Seen here is a B-24 nicknamed, 258 00:10:26,370 --> 00:10:27,700 The Brief, by our crew. 259 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:31,160 Everything is going according to plan. 260 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:33,540 Then, (explosion hissing) 261 00:10:33,620 --> 00:10:35,700 her mission is cut short. 262 00:10:35,790 --> 00:10:37,660 - My God, it's painful to watch. 263 00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:40,580 You know that there's a crew onboard this aircraft 264 00:10:40,700 --> 00:10:42,750 that they're hopelessly spiraling 265 00:10:42,830 --> 00:10:44,120 down to their deaths. 266 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:45,870 - [Reporter] With one wing completely shattered, 267 00:10:45,950 --> 00:10:47,830 the plane plummets groundward. 268 00:10:47,870 --> 00:10:51,120 Our Pacific island warfare is not cheap. 269 00:10:51,200 --> 00:10:53,160 (suspenseful music) 270 00:10:53,250 --> 00:10:56,410 - [Rudy] Ten crew members tragically lose their lives. 271 00:10:56,500 --> 00:10:58,660 And the one lucky survivor is captured 272 00:10:58,700 --> 00:11:01,370 and executed by the Japanese 20 days later. 273 00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:04,040 The film, however lives on an infamy. 274 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:05,950 It's released as a news reel story 275 00:11:06,040 --> 00:11:09,040 and shown in theaters across the US. 276 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:10,330 Take another look. 277 00:11:10,450 --> 00:11:13,370 The plane explodes in flames as the left wing tears off 278 00:11:14,410 --> 00:11:18,500 but it's unclear exactly what causes the initial explosion. 279 00:11:18,580 --> 00:11:20,660 It's strange that the plane explodes 280 00:11:20,700 --> 00:11:23,700 just as it's framed perfectly by the camera. 281 00:11:23,830 --> 00:11:26,370 Did the Japanese really shoot the plane down? 282 00:11:26,450 --> 00:11:28,160 Was it some kind of accident 283 00:11:28,250 --> 00:11:30,870 or was this whole incident staged? 284 00:11:32,910 --> 00:11:35,660 Okay, to understand what happened to this plane, 285 00:11:35,790 --> 00:11:37,580 it's best to get inside it. 286 00:11:37,700 --> 00:11:40,500 The B-24 was a real game changer from the start. 287 00:11:40,580 --> 00:11:41,830 - That's right, Rudy, it was. 288 00:11:41,870 --> 00:11:44,330 This bomber was crucial to winning the Pacific 289 00:11:44,410 --> 00:11:47,750 because it could take off and land on small islands 290 00:11:47,830 --> 00:11:49,660 and that was thanks to its wing design. 291 00:11:49,700 --> 00:11:51,250 - Its long narrow wings helped it 292 00:11:51,330 --> 00:11:54,700 get the extra lift it needed on short runways. 293 00:11:54,790 --> 00:11:57,040 But remember, it wasn't invulnerable. 294 00:11:57,120 --> 00:12:00,290 So what could have caused such a terrible explosion here? 295 00:12:00,370 --> 00:12:02,790 (tense music) 296 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:06,500 Let's tackle the most outrageous theory first, 297 00:12:06,580 --> 00:12:08,500 posed by some on the internet. 298 00:12:08,620 --> 00:12:10,000 Did the War Department stage 299 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:12,750 this incident as a propaganda effort? 300 00:12:12,830 --> 00:12:15,000 After all, the Nazis had just surrendered 301 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:17,500 and some on modern social media have claimed 302 00:12:17,580 --> 00:12:20,700 this was a stunt to keep the American people committed 303 00:12:20,790 --> 00:12:22,700 to finishing the war with Japan. 304 00:12:22,790 --> 00:12:25,040 - The United States did use this 305 00:12:25,120 --> 00:12:27,450 for a public relations campaign. 306 00:12:28,790 --> 00:12:31,700 It received the big play in the United States. 307 00:12:31,790 --> 00:12:33,330 - [Rudy] But do we buy that? 308 00:12:33,370 --> 00:12:35,000 Absolutely not. 309 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:37,200 There's no way we'd break down a plane 310 00:12:37,330 --> 00:12:40,080 crewed by 10 of our own American heroes. 311 00:12:40,200 --> 00:12:43,450 And plus, there are more viable theories out there. 312 00:12:43,540 --> 00:12:45,330 Former Naval aviator Ward Carroll 313 00:12:45,370 --> 00:12:47,830 offers one that's gotten some traction. 314 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,330 - There's only one explanation for what we just saw, 315 00:12:53,370 --> 00:12:55,000 and that is a bomb 316 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:59,080 from another American airplane that was located above. 317 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:02,750 - [Rudy] It's not that big a stretch. 318 00:13:02,830 --> 00:13:05,160 Look here, just behind the B-24. 319 00:13:05,250 --> 00:13:08,370 You can see bombs falling from above. 320 00:13:08,450 --> 00:13:12,200 - I believe because of the way that the wing collapses 321 00:13:12,290 --> 00:13:16,000 and the flash happens at the top of the wing, 322 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:20,790 that this B-24 was hit by a bomb from another American. 323 00:13:20,870 --> 00:13:22,450 (intense music) 324 00:13:22,540 --> 00:13:26,200 - [Rudy] Historian Martin K.A. Morgan disagrees. 325 00:13:26,200 --> 00:13:29,750 He says the footage contradicts the friendly fire theory. 326 00:13:29,830 --> 00:13:31,040 - When you look at the footage, 327 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:32,870 you can see what led people to believe 328 00:13:32,950 --> 00:13:35,040 the possibility that a bomb 329 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,620 from another B-24 above it caused the incident 330 00:13:37,700 --> 00:13:38,870 that's captured on camera. 331 00:13:38,950 --> 00:13:40,330 But if that's what happened, 332 00:13:40,370 --> 00:13:43,580 we would see that bomb moving very slowly 333 00:13:43,660 --> 00:13:46,500 through the air before it strikes Brief 334 00:13:46,540 --> 00:13:48,200 and causes the explosion. 335 00:13:48,290 --> 00:13:49,660 We don't see that. 336 00:13:49,700 --> 00:13:52,540 (suspenseful music) (explosion booming) 337 00:13:52,620 --> 00:13:57,040 - [Rudy] So if it wasn't staged or friendly fire, then what? 338 00:13:58,870 --> 00:14:00,370 - It was Japanese anti-aircraft fire 339 00:14:00,450 --> 00:14:02,450 on the ground that brought this airplane down. 340 00:14:05,870 --> 00:14:09,620 The B-24 is particularly vulnerable 341 00:14:09,700 --> 00:14:11,000 because of the wing. 342 00:14:11,080 --> 00:14:13,620 It gives the aircraft a lot of lift 343 00:14:13,700 --> 00:14:14,870 and that's what makes 344 00:14:14,950 --> 00:14:16,500 the B-24 such a war winning weapon. 345 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 But because it has to be long, 346 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:21,910 it has to be high, and it has to be lightweight. 347 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:24,500 That makes the aircraft a little bit more vulnerable. 348 00:14:25,870 --> 00:14:28,200 - [Rudy] In fact, the B-24 was known 349 00:14:28,290 --> 00:14:30,450 as something of a widow-maker. 350 00:14:30,540 --> 00:14:33,540 More than 80 of them were lost to anti-aircraft fire 351 00:14:33,620 --> 00:14:35,250 in a single raid in Europe. 352 00:14:36,450 --> 00:14:39,250 And Morgan, who studies World War II weaponry, says 353 00:14:39,250 --> 00:14:41,450 what we're seeing here is exactly 354 00:14:41,540 --> 00:14:44,080 what happens when an aluminum wing gets 355 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,000 hit with anti-aircraft fire. 356 00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:48,250 - It's clearly an anti-aircraft hit. 357 00:14:48,330 --> 00:14:50,830 Anti-aircraft shells come from below 358 00:14:50,910 --> 00:14:52,120 and they strike it. 359 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,040 And keep in mind what they're striking. 360 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:56,250 Aluminum gives and it gives very quickly. 361 00:14:57,290 --> 00:14:59,330 It scores a good, direct hit. 362 00:14:59,410 --> 00:15:00,870 On the lower surface of the wing, 363 00:15:00,870 --> 00:15:02,290 you can see it blow out 364 00:15:02,370 --> 00:15:05,160 and that's all fuel that begins to spill out of it 365 00:15:05,250 --> 00:15:08,410 which is why you suddenly have this massive fire that erupts. 366 00:15:12,540 --> 00:15:15,000 (tense music) 367 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,000 - Alright, what do you think? 368 00:15:17,080 --> 00:15:20,500 - Well, Ronnie, the B-24 has such thin skin, 369 00:15:20,540 --> 00:15:21,790 I'm likely to believe 370 00:15:21,870 --> 00:15:23,830 that this bird was shot down with AAA fire. 371 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:25,160 - Yeah, I think that's right. 372 00:15:25,250 --> 00:15:27,290 And because it happened to take place right 373 00:15:27,370 --> 00:15:29,500 as the camera was framing it perfectly, 374 00:15:29,660 --> 00:15:30,370 we're still talking about it. 375 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:35,620 - Ronnie, what's scarier? 376 00:15:35,700 --> 00:15:37,660 The thought of an accident involving nuclear weapons, 377 00:15:37,750 --> 00:15:40,160 or the fact that there's been so many of these accidents 378 00:15:40,250 --> 00:15:41,660 that there's a name for it? 379 00:15:41,790 --> 00:15:43,830 - Well, this next story is about an incident involving 380 00:15:43,830 --> 00:15:44,950 our own nuclear weapons 381 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:46,620 when they fell over North Carolina. 382 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:48,000 It left people asking, 383 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:51,120 just how close did we come to nuking ourselves? 384 00:15:53,910 --> 00:15:57,500 1961, Goldsboro, North Carolina. 385 00:15:57,620 --> 00:15:59,450 Here's a terrifying photo. 386 00:15:59,540 --> 00:16:02,330 It's a nuclear bomb caught in a tree. 387 00:16:02,370 --> 00:16:04,410 We can see the bomb is tangled up 388 00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:06,040 in its own parachute. 389 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,500 How did this near disaster unfold? 390 00:16:08,580 --> 00:16:10,330 Wait 'til you hear this one. 391 00:16:10,410 --> 00:16:13,160 Just before midnight on January 24th, 392 00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,950 the walls of 17-year-old Billy Reeve's bedroom 393 00:16:16,040 --> 00:16:17,540 begin to glow red. 394 00:16:17,620 --> 00:16:20,830 - Yeah, I heard this awful noise and I raised up. 395 00:16:20,870 --> 00:16:23,700 My mother heard it and she was praying 396 00:16:23,790 --> 00:16:24,950 as hard as she could. 397 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:27,290 She thought it was the end of time. 398 00:16:27,370 --> 00:16:29,040 - [Ronnie] Billy runs to his porch. 399 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:32,620 In the night sky, he sees flames plunging toward the earth. 400 00:16:32,700 --> 00:16:36,410 All of Goldsboro, North Carolina seems to be on fire. 401 00:16:47,080 --> 00:16:48,290 (indistinct radio chatter) 402 00:16:48,370 --> 00:16:50,410 - [Ronnie] Military units seal off the area 403 00:16:50,500 --> 00:16:53,080 as Billy and his neighbors flee in fear. 404 00:16:57,870 --> 00:16:59,870 - [Ronnie] We now know it was an accident 405 00:16:59,950 --> 00:17:02,250 involving a B-52 Stratofortress, 406 00:17:02,330 --> 00:17:04,450 a heavy bomber that to this day goes 407 00:17:04,540 --> 00:17:08,450 by the nickname B.U.F.F., big, ugly, fat fella. 408 00:17:09,450 --> 00:17:12,790 In 1961, these nuclear strike aircraft 409 00:17:12,870 --> 00:17:16,500 were a key part of something called Operation Chrome Dome. 410 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,000 It was a Cold War insurance policy 411 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:22,790 that called for a dozen B-52 bombers 412 00:17:22,870 --> 00:17:26,160 fully armed with nukes to be airborne 24 hours a day, 413 00:17:26,250 --> 00:17:28,000 seven days a week. 414 00:17:28,040 --> 00:17:30,410 If the Soviets launched a nuclear attack, 415 00:17:30,500 --> 00:17:32,910 the B-52 would already be airborne 416 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:34,540 and able to hit back hard. 417 00:17:35,910 --> 00:17:38,330 - The B-52 bomber is perfect for this mission 418 00:17:38,410 --> 00:17:41,330 because it has a payload of 70,000 pounds 419 00:17:41,370 --> 00:17:44,160 so it's able to carry these heavy nuclear devices 420 00:17:44,250 --> 00:17:47,000 and it's able to fly for extended periods of time. 421 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:49,000 - [Ronnie] That night over North Carolina, 422 00:17:49,120 --> 00:17:53,160 the B-52 bomber loses over 5,000 gallons of fuel 423 00:17:53,250 --> 00:17:56,000 in just three minutes and starts to go down. 424 00:17:56,080 --> 00:17:58,330 - The plane starts to come apart. 425 00:17:58,450 --> 00:18:01,000 The fuel leaking out on one side is 426 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:04,290 tearing the aircraft apart from the inside. 427 00:18:04,370 --> 00:18:05,830 - [Ronnie] Eight men bail out. 428 00:18:05,910 --> 00:18:07,540 Only five survive. 429 00:18:07,540 --> 00:18:08,500 Three are killed. 430 00:18:08,620 --> 00:18:11,250 That's bad enough, but the plane's payload, 431 00:18:11,250 --> 00:18:12,830 a pair of 3.8 megaton 432 00:18:12,950 --> 00:18:15,410 thermonuclear bombs, are released. 433 00:18:15,500 --> 00:18:17,790 The term for a nuke accidentally getting dropped 434 00:18:17,870 --> 00:18:21,200 or going missing, is "broken arrow" and it's terrifying. 435 00:18:21,330 --> 00:18:23,910 Nuclear historian Alex Wellerstein. 436 00:18:24,000 --> 00:18:27,000 - This is a weapon several hundred times 437 00:18:27,000 --> 00:18:28,580 more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb, 438 00:18:28,660 --> 00:18:30,500 maybe about 200 times more powerful, 439 00:18:30,620 --> 00:18:34,660 meant for destroying either entire metro areas 440 00:18:34,660 --> 00:18:37,040 or for destroying underground bunkers. 441 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:39,040 - If one of these bombs were to detonate, 442 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:41,910 it would cause complete destruction 443 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:43,500 and would basically vaporize 444 00:18:43,620 --> 00:18:47,200 anything within an 8.5 mile radius. 445 00:18:47,330 --> 00:18:49,410 - [Ronnie] One bomb coasts to the earth on a parachute. 446 00:18:49,500 --> 00:18:52,450 The other is found in the plane's wreckage. 447 00:18:52,540 --> 00:18:54,330 The Air Force said no one was 448 00:18:54,370 --> 00:18:57,040 ever in real danger in Goldsboro that night. 449 00:18:57,120 --> 00:18:58,700 But what's the truth? 450 00:18:59,750 --> 00:19:02,750 We want to reinforce with you that this is the Cold War. 451 00:19:02,830 --> 00:19:04,120 - That's right, Ronnie. 452 00:19:04,120 --> 00:19:06,620 JFK was going toe-to-toe with Khrushchev 453 00:19:06,700 --> 00:19:08,830 so the government did not want the Soviets 454 00:19:08,910 --> 00:19:12,370 to know that one of our nukes got hung up in a tree. 455 00:19:12,500 --> 00:19:15,830 - But now after more than 50 years, 456 00:19:15,870 --> 00:19:19,250 these government documents have been declassified. 457 00:19:19,370 --> 00:19:21,450 They lay out three different versions of the facts. 458 00:19:21,540 --> 00:19:24,000 And our experts are here to figure out if the truth 459 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:25,750 can be found in any of them. 460 00:19:25,830 --> 00:19:27,910 (tense music) 461 00:19:28,950 --> 00:19:33,000 Initially, the Air Force said they recovered both bombs, 462 00:19:33,120 --> 00:19:35,250 except that was a lie. 463 00:19:35,330 --> 00:19:37,120 Over a period of two weeks, 464 00:19:37,200 --> 00:19:38,830 17-year-old Billy Reeves 465 00:19:38,910 --> 00:19:42,120 kept visiting the crash site to watch the military dig. 466 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,540 - [Ronnie] The Air Force was looking for the second bomb, 467 00:19:52,620 --> 00:19:54,580 the one without the parachute 468 00:19:54,660 --> 00:19:57,370 and the swampy earth was making it hard to find. 469 00:20:11,330 --> 00:20:13,160 - [Ronnie] After five white-knuckle days 470 00:20:13,250 --> 00:20:16,160 and nights of digging, they found part of the bomb, 471 00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:17,370 but the rest of it, 472 00:20:17,540 --> 00:20:19,500 which contained the radioactive uranium, 473 00:20:19,620 --> 00:20:23,160 was so far underground the Air Force decided 474 00:20:23,250 --> 00:20:25,160 it wasn't worth trying to recover. 475 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:26,750 - The conclusion they came to was 476 00:20:26,830 --> 00:20:28,450 that if the government couldn't get it, 477 00:20:28,540 --> 00:20:30,540 probably nobody else could either. 478 00:20:30,620 --> 00:20:32,200 - [Ronnie] So, maybe that bomb, 479 00:20:32,290 --> 00:20:34,950 which is still underground, isn't dangerous. 480 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,660 But how close did the nukes come to exploding when they dropped? 481 00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:40,660 - The fact that neither of the bombs 482 00:20:40,790 --> 00:20:42,830 detonated is a testament 483 00:20:42,910 --> 00:20:47,200 to the fail safes working correctly as designed. 484 00:20:47,330 --> 00:20:49,330 - [Ronnie] According to the Air Force, 485 00:20:49,410 --> 00:20:52,080 to arm the bomb, a crew member in the cockpit would 486 00:20:52,160 --> 00:20:54,660 first need to throw a switch, 487 00:20:54,700 --> 00:20:57,500 then someone must pull a lanyard from the bomb 488 00:20:57,620 --> 00:20:59,830 which starts the arming sequence. 489 00:20:59,870 --> 00:21:01,540 Neither step happened. 490 00:21:01,620 --> 00:21:05,160 But according to another declassified document, 491 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:07,910 the bomb had almost armed anyway. 492 00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:09,660 - The plane is heading down. 493 00:21:09,790 --> 00:21:10,950 The same forces that are 494 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:12,660 breaking apart the plane in mid-air 495 00:21:12,700 --> 00:21:15,160 also pulled on a lanyard in the cockpit. 496 00:21:15,200 --> 00:21:18,080 This is the bomb release mechanism 497 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,750 and one of the bombs behaves exactly 498 00:21:20,830 --> 00:21:24,000 as if a crew member had dropped it over a target. 499 00:21:24,120 --> 00:21:26,700 - [Ronnie] As the weapons dropped over North Carolina, 500 00:21:26,790 --> 00:21:29,540 power starts to switch on for that bomb. 501 00:21:29,540 --> 00:21:31,620 - The two nuclear devices that are 502 00:21:31,700 --> 00:21:33,660 hurdling out of this aircraft 503 00:21:33,750 --> 00:21:37,040 as it gets ripped apart by all these G-forces, 504 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,830 one of them has the parachute deploy 505 00:21:39,910 --> 00:21:41,830 which you might think, oh, that's a great thing. 506 00:21:41,870 --> 00:21:44,200 The parachute successfully deploys 507 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:45,660 and it's going to safely land. 508 00:21:45,790 --> 00:21:48,910 But in reality, that's the first step 509 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:50,290 to the arming procedure. 510 00:21:50,370 --> 00:21:51,790 - As it's going down, 511 00:21:51,870 --> 00:21:54,370 its electronics are sort of checking off 512 00:21:54,500 --> 00:21:56,620 all of the steps it needs to do, 513 00:21:56,700 --> 00:21:58,500 including opening up a parachute, 514 00:21:58,580 --> 00:22:00,410 checking how high it is from the ground, 515 00:22:00,500 --> 00:22:02,080 making sure enough time has gone on. 516 00:22:02,160 --> 00:22:06,160 And then finally it got down to the second to last check, 517 00:22:06,200 --> 00:22:09,620 which was, is the bomb armed to detonate? 518 00:22:09,700 --> 00:22:11,370 - [Ronnie] When the bomb hit the ground, 519 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:14,540 it tried to fire but it didn't detonate. 520 00:22:14,620 --> 00:22:16,450 That's because back in the cockpit, 521 00:22:16,540 --> 00:22:19,540 nobody ever threw that switch to arm the bomb. 522 00:22:19,620 --> 00:22:22,160 It's the only safety mechanism that didn't fail. 523 00:22:22,250 --> 00:22:26,750 - One simple, low voltage switch stood between the United States 524 00:22:26,830 --> 00:22:29,410 and potential nuclear annihilation. 525 00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:30,950 - [Ronnie] But here's the thing. 526 00:22:30,950 --> 00:22:34,500 That same arming switch had failed many times before. 527 00:22:34,580 --> 00:22:36,250 In more than 30 incidents, 528 00:22:36,370 --> 00:22:38,160 crews never even touched the switch 529 00:22:38,250 --> 00:22:41,750 but the bombs were still armed due to a wiring glitch. 530 00:22:42,790 --> 00:22:45,160 Engineers had already planned on replacing the switch 531 00:22:45,290 --> 00:22:47,160 before the Goldsboro accident. 532 00:22:47,250 --> 00:22:48,830 - In many cases, the switch had 533 00:22:48,910 --> 00:22:53,540 spontaneously turned itself to being armed in other weapons. 534 00:22:53,620 --> 00:22:55,580 And fortunately that didn't happen in this case. 535 00:22:55,660 --> 00:22:58,500 But had that switch malfunctioned, 536 00:22:58,540 --> 00:23:00,750 the weapon would've detonated at full power. 537 00:23:01,700 --> 00:23:03,250 - The US Air Force kept this secret 538 00:23:03,330 --> 00:23:04,540 because they didn't want the public 539 00:23:04,620 --> 00:23:07,160 to know that they had come one hair 540 00:23:07,250 --> 00:23:09,330 away from detonating a nuclear device 541 00:23:09,450 --> 00:23:10,830 on their own soil. 542 00:23:12,950 --> 00:23:15,290 (tense music) 543 00:23:15,410 --> 00:23:17,080 - One hair away. 544 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:19,000 But despite that danger, 545 00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:20,830 Operation Chrome Dome continued. 546 00:23:20,870 --> 00:23:23,500 - The program didn't end until 1968 547 00:23:23,540 --> 00:23:25,660 with another broken arrow over Greenland 548 00:23:25,700 --> 00:23:27,660 that involved four hydrogen bombs. 549 00:23:27,790 --> 00:23:29,950 - But that's a mystery for another day. 550 00:23:33,910 --> 00:23:35,410 - Most people think of the Vietnam War 551 00:23:35,500 --> 00:23:38,080 as being a guerilla jungle war on the ground. 552 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:39,830 - But the North Vietnamese also 553 00:23:39,870 --> 00:23:42,500 used the same guerilla tactics in the air. 554 00:23:42,580 --> 00:23:45,000 - And to be frank, they were kicking our butts 555 00:23:45,080 --> 00:23:47,790 until one American Maverick turned the tables. 556 00:23:47,870 --> 00:23:50,870 - So what was his plan and how did he pull it off? 557 00:23:55,370 --> 00:23:56,660 You're looking at a photo 558 00:23:56,790 --> 00:23:59,410 of Colonel Robin Olds, taken on the day 559 00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:01,910 of his most daring and brilliant mission. 560 00:24:04,370 --> 00:24:06,830 January 2nd, 1967, 561 00:24:06,910 --> 00:24:09,580 a squadron of state-of-the-art MiG-21s, 562 00:24:09,660 --> 00:24:12,620 the crown jewels of the North Vietnamese Air Force, 563 00:24:12,700 --> 00:24:16,500 ascend into deep cloud cover above the Phúc Yên Air Base. 564 00:24:17,790 --> 00:24:21,330 Their target, a group of American F-105 bombers 565 00:24:21,410 --> 00:24:22,830 that's just been detected. 566 00:24:23,830 --> 00:24:25,660 Preston Stewart is a former Army lieutenant 567 00:24:25,700 --> 00:24:27,500 and popular podcaster. 568 00:24:27,580 --> 00:24:29,330 He says the specs of these two planes 569 00:24:29,370 --> 00:24:31,000 are key to this story. 570 00:24:31,080 --> 00:24:33,500 - The MiGs were faster and more maneuverable 571 00:24:33,580 --> 00:24:36,500 and were used in more of an ambush setting. 572 00:24:36,540 --> 00:24:37,870 - [Rudy] And these MiGs are feasting 573 00:24:38,000 --> 00:24:40,500 on the American bombers every day. 574 00:24:40,540 --> 00:24:42,790 - At this time, the US Air Force in Vietnam 575 00:24:42,870 --> 00:24:47,540 is getting destroyed and the F-105 bombers are laden 576 00:24:47,660 --> 00:24:51,000 with these heavy bombs, so they're unable to outmaneuver 577 00:24:51,080 --> 00:24:52,750 the MiG-21 over the skies, 578 00:24:52,830 --> 00:24:55,160 easy pickings for the MiG-21. 579 00:24:55,250 --> 00:24:56,830 (intense music) 580 00:24:56,950 --> 00:25:00,790 - [Rudy] In fact, the F-105 was known as the "lead sled." 581 00:25:03,370 --> 00:25:06,950 It was supposed to be protected by the nimble F-4 fighter, 582 00:25:07,040 --> 00:25:10,120 but those planes lacked radar jamming capability, 583 00:25:10,200 --> 00:25:13,540 making them defenseless from enemy ground fire. 584 00:25:13,620 --> 00:25:15,700 - They couldn't spend much time over North Vietnam. 585 00:25:15,790 --> 00:25:17,500 It was just a constant issue 586 00:25:17,580 --> 00:25:19,700 of trying to navigate these threats. 587 00:25:19,830 --> 00:25:21,160 - [Rudy] But today is different. 588 00:25:21,250 --> 00:25:24,160 As the North Vietnamese pilots drop out of the clouds 589 00:25:24,250 --> 00:25:25,750 expecting a turkey shoot, 590 00:25:25,830 --> 00:25:27,500 they get hit with incoming. 591 00:25:27,580 --> 00:25:29,830 One by one, they're destroyed. 592 00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:36,950 In just 12 minutes, half of North Vietnam's 593 00:25:37,040 --> 00:25:39,830 fighter force is completely destroyed, 594 00:25:39,870 --> 00:25:42,160 all without a single US casualty. 595 00:25:43,790 --> 00:25:45,700 Another challenge for the US 596 00:25:45,790 --> 00:25:48,660 was that we were fighting with one arm behind our back. 597 00:25:48,750 --> 00:25:51,000 Our rules of engagement didn't allow pilots 598 00:25:51,040 --> 00:25:53,000 to bomb the North Vietnamese airstrips. 599 00:25:53,080 --> 00:25:55,160 - It sounds crazy but here's the thing. 600 00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:58,580 Chinese and Soviet advisors are working at these airstrips, 601 00:25:58,700 --> 00:26:00,620 and you had top brass back in Washington 602 00:26:00,700 --> 00:26:03,000 that's worried about hitting these communists 603 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:05,040 and ratcheting up tensions even further. 604 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:07,370 These airstrips were off limits, man. 605 00:26:07,450 --> 00:26:09,830 - So how did we pull off that comeback? 606 00:26:09,830 --> 00:26:11,580 Let's turn to our experts. 607 00:26:11,660 --> 00:26:13,870 (tense music) 608 00:26:15,750 --> 00:26:18,330 The weapon used to take out Vietnam's air power 609 00:26:18,410 --> 00:26:20,410 was quite simply the brain 610 00:26:20,500 --> 00:26:23,040 and cajones of Colonel Robin Olds. 611 00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:28,000 - Robin Olds was straight out of an action movie. 612 00:26:28,120 --> 00:26:30,790 He graduated from West Point 1943, 613 00:26:30,870 --> 00:26:32,370 went straight into World War II, 614 00:26:32,370 --> 00:26:33,830 became a "double ace," 615 00:26:33,910 --> 00:26:35,950 shot down at least 10 aircraft. 616 00:26:37,660 --> 00:26:40,000 - [Rudy] Olds develops an audacious plan 617 00:26:40,120 --> 00:26:42,200 called Operation Bolo. 618 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:43,450 The Americans will disguise 619 00:26:43,580 --> 00:26:46,660 their own F-4 Phantoms as 105s, 620 00:26:46,700 --> 00:26:50,330 luring the eager, complacent enemy into an ambush. 621 00:26:53,500 --> 00:26:55,330 - Commander Olds' plan is to fly 622 00:26:55,450 --> 00:26:58,160 at the same altitude as a bombing run. 623 00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:00,660 They're even gonna use the same call signs 624 00:27:00,750 --> 00:27:03,330 and have the same radio frequency 625 00:27:03,410 --> 00:27:05,700 that a bombing run would have. 626 00:27:05,790 --> 00:27:08,660 - [Rudy] Remember, the F-4's a badass fighter jet 627 00:27:08,750 --> 00:27:10,660 but it has that Achilles heel, 628 00:27:10,700 --> 00:27:14,540 it's inability to evade deadly surface-to-air missiles. 629 00:27:14,620 --> 00:27:16,250 Olds convinces the military 630 00:27:16,250 --> 00:27:19,620 to install some radar jammers used by the F-105s 631 00:27:19,700 --> 00:27:22,700 to thwart missiles fired at the F-4s. 632 00:27:22,790 --> 00:27:25,330 Not only does this make the F-4s less vulnerable 633 00:27:25,410 --> 00:27:27,000 to surface-to-air missiles, 634 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:29,000 but the electronic signature put out 635 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:31,790 by the jammers will make the F-4s appear 636 00:27:31,790 --> 00:27:34,830 as 105s to the North Vietnamese. 637 00:27:34,910 --> 00:27:36,540 Now, the question becomes, 638 00:27:36,620 --> 00:27:38,080 in a straight up dogfight, 639 00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:41,120 how does the F-4 match up against a MiG? 640 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:43,250 - F-4s were much more of a closer match 641 00:27:43,330 --> 00:27:44,700 to the MiG-21s. 642 00:27:44,790 --> 00:27:46,660 And in a one-on-one fight 643 00:27:46,750 --> 00:27:49,160 on level terms if that ever exists, 644 00:27:49,250 --> 00:27:51,910 the F-4 had a good chance of taking the MiG-21s out. 645 00:27:52,950 --> 00:27:56,250 - [Rudy] The F-4 has one big advantage, fire power. 646 00:27:57,250 --> 00:28:00,160 - The MiG-21 has a 23 millimeter cannon on it 647 00:28:00,250 --> 00:28:04,000 whereas the F-4s, they have eight missiles, 648 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:07,000 the Sidewinder missile and the Sparrow missile. 649 00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:09,500 Having those eight air-to-air missiles 650 00:28:09,580 --> 00:28:11,830 give the F-4 Phantom an advantage 651 00:28:11,870 --> 00:28:14,910 over the MiG-21 at the lower altitudes. 652 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,790 - [Rudy] When it all goes down, 653 00:28:16,870 --> 00:28:20,700 the dogfight turns into a major victory. 654 00:28:20,790 --> 00:28:23,700 - Once they start that attack, it's game on. 655 00:28:23,790 --> 00:28:25,000 - In under 15 minutes, 656 00:28:25,160 --> 00:28:27,750 they're able to destroy seven enemy MiGs. 657 00:28:27,830 --> 00:28:29,750 - The North Vietnamese Air Force, after the war, 658 00:28:29,830 --> 00:28:32,450 said that it was the worst day for their Air Force. 659 00:28:32,540 --> 00:28:34,790 (tense music) 660 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,660 - So, a big shout out to Colonel Olds 661 00:28:38,700 --> 00:28:41,000 for devising Operation Bolo. 662 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,580 It was an ingenious plan that took advantage 663 00:28:43,660 --> 00:28:46,160 of the predictability of the Vietnamese pilots. 664 00:28:46,250 --> 00:28:47,080 - That's right. 665 00:28:47,200 --> 00:28:48,660 Deception works best when your enemy's 666 00:28:48,790 --> 00:28:49,950 gotten a little bit lazy. 667 00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:51,870 And the moral of this story is, 668 00:28:51,950 --> 00:28:54,000 when you're exploiting your enemy's weaknesses, 669 00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:55,830 be careful not to reveal your own. 670 00:28:59,620 --> 00:29:00,700 - Our next intriguing tale involves 671 00:29:00,790 --> 00:29:02,540 secret nuke tests on American soil, 672 00:29:02,620 --> 00:29:04,830 spies, and at the center of it all, 673 00:29:04,910 --> 00:29:07,660 a celebrated soldier who strangely vanishes 674 00:29:07,750 --> 00:29:09,160 in the middle of the desert. 675 00:29:09,200 --> 00:29:11,620 - It's got all the makings of a Hitchcock thriller. 676 00:29:11,700 --> 00:29:14,250 There's a lot to unravel as we try to answer, 677 00:29:14,370 --> 00:29:17,830 what's behind the disappearance of Lieutenant Paul Whipkey? 678 00:29:19,700 --> 00:29:22,830 The early 1950s, the Nevada desert, 679 00:29:22,910 --> 00:29:24,830 US Marines hunker down in a trench 680 00:29:24,910 --> 00:29:26,950 as a nuclear bomb detonates. 681 00:29:28,410 --> 00:29:31,830 Then they start marching towards the mushroom cloud. 682 00:29:31,910 --> 00:29:33,830 - Here, we can see the blast. 683 00:29:33,910 --> 00:29:36,330 So they're sheltered from the blast 684 00:29:36,450 --> 00:29:37,830 but then they're coming out 685 00:29:37,870 --> 00:29:41,330 and they're standing sort of around it. 686 00:29:41,450 --> 00:29:43,500 You can see the formation of fallout here. 687 00:29:44,540 --> 00:29:46,620 - [Ronnie] These troops, who would come to be known 688 00:29:46,620 --> 00:29:48,250 as atomic veterans, 689 00:29:48,370 --> 00:29:50,830 were part of a massive government program. 690 00:29:50,870 --> 00:29:53,660 - These were a series of exercises intended 691 00:29:53,750 --> 00:29:57,160 to understand, in a battlefield setting, 692 00:29:57,290 --> 00:30:00,450 what exposure to radiation would do 693 00:30:00,540 --> 00:30:02,950 to soldiers on the battlefield. 694 00:30:04,700 --> 00:30:06,870 - [Ronnie] But on July 10th, 1958, 695 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,290 nine months after another blast, 696 00:30:09,370 --> 00:30:11,250 one of these soldiers goes missing. 697 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:16,160 26-year-old Army Lieutenant Paul Byron Whipkey 698 00:30:16,250 --> 00:30:20,450 drives away from his home base, Fort Ord in California. 699 00:30:20,540 --> 00:30:21,910 He never comes back. 700 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,160 - A few weeks later, Paul's car, it's this very identifiable 701 00:30:28,250 --> 00:30:31,500 red and white combination, is found in Death Valley, 702 00:30:31,620 --> 00:30:33,790 some 150 miles away from 703 00:30:33,870 --> 00:30:36,080 where he last was seen or noticed 704 00:30:36,200 --> 00:30:38,660 in the Mojave Desert purchasing gas. 705 00:30:38,750 --> 00:30:39,870 - [Ronnie] Just months earlier, 706 00:30:39,950 --> 00:30:41,200 Paul told his brother Carl 707 00:30:41,290 --> 00:30:43,000 that he was going on an assignment 708 00:30:43,040 --> 00:30:45,540 and that he was going to make a name for himself, 709 00:30:45,620 --> 00:30:47,290 but instead, he goes missing. 710 00:30:47,370 --> 00:30:50,160 And just one day later, he's declared AWOL. 711 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:51,870 - When his brother heard that he was missing, 712 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,040 he called the post and then they said, "Well, 713 00:30:54,040 --> 00:30:55,200 we're busy packing up his stuff." 714 00:30:55,290 --> 00:30:59,000 And it was a day after he had disappeared. 715 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:01,660 It's odd to pack up somebody's belongings 716 00:31:01,750 --> 00:31:03,450 a day after they've gone missing. 717 00:31:04,700 --> 00:31:06,870 - If he were just AWOL, 718 00:31:06,950 --> 00:31:09,000 one would think that there would be 719 00:31:09,040 --> 00:31:12,660 some amount of time that would be allotted 720 00:31:12,790 --> 00:31:14,330 before there would be, kind of, 721 00:31:14,410 --> 00:31:17,580 this cleaning of hands and purging of the record 722 00:31:17,660 --> 00:31:19,120 that he was ever there. 723 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:21,160 - [Ronnie] Just one month after his disappearance, 724 00:31:21,250 --> 00:31:23,410 the Army makes a scathing conclusion 725 00:31:23,500 --> 00:31:24,910 that Whipkey was a deserter 726 00:31:25,040 --> 00:31:27,200 who cracked under the stress of his assignment, 727 00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:30,620 drove off, wandered into the desert, and died. 728 00:31:30,700 --> 00:31:32,580 But those who knew Whipkey find it hard 729 00:31:32,660 --> 00:31:34,620 to accept those conclusions. 730 00:31:34,750 --> 00:31:36,870 - Paul Whipkey was a model officer, 731 00:31:36,950 --> 00:31:39,250 no issues, no problems. 732 00:31:39,330 --> 00:31:41,410 - It's highly unusual for a soldier 733 00:31:41,540 --> 00:31:44,750 who has a great service record and track record in the military 734 00:31:44,830 --> 00:31:47,040 to go missing and then be declared AWOL 735 00:31:47,120 --> 00:31:49,200 after only one day. 736 00:31:49,330 --> 00:31:52,580 - [Ronnie] So, what really happened to Lieutenant Whipkey? 737 00:31:52,700 --> 00:31:53,870 That's the question that's been 738 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:57,620 keeping his family up at night for decades. 739 00:31:57,620 --> 00:31:59,580 Service members go missing. 740 00:31:59,660 --> 00:32:01,160 You've just heard the term AWOL 741 00:32:01,290 --> 00:32:03,330 and it means absent without leave. 742 00:32:03,450 --> 00:32:05,000 It's a serious crime. 743 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:06,620 But what we're trying to figure out is, 744 00:32:06,700 --> 00:32:10,250 did Whipkey suddenly become a dishonorable deserter, 745 00:32:10,250 --> 00:32:13,620 or is there a more complicated and sinister explanation 746 00:32:13,700 --> 00:32:15,080 for what happened to him? 747 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,370 Let's see if our experts can figure this one out. 748 00:32:17,500 --> 00:32:19,410 (tense music) 749 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,910 One rumor swirling has Whipkey being a top secret CIA recruit. 750 00:32:25,000 --> 00:32:27,160 A fellow soldier reports 751 00:32:27,200 --> 00:32:29,620 seeing Lieutenant Whipkey having clandestine meetings 752 00:32:29,700 --> 00:32:32,830 with two Army intelligence men in civilian clothing. 753 00:32:32,910 --> 00:32:34,830 Paul's brother Carl believed Paul had 754 00:32:34,870 --> 00:32:36,910 been recruited to join an intelligence team 755 00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,790 involved in the top secret missions 756 00:32:38,870 --> 00:32:40,700 of the U-2 spy plane. 757 00:32:40,830 --> 00:32:43,500 Did Whipkey just become a CIA spook? 758 00:32:43,540 --> 00:32:45,450 - There's certainly plausibility to the idea 759 00:32:45,540 --> 00:32:47,450 that, given the nature of a mission, 760 00:32:47,540 --> 00:32:49,330 which is going to be highly secretive, 761 00:32:49,410 --> 00:32:52,080 that he has crossover with the CIA 762 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:54,910 and seems to be kind of a good candidate. 763 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:56,830 - [Ronnie] And what's a good spy story 764 00:32:56,870 --> 00:32:59,410 without a mysterious chain smoking man? 765 00:32:59,500 --> 00:33:02,540 - Paul wasn't a smoker but somehow his car is found 766 00:33:02,620 --> 00:33:04,160 with a bunch of cigarette butts outside of it. 767 00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:07,540 It just adds to the confusion 768 00:33:07,620 --> 00:33:08,540 about what happened. 769 00:33:09,750 --> 00:33:12,330 - [Ronnie] But former US infantryman Chris Capelluto 770 00:33:12,410 --> 00:33:14,370 doesn't buy the secret agent angle. 771 00:33:14,450 --> 00:33:15,500 - The argument that he was recruited 772 00:33:15,580 --> 00:33:17,660 by the CIA doesn't really make any sense. 773 00:33:17,750 --> 00:33:21,370 His teeth were falling out and he was medically unfit. 774 00:33:21,450 --> 00:33:23,700 - [Ronnie] The teeth may be a clue. 775 00:33:25,370 --> 00:33:27,080 Whipkey flew an observation plane 776 00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:29,290 during five atomic bomb missions 777 00:33:29,370 --> 00:33:32,200 and was exposed to high levels of radiation. 778 00:33:33,370 --> 00:33:35,330 Accounts vary, but soon after Whipkey's 779 00:33:35,410 --> 00:33:37,120 participation in these experiments, 780 00:33:37,200 --> 00:33:39,080 he allegedly develops black moles 781 00:33:39,160 --> 00:33:41,040 and plantar warts on his skin. 782 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:42,160 And a few months later, 783 00:33:42,290 --> 00:33:44,870 he has to have all of his teeth extracted. 784 00:33:44,950 --> 00:33:46,750 Was it possible that Whipkey's disappearance 785 00:33:46,830 --> 00:33:50,950 was a cover-up relating to these horrific human experiments? 786 00:33:51,040 --> 00:33:52,500 - These were military exercises. 787 00:33:52,580 --> 00:33:55,080 They were involved in highly classified tests 788 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:58,330 and exposed in ways that were very, very secretive. 789 00:33:58,410 --> 00:34:00,290 And the US is trying to keep a tight lid on that 790 00:34:00,370 --> 00:34:02,160 so there's potential that there was a risk 791 00:34:02,250 --> 00:34:03,950 that he was maybe unstable 792 00:34:04,040 --> 00:34:05,410 and thinking about sharing that information 793 00:34:05,410 --> 00:34:07,290 or taking that information elsewhere. 794 00:34:07,370 --> 00:34:11,040 It would've been of great value to an adversary. 795 00:34:11,120 --> 00:34:13,160 - [Ronnie] Of course, we also need to consider 796 00:34:13,250 --> 00:34:15,500 the simplest, least dramatic explanation. 797 00:34:16,870 --> 00:34:18,950 This theory posits that Lieutenant Whipkey 798 00:34:19,040 --> 00:34:20,660 did indeed go AWOL, 799 00:34:20,750 --> 00:34:22,750 but then his car broke down in the desert. 800 00:34:22,830 --> 00:34:23,870 And when he went looking for help, 801 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:26,040 he simply died from exposure. 802 00:34:26,120 --> 00:34:27,250 When the search began, 803 00:34:27,370 --> 00:34:29,660 there was nothing left of his body to find. 804 00:34:29,750 --> 00:34:31,830 - For him to have perished. 805 00:34:31,910 --> 00:34:34,160 I mean, it seems entirely possible 806 00:34:34,290 --> 00:34:37,330 that someone could die in the desert. 807 00:34:37,410 --> 00:34:40,500 Death Valley, it's called that for a reason. 808 00:34:40,540 --> 00:34:42,910 - [Ronnie] The strength of the accident theory is 809 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:45,330 that it sounds like the most plausible. 810 00:34:45,410 --> 00:34:48,160 The weakness is that it leaves so many loose threads: 811 00:34:48,250 --> 00:34:50,950 the unexplained cigarettes found by the car, 812 00:34:51,040 --> 00:34:52,370 the message to the brother, 813 00:34:52,540 --> 00:34:55,330 the allegations of strange meetings with army intelligence, 814 00:34:55,410 --> 00:34:58,540 and the hasty packing of Whipkey's room. 815 00:34:59,870 --> 00:35:01,200 - The idea that it was an accident 816 00:35:01,290 --> 00:35:04,330 and he just perished from that is very convenient 817 00:35:04,370 --> 00:35:06,370 but it doesn't fit the fact pattern. 818 00:35:06,540 --> 00:35:09,620 - [Ronnie] In 1982, after decades of persistence, 819 00:35:09,700 --> 00:35:11,910 Paul's brother Carl got the Army Board 820 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:13,660 for Correction of Military Records 821 00:35:13,790 --> 00:35:15,290 to hold a three day hearing 822 00:35:15,370 --> 00:35:17,200 into Paul Whipkey's disappearance. 823 00:35:17,330 --> 00:35:18,660 The board ultimately determined 824 00:35:18,700 --> 00:35:20,580 that Lieutenant Paul Whipkey died the day 825 00:35:20,660 --> 00:35:22,500 after his disappearance in the desert. 826 00:35:22,540 --> 00:35:24,160 And that his unauthorized absence 827 00:35:24,250 --> 00:35:26,120 is excused as unavoidable, 828 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:28,160 and his death was in the line of duty, 829 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:30,200 not due to misconduct. 830 00:35:30,330 --> 00:35:33,330 - It's a big deal regarding Whipkey's military legacy. 831 00:35:33,410 --> 00:35:37,080 It's much more honorable to go from unauthorized absence 832 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:39,250 to died in the line of duty. 833 00:35:39,330 --> 00:35:41,200 - [Ronnie] The official report says 834 00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:43,000 there's no record of Whipkey being 835 00:35:43,080 --> 00:35:44,950 involved in intelligence activities 836 00:35:45,040 --> 00:35:48,160 and suggests it's most likely he wandered 837 00:35:48,250 --> 00:35:51,000 into the desert by himself and died, 838 00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:52,250 which still makes you wonder, 839 00:35:52,330 --> 00:35:54,330 how is that in the line of duty? 840 00:35:54,450 --> 00:35:57,500 The report has no answer, stating only that the events 841 00:35:57,580 --> 00:36:01,620 of Whipkey's disappearance remain obscured and unexplained. 842 00:36:02,870 --> 00:36:04,580 (explosion booming) 843 00:36:04,700 --> 00:36:06,700 (tense music) 844 00:36:07,870 --> 00:36:10,750 - Ronnie, what do you think of a soldier going AWOL? 845 00:36:10,830 --> 00:36:13,410 - Well, I've never had anybody in my units go AWOL. 846 00:36:13,500 --> 00:36:15,580 As far as Lieutenant Whipkey, 847 00:36:15,660 --> 00:36:17,330 I'm inclined to believe that this is 848 00:36:17,410 --> 00:36:18,660 more accidental than that. 849 00:36:18,700 --> 00:36:21,000 His car broke down, he goes to get help, 850 00:36:21,120 --> 00:36:22,830 and just dies in the process. 851 00:36:22,870 --> 00:36:24,330 - I'm of the same mind. 852 00:36:24,370 --> 00:36:27,160 He got lost, broke down, could not find help. 853 00:36:27,250 --> 00:36:29,410 He probably died accidentally. 854 00:36:33,120 --> 00:36:35,450 - It's time for this week's secret weapons segment, Rudy. 855 00:36:35,540 --> 00:36:37,250 And this one's a potential game changer. 856 00:36:37,330 --> 00:36:38,790 - You got that right, brother. 857 00:36:38,870 --> 00:36:41,660 There's been a lot of hype over the last couple of years 858 00:36:41,700 --> 00:36:43,410 about these muldoons. 859 00:36:43,500 --> 00:36:46,330 - Rudy's talking about Russia's hypersonic missiles. 860 00:36:46,410 --> 00:36:48,700 Now, they were top secret until this next video. 861 00:36:48,700 --> 00:36:50,290 And now our question is, 862 00:36:50,370 --> 00:36:53,580 how dangerous are top secret hypersonic missiles? 863 00:36:54,910 --> 00:36:57,500 October 6th, 2021, the Barents Sea, 864 00:36:57,540 --> 00:37:00,540 the Russian Navy's northern fleet is anchored here 865 00:37:00,660 --> 00:37:04,160 and on this day, the site becomes Putin's launching pad 866 00:37:04,250 --> 00:37:05,750 for a weapon that'll become 867 00:37:05,830 --> 00:37:08,200 one of the fastest objects to ever fly. 868 00:37:08,330 --> 00:37:11,330 (dramatic music) (explosions booming) 869 00:37:12,370 --> 00:37:14,160 - There's gonna be the first stage 870 00:37:14,200 --> 00:37:16,660 of the explosion goes off. 871 00:37:16,750 --> 00:37:18,450 That's the first stage of the rocket. 872 00:37:18,540 --> 00:37:21,080 And then the nose cone fires off, 873 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,750 stabilizing rockets on the side there. 874 00:37:26,540 --> 00:37:28,700 - Immediately, it goes straight up 875 00:37:28,700 --> 00:37:31,500 and then pitches over, which puts it on its trajectory 876 00:37:31,580 --> 00:37:33,620 to whatever its target is. 877 00:37:33,700 --> 00:37:36,620 This tiny missile just rockets away 878 00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:39,370 and gains speed and it just disappears 879 00:37:39,450 --> 00:37:42,000 into the sky in a matter of seconds. 880 00:37:42,040 --> 00:37:44,200 - [Ronnie] You're looking at a hypersonic missile, people. 881 00:37:44,290 --> 00:37:46,370 And get this, they're so fast, 882 00:37:46,450 --> 00:37:48,330 they can destroy a building or target 883 00:37:48,370 --> 00:37:50,660 without even having a warhead attached to 'em, 884 00:37:50,700 --> 00:37:52,870 purely based on the force of impact. 885 00:37:56,700 --> 00:37:58,700 Author and space historian Amy Teitel 886 00:37:58,790 --> 00:38:00,750 talks about why it's got folks worried. 887 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:04,000 - So, if Russia were to launch one 888 00:38:04,080 --> 00:38:05,870 against the continental United States, 889 00:38:05,950 --> 00:38:09,330 there would be very little we could do to react in time. 890 00:38:09,410 --> 00:38:10,580 This missile would be able 891 00:38:10,660 --> 00:38:12,750 to reach the US in a matter of minutes. 892 00:38:16,450 --> 00:38:19,160 - Okay, so that's a scary proposition. 893 00:38:19,250 --> 00:38:20,910 Well, we asked our weapons dream team 894 00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:23,620 to spell out what this thing can do in more detail. 895 00:38:23,700 --> 00:38:25,790 (tense music) 896 00:38:27,290 --> 00:38:28,750 - [Ronnie] For starters, we asked them 897 00:38:28,870 --> 00:38:32,160 to contextualize just how fast these suckers are. 898 00:38:32,200 --> 00:38:33,750 - The difference between supersonic 899 00:38:33,830 --> 00:38:35,500 and hypersonic is speed. 900 00:38:35,620 --> 00:38:38,660 Something going at the speed of sound is Mach 1 901 00:38:38,750 --> 00:38:41,790 and that's about 760 miles per hour. 902 00:38:44,580 --> 00:38:46,790 Something going Mach 5 or up, 903 00:38:46,790 --> 00:38:48,950 which is more than five times the speed of sound, 904 00:38:49,040 --> 00:38:50,660 is going hypersonic. 905 00:38:50,750 --> 00:38:52,410 - [Ronnie] Okay, we told you that, 906 00:38:52,500 --> 00:38:54,040 but it gets scarier. 907 00:38:54,120 --> 00:38:56,580 - These missiles are going at Mach 7, 908 00:38:56,660 --> 00:38:58,500 so more than seven times the speed 909 00:38:58,540 --> 00:39:01,910 of sound or more than 5,000 miles per hour. 910 00:39:03,160 --> 00:39:06,080 - "Popular Mechanics" journalist Joe Pappalardo says 911 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:08,200 that's why Russia released the video. 912 00:39:08,290 --> 00:39:10,330 - Frame by frame, you can tell 913 00:39:10,450 --> 00:39:14,250 that the state is sending a message. 914 00:39:14,250 --> 00:39:16,250 And the message here is fairly clear. 915 00:39:16,330 --> 00:39:18,120 (suspenseful music) 916 00:39:18,120 --> 00:39:19,290 They're saying the world is small, 917 00:39:19,370 --> 00:39:20,660 and we can hit targets 918 00:39:20,700 --> 00:39:23,330 that are farther away as if they were close, 919 00:39:23,370 --> 00:39:24,450 so don't mess with us. 920 00:39:24,540 --> 00:39:26,620 You don't have to know anything 921 00:39:26,700 --> 00:39:28,700 about the weapon system to get that message. 922 00:39:30,870 --> 00:39:32,540 - [Ronnie] And if that doesn't have you 923 00:39:32,620 --> 00:39:33,830 chewing your fingernails, 924 00:39:33,950 --> 00:39:36,830 China tested its own hypersonic missile in 2021. 925 00:39:37,950 --> 00:39:39,700 Why the race? 926 00:39:39,790 --> 00:39:41,620 It's because these weapons can move 927 00:39:41,700 --> 00:39:44,500 around our current missile defenses, literally. 928 00:39:44,540 --> 00:39:47,450 They can zig and zag, making it nearly impossible 929 00:39:47,540 --> 00:39:48,950 for us to intercept them. 930 00:39:49,040 --> 00:39:52,000 And they can fly low enough to avoid detection. 931 00:39:52,040 --> 00:39:54,500 Nobody really knows how to defend against them yet. 932 00:39:56,540 --> 00:39:58,700 But the US isn't gonna sit on the sidelines 933 00:39:58,790 --> 00:40:00,950 when it comes to new military tech. 934 00:40:01,040 --> 00:40:03,830 In fact, the United States has successfully 935 00:40:03,910 --> 00:40:07,330 tested two Lockheed Martin hypersonic missiles 936 00:40:07,450 --> 00:40:10,580 amid growing concerns of a new arms race. 937 00:40:11,540 --> 00:40:12,910 - The I-have-a-pony syndrome 938 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:15,830 is extremely strong in military circles. 939 00:40:15,950 --> 00:40:18,500 If there's a lot of money being pumped in 940 00:40:18,540 --> 00:40:22,250 to a program in China or the United States or Russia, 941 00:40:22,330 --> 00:40:24,660 the other players are gonna get involved 942 00:40:24,700 --> 00:40:26,450 because they don't want to be left behind. 943 00:40:26,540 --> 00:40:29,410 (explosions booming) (dramatic music) 944 00:40:29,500 --> 00:40:31,910 (tense muisic) 945 00:40:33,200 --> 00:40:34,410 - It's hard to wrap your head 946 00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:36,250 around the speed of these things. 947 00:40:36,330 --> 00:40:37,830 It's really just next level. 948 00:40:37,910 --> 00:40:39,370 - And nobody really has an answer yet 949 00:40:39,450 --> 00:40:41,330 on how to take one down. 950 00:40:41,370 --> 00:40:43,120 We'll be sure to keep following this one, 951 00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:44,290 but that's our show for tonight. 952 00:40:44,370 --> 00:40:46,370 Until next time, keep your powder dry. 953 00:40:46,450 --> 00:40:47,950 - And your head on a swivel. 954 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:49,000 Goodnight. 955 00:40:49,080 --> 00:40:51,540 (dramatic music) 73879

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