Combat Countdown (2012) s01e05 Episode Script
Super Sensors
go, go, go, go.
[ gunfire .]
narrator: in modern warfare, superior sensors detecting, tracking, targeting the enemy can be the decisive factor.
the side with the best situational awareness wins.
narrator: getting that critical information fast is what wins wars.
i think superior sensors are almost more important than superior firepower.
narrator: we're counting down the top 10 super sensors across every classic weapon system from the awesome all-seeing eye of the awacs man: they are rapidly closing on each other.
to the groundbreaking radar of the f-14 tomcat and the fearsome night vision of the havoc helicopter gunship to find out what delivers that critical edge.
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS English Sbutitles Collected and Modified By: in battle, sensor data can be the difference between victory and defeat.
sensor information is critically important because you can't kill an enemy that you can't find.
[ whirring .]
narrator: it doesn't get much more vital.
the fastest to recognize the situation and respond to it pilot: i got it.
is the one who prevails.
narrator: with the help of military experts, we're going to examine the war machines with the most decisive sensor systems on the planet.
each machine will be assessed on a balance of service record, versatility, design ingenuity, and rank within their class to determine our definitive top 10.
at number 10, it's the jet fighter that revolutionized aerial combat with its super senses.
the f-14 tomcat.
origin -- u.
s.
a.
cost -- $38 million.
weight -- 35 tons.
length -- 63 feet.
from the moment it entered service with the u.
s.
navy in 1974, the tomcat set new standards.
huston: there really wasn't anything that was capable of taking it on directly very well.
you felt like you were flying the best and the fastest and the most capable and the most powerful fighter ever, and that's a great thing to feel.
narrator: this $38-million machine's two general electric f110 turbofan engines provided 28,000 pounds of thrust.
truly unprecedented power.
but that's not what set the tomcat ahead of the pack.
the f-14's killer edge is the multipurpose awg-9 radar, capable of seeing enemies more than 100 miles away and tracking multiple opponents.
huston: it started making a name as an airplane that could really go fast, really fly high, and do a lot of things with its radar that no other fighter had ever done before.
narrator: the sensor system is so critical to the fighter's combat capability and so complex that it requires an additional crew member, the radar-intercept officer, or rio, dedicated to its operation.
[ radio chatter .]
huston: the f-14 could track 20 full targets simultaneously and shoot 6 of them simultaneously, and that was never accomplished by any other airplane in the world.
narrator: the ability to shoot multiple opponents simultaneously came courtesy of the half-million-dollar aim-54 phoenix missile, which used targeting data from the awg-9 radar to slam into targets at three times the speed of sound.
[ beeping .]
radar isn't the tomcat's only super sense.
an infrared-sighting mechanism just behind the aircraft's nose allows the rio to detect hostile aircraft without using radar, even in total darkness.
you've greatly increased your probability of kill, and that allows you to fire it quickly and then go.
[ beeping .]
narrator: and the $6.
7-million lantern targeting pod uses infrared light and laser energy to guide attacks on ground targets.
it carries a real punch in the range of weapon systems it can mount.
it's a sophisticated flying platform.
narrator: awesome super senses, combined with the firepower to make them count, place the tomcat firmly in the top 10.
the f-14 was in service for more than 30 years.
the tomcat was adapted for ground attack.
the design boasts a host of innovative features.
the tomcat was a class leader for decades.
overall, the tomcat earns enough for the number-10 position.
claiming the number-9 spot on the super-sense countdown, the helicopter gunship that sees in the dark.
the mi-28 night hunter.
origin -- russia.
cost -- $12 million.
weight -- 9 tons.
length -- 55 feet.
[ helicopter blades whirring .]
in 2006, the russians unveiled the mi-28.
nato code name -- havoc.
its advanced super senses make it a fearsome aerial assassin for the 21st century, able to see its enemies before they see it.
the mi-28 is equipped with very good radar and sensors.
narrator: havoc is crowned with an advanced millimeter wavelength radar station.
these modern radars track, independently, multiple targets.
narrator: for hunting hidden targets, havoc calls on yet another array of super senses -- its state-of-the-art thermal-imaging cameras.
they are powerful enough to detect the heat signature of a man four miles away.
caddick-adams: the mi-28 can pick up targets and direct the fire of other weapons systems from their own side.
they're acting as an aerial observation post.
narrator: any target lit up on radar can be taken out with surgical strikes at ranges up to 5 miles by the havoc's 16 ataka radio-guided missiles armed with antitank warheads or thermobaric explosives.
hazell: a thermobaric explosion is like a standard explosion on steroids.
narrator: if the thermal imager spots a target behind cover, the night hunter carries up to 80 supersonic unguided s-8 rockets able to blast them out at ranges over two miles.
anything left standing is dealt with by a heavyweight 30-millimeter automatic cannon capable of firing 400-gram high-explosive incendiary rounds at a blistering 250 rounds per minute.
the mi-28 has not yet been used in a major battle.
havoc scores highly on versatility.
the design is also highly innovative.
it is one of the best gunships in the world.
the night hunter's deadly effective use of its super senses wins it the number-9 position.
go, go, go, go.
coming up, the cutting-edge super sensors that rule the battlefield.
the best situational awareness wins.
narrator: coming in at number 8 in the "super sensor" countdown, the future of close-quarter tactical surveillance.
the eyerobots.
origin -- israel.
cost -- $50,000.
weight -- 6 pounds.
length -- 28 inches.
in modern urban warfare, knowing what's around the next corner is a matter of life and death.
[ indistinct shouting .]
go, go, go, go.
[ gunfire .]
mcfadden: going into a fight, the side with the best situational awareness wins.
if you're faced with a large cache of weapons and perhaps a booby trap, then you really need to understand the situation fairly quickly.
narrator: the combat engineers of the israeli defense force tackle this deadly problem with these a suite of state-of-the-art super-sensing robots.
hazell: what you need is the ability to put in a robot there so that it can assess the situation without endangering human life.
narrator: for tackling the tunnel networks terrorists use to escape detection, the 6-pound eyerobot is lowered into position with a sling.
the remote-controlled robot can pack down to just 7 inches high and 16 inches wide to fit into tight, confined spaces.
even in subterranean darkness, the eyerobot can see with two l.
e.
d.
lights, providing the eyes.
the built-in camera provides 312-times optical zoom, laser range finding, and infrared-imaging abilities for low-light conditions.
the camera images are fed back to the operator's laptop in real time via a wireless link.
anywhere the operator wants to see, the eyerobot can get there.
eyerobot can cope with a variety of challenging terrain, whether it's stairs, whether it's crawling down drain pipes.
narrator: but when they get up close to the enemy, the combat engineers turn to the eyerobot's smaller cousin, the eyedrive.
its purpose is a twofold -- one is reconnaissance, and the other is to do reconnaissance with stealth.
narrator: this close to the enemy, the eyedrive can only use its super senses if it remains undetected.
so it creeps slowly into position at a max speed of 5.
8 miles per hour.
the moment you alert your opponent as to what's going on, they'll do several things.
one is they'll press a button and blow something up, they'll kill a hostage, or they will bug out.
narrator: the engineers control the bot with a pad modeled on a game-console controller.
with a perfect picture of the scene the combat troops can take decisive action.
these robots have been so successful, there are now more than 2,000 of them serving with coalition forces in iraq and afghanistan.
the robots are still new but have seen extensive service.
they are versatile enough to be used for bomb-disposal duties.
the design is highly innovative.
the robots are leaders in their field.
overall, the eyerobots earn enough for the number-8 position.
at number 7 in our "super sensor" countdown, an incredible mobile battlefield laboratory.
the fuchs armored detection vehicle.
origin -- germany.
cost -- $6 million.
weight -- 20 tons.
length -- 24 feet.
weapons of mass destruction chemical, biological, nuclear are the greatest fear an army commander can face.
the $6-million fuchs mobile laboratory [ engine revs .]
has super senses to sniff out any trace of those threats before they can do damage to troops on the ground.
caddick-adams: it has a variety of sophisticated monitoring equipment on board that will tell its command chain straightaway whether there's anything wrong with the environment outside.
narrator: to detect airborne toxins, a specially designed 4-foot-high mast measures wind speed and direction, while probes channel samples of the air through to the onboard lab equipment.
for chemical weapons, we measure with a computer inside.
air comes in through the probe, then i can see what kind of chemical it is.
narrator: the mass spectrometer breaks complex chemicals down into their constituent parts and identifies them by comparing the results with a database of thousands of known toxins.
they act as a trip wire.
what they'll do is look at the areas you're most worried about, and they'll send back reports.
narrator: but not every potential threat is airborne.
dangerous chemical agents could lie on the ground ready to be unleashed by the stamp of a soldier's boot.
the fuchs finds these with 9-inch-wide silicon rubber-coated rollers.
the rollers pick up samples of earth and carry them to a probe heated to 500 degrees fahrenheit, which breaks them down for chemical analysis.
as long as the spectrometer analysis doesn't reveal anything capable of compromising the crew's protective clothing man: all these are safe.
the troops can hit the ground and go to work.
once the crew are hands-on with the potential hazards they can use the fuchs' awesome arsenal of portable sensory equipment to assess the threat.
man: you have to have knowledge of chemicals and nuclear materials.
post-9/11, what you've got is a panoply of different kinds of threats coming from al-qaeda and other organizations.
narrator: for an army facing the threat of chemical warfare the fuchs' super senses could make the difference between victory and total destruction.
the fuchs is in afghanistan and has responded to major terrorist threats.
it is highly specialized.
the design is remarkable.
it's definitely a world leader.
overall, the fuchs earns enough for the number-7 position.
still to come, the state-of-the-art sensors that are changing the face of warfare.
narrator: soaring towards the top of the "super sensor" countdown, the cold war veteran that's still serving today.
the u-2 spy plane.
origin -- u.
s.
a.
cost -- classified.
weight -- 20 tons.
length -- 63 feet.
the first u-2 spy plane was built-to-order for the cia in the early '50s at the height of the cold war to reveal the soviet union's most closely guarded secrets.
for that job, they needed the most sophisticated super senses ever developed.
to get a perfect view, the u-2, nicknamed "dragon lady," boosts to high altitude with 17,000 pounds of thrust.
her 103-foot wingspan keeps her soaring above 70,000 feet [ radio chatter .]
twice the altitude of a regular jet liner so close to space that the pilots wear pressurized suits to keep them alive.
to see from this height, the u-2 uses specially designed large-format cameras capable of seeing a man reading a newspaper at a distance of 72,000 feet.
[ camera shutter clicks .]
[ camera shutter clicks .]
it was photographs from these cameras that revealed the soviet union was lagging behind in the cold war, with fewer bombs and missiles than anyone suspected.
as well as visual data, the u-2 also collects vital electronic intelligence.
an array of passive sensors buried in the nose, the rear of the cockpit, and the wings monitor and record radio signals [ radio chatter .]
revealing crucial details about radar and communications networks.
[ radio static .]
you can't impact enemy networks if you can't tap into them.
if you don't have the ability to locate and understand what the enemy's doing, then you can't affect them.
narrator: throughout her 60 years of service, the dragon lady's super senses have been constantly updated.
the current full range of detection powers is classified, but experts believe the latest versions of the u-2 can pick out an individual cellphone user on the ground and eavesdrop on the call.
[ man speaking native language .]
the improvements that we've seen in the last few years in sensors, i think, indicate where future warfare is going.
[ radio chatter .]
narrator: the one person who didn't benefit from the super senses was the pilot, as these previously classified training films clearly show.
man: the view from the cockpit is really, really poor, and because of this, the pilot needs all the help he can get in determining how high he is from the runway when the airplane actually stalls.
narrator: so a co-pilot and a chase car drives out to meet the u-2 on landing to talk the pilot down.
there's a eight at the "t" and a six, five, four, three -- three feet.
two and a half, two feet.
tail's way up.
two feet.
one foot.
tail's way up at one foot.
one foot.
tail's coming down.
six inches.
six inches.
hold it up.
narrator: as long as you've got pilots skilled enough to bring the big bird down, there's no better recon aircraft.
the u-2 has been in service for 60 years.
it is highly specialized for global recon.
the design of the jet-powered glider is totally unique.
the u-2 has no rival in its class.
overall, the u-2 earns enough for the number-6 position.
coming in at number 5, the next generation of recon vehicle -- the semi-autonomous, remote-controlled guardium buggy.
origin -- israel.
cost -- $600,000.
weight -- 1.
5 tons.
length -- 10 feet.
the israeli defense force uses the 7-foot high, unmanned vehicle's super senses to pinpoint threats such as snipers, i.
e.
d.
s, or suicide bombers without exposing soldiers to any risk.
it takes the man out of the machine, and that, of course, is where the battlefield is going.
narrator: the operators control this incredible vehicle from the safety of a base up to 14 miles away.
as the buggy moves, four cameras on the exterior feed the driver's point of view back to the operator.
hazell: they can probe into much more dangerous territory than the conventional vehicle of its type would.
narrator: the driver's p.
o.
v.
is adequate for controlling the vehicle, but for hunting down an elusive enemy, guardium turns to its high-tech sensors.
i'm actually crossing the field.
trying to get to our suspect.
finding his location.
okay, so, now i think i found the target, so i'll extract the mast.
for detailed searching, guardium is equipped with a sensor mast, capable of extending to 12 feet high.
you really do need excellent cameras to visualize the terrain in front of you.
start scanning around.
i will change to the thermal camera.
narrator: the thermal imaging scan reveals critical details that would be invisible to the naked eye.
we can see there's a man inside the vehicle.
the hood of the vehicle is hot, so it means the vehicle was running.
the sensor technology on the guardium is really clever.
it's state-of-the-art.
narrator: the remote-controlled buggy's two-way communication system even allows the operator to interrogate potential hostiles.
get out of the vehicle with your hands up.
above your head.
and don't' move.
there's nowhere to hide from the high-tech buggy's super senses.
guardium has only been in service for four years.
it can perform duties from recon to perimeter security.
the design of the first generation of ugv is groundbreaking.
guardium is the forerunner of a new class of vehicles.
overall, the guardium earns enough for the number-5 position.
still to come, more winning super sensors.
if they can see you and are able to launch long before you can see them, you lose.
narrator: coming in at number 4 in the "super sensor" countdown, the guardian of the waves -- the horizon class frigate.
origin -- france and italy.
cost -- $770 million.
weight -- 7,770 tons.
length -- 500 feet.
the frigate uses its super senses to protect western europe's largest warship -- the aircraft carrier charles de gaulle.
[ speaking indistinctly .]
man: we can hear what comes from the radars or the electronic warfare sensors or the sonars.
narrator: the warship's sensors envelope the entire fleet in a vast, protective bubble, extending above and below the water.
the thales ums sonar can detect submarines within a radius of 41 miles.
to boost her submarine-hunting capabilities, the resident nh90 helicopter can deploy its own active sonar to scan the depths.
this is an eternal fight from the prey and the hunter.
narrator: if they discover a submerged attacker [ whistle blows .]
[ speaking native language .]
[ radio chatter .]
[ speaking native language .]
narrator: two mu90 torpedo launchers will make short work of them.
for surface or aerial threats, the thales long-range radar scans a 200-mile-wide area every four seconds.
aircraft, this is my last call before i open fire.
turn away immediately to south.
south.
any aerial intruder will be met with aster surface-to-air missiles capable of speeds up to 1,500 yards per second, nearly four times the speed of sound.
man: the main threat today is fast aircraft and missiles, and the aster almost neutralizes any of these threats.
the fastest jet in the world goes mach 2, but for the aster, it's just a walk in the park.
narrator: if the frigate detects a surface threat, she can respond with two oto melara 76-millimeter guns, each capable of firing 120 explosive shells per minute.
it's very effective, with a high rate of fire, and is a very accurate weapon system.
you can take out anything -- land, sea, air.
anything.
narrator: the horizon's super senses make her an all-around deadly opponent.
the horizon class has acquitted itself well so far.
it's effective against targets on land, sea, and in the air.
the design incorporates the latest developments in sensor technology.
the horizon is one of the world's premier escort vessels.
overall, the horizon earns enough for the number-4 position.
coming in at number 3, europe's most advanced jet fighter -- the eurofighter typhoon.
origin -- europe.
cost -- $65 million.
weight -- 20 tons.
length -- 52 feet.
in modern aerial warfare, the ability to detect your opponent before they detect you is a decisive factor.
if they can see you and are able to launch long before you can see them, you lose.
narrator: the eurofighter typhoon has super senses designed to go up against the most deadly aircraft ever built.
the cutting edge is the captor radar system housed in the aircraft's nose.
this multi-node, pulse-doppler radar is designed to track and identify air or ground targets at ranges exceeding 150 miles.
the lethally effective sensory device boosts the effective range of the fighter's bvraam air-to-air missiles.
the typhoon is really good at delivering a wide range of precision-guided munitions onto targets which are often very far away.
and it's got the most modern weapons and attack systems available.
narrator: to counter enemy attempts at jamming, the band x radar can constantly switch between three different frequencies.
[ beeping .]
but in the age of stealth-capable jet fighters, radar alone is not enough.
the typhoon's ace in the hole is the "pirate" -- passive infrared airborne tracking equipment.
with this, the aircraft constantly scans the space around itself in multiple directions, detecting the infrared heat signatures of potential hostiles.
for the super senses to do their job, the typhoon has to be in the right place at the right time.
when an aircraft gets off the deck, it can be up to altitude very quickly ready to engage whatever is up there.
narrator: once the typhoon has tracked down its opponent, the 40,000 pounds of thrust from it's two ej200 turbofan engines power it towards the target at speeds greater than 1,500 miles per hour.
and in aerial combat, the innovative canard configuration -- two small wings just behind the nose -- grants maneuverability that makes the typhoon a deadly dogfighter.
the maneuverability is phenomenal.
adams: and it can outmaneuver most opponents it will ever come across.
there's no doubt that eurofighter typhoon is extremely effective in air-to-air combat.
narrator: the eurofighter doesn't just have super senses for hunting down its victims, radar and laser warning receivers let the pilot know instantly if the aircraft is targeted by the enemy so he can start countermeasures or put the aircraft into evasive maneuvers.
all around, sensors take the typhoon's capability to the next level, whether it's on offense or defense.
it's gonna make a very big impression in the world of fighters for a long time to come.
narrator: the typhoon has proved itself in combat over libya.
it is being adapted for ground attack to boost versatility.
the design incorporates the world's most capable sensor technology.
it's up against strong competition from the usa.
overall, the eurofighter earns enough for the number-3 position.
still to come man: you have 5,000 feet on bull's-eye 198.
the most decisive super sensors on the modern battlefield.
they have just an unbelievable capability.
1034 hostile.
narrator: at number 2 in the countdown of war-winning super sensors, the most battle-proven, unmanned aerial vehicle to date -- the heron.
origin -- israel.
cost -- $10 million.
weight -- 1.
5 tons.
length -- 39 feet.
in 2005, the israeli military made the decision to purchase a classified number of these drones to defend their borders.
the unmanned aerial vehicle is a hugely important concept for warfare in the 21st century.
narrator: the uav's incredible sensory abilities mean israel's enemies can never assume they are unobserved.
it's perfect for the environment in which the israelis operate -- a small country surrounded by potential opponents, and they need to be on their guard all the time.
narrator: at a secret location, we have been given exclusive access to the heron and one of her pilots.
the heron pilot is so crucial to israel's security, that an interview has been granted on the condition that we don't reveal his identity.
man: this is the camera -- actually our primary weapon.
narrator: what sets the heron apart from anything else in its class is the 550-pound payload.
what it's carrying is the most sophisticated array of sensors that money can buy.
narrator: the high-resolution camera can provide crystal-clear pictures from altitudes of over 10,000 feet.
satellite-linked gps guidance allows the pilot to position heron with pinpoint accuracy from mission control 200 miles away.
mission endurance up to 45 hours guarantees it'll be on station at the critical moment.
man: the wings here are very narrow and very long -- 16.
5 meters -- which give us the ability to stay above the target and a low fuel consumption.
take off on sunday evening, lands on tuesday morning.
if they launch it for a long time, they need to be able to cope with day and night, and that usually means an infrared capability.
narrator: in darkness, heron uses f.
l.
i.
r.
-- a forward-looking infrared camera -- to spot targets up to three miles away.
sight isn't heron's only super sense.
it's a great listener, too.
antennae around the fuselage constantly gather data about radio or radar signals in the vicinity, and the state-of-the-art communications array beams the critical info back to base in real time.
man: under this dome, there is a directional antenna with the ability to rotate and look directly back at home, while this is an omnidirectional antenna that can look all the way around.
adams: they are no longer weapons of choice.
they're key to the success of any modern army.
narrator: the heron is thoroughly battle proven.
it has performed well in support of a wide range of missions.
the design has been copied worldwide.
the uav's state-of-the-art sensor package is a class leader.
the heron's overall scores are enough to earn the number-2 position.
[ indistinct shouting .]
go.
go.
go.
go.
it doesn't matter whether you're a foot soldier going house to house or a pilot cruising the stratosphere at twice the speed of sound sensors are a critical edge.
and when you factor in all the key elements, there's one war machine whose super senses leave all others trailing in its wake.
coming in at number 1, the most powerful aerial detection system in the world today -- the e-3 sentry awacs -- airborne warning and control system.
origin -- usa.
cost -- $270 million.
weight -- 156 tons.
length -- 152 feet.
[ radio chatter .]
for 30 years, the awacs westinghouse radar [ radio chatter .]
mounted in a 30-foot wide dish man: pilot fcc track northwest.
has served as the ultimate eye in the sky, detecting enemy aircraft at distances up to 400 miles.
huston: they can see everything.
they have just an unbelievable capability.
narrator: here at tinker air force base, oklahoma 27 of the $270 million aircraft are on constant standby, ready to provide aerial surveillance over conflict zones in any corner of the globe.
man: what we do is go out and establish air power in an area where we don't have any ground radars.
171130s7.
clear for takeoff.
narrator: the 156-ton aircraft can range 4,000 miles in a single flight, which takes phenomenal crew endurance.
i've done two that were over 21 hours.
they're pretty rough, and, you know, you just try to tough it out.
narrator: for these long missions, they have to carry a fuel load of 80,000 liters -- enough to fill the tanks of more than 1,000 gas-guzzling s.
u.
v.
s.
for optimal long-distance surveillance, the awacs gets as high as possible, up to a maximum service altitude of 41,000 feet.
the sentry's fearsomely powerful radar takes an enormous amount of juice to run, so each of the mighty jet's four pratt & whitney tf33 engines has two generators attached, pumping out one megawatt of electricity.
that's enough for a quarter of a million light bulbs.
if that sounds like a lot, you have to consider that as well as the radar, the aircraft is carrying up to 19 mission crew operating some of the most sophisticated target-tracking and battle-management systems ever created.
track 1033, 1034 hostile.
you have 5,000-feet bull's-eye 19846.
we have quite a few aircraft airborne at any one moment.
[ radio chatter .]
and this is just a small slice of the east coast.
we're bringing all the pieces together for the war and getting everything accomplished.
they can literally control the entire air battle and keep the big picture which allows you to have a much smaller picture on what your target is.
narrator: with these awesome systems, the crew scan an area of 193,000 square miles every 10 seconds.
that means that just one of these aircraft can see everything that flies over an area the size of california, giving fighter crews a massive edge in combat.
just ran the i.
d.
process on these two tracks here.
you can see them changing from suspects to a hostile.
narrator: in the gulf war, e-3 controllers contributed to 38 out of a total of 41 air-to-air kills in the entire conflict.
having an e-3 on station just means you know everything that's going on on the battlefield.
pilot mcc.
[ radio chatter .]
we have our friendly guys up in the north that are turning south to engage.
[ radio chatter .]
man: according to our computer calculations, they are rapidly closing on each other.
narrator: the awacs' super senses are a war-winning weapon.
the sentry's service record is hugely impressive.
it's effective against targets on land, sea, and in the air.
the design is totally groundbreaking.
there is simply nothing anywhere in the world to rival the e-3 at what it does.
overall, the awacs aircraft does more than enough to stake its claim to the number-1 position.
in this countdown, we've analyzed the most awesome super sensors on the planet.
go.
go.
go.
go.
from number 10 all the way down to number 2, there are strong contenders, but there's no doubt about the winner -- the e-3 sentry.
[ gunfire .]
narrator: in modern warfare, superior sensors detecting, tracking, targeting the enemy can be the decisive factor.
the side with the best situational awareness wins.
narrator: getting that critical information fast is what wins wars.
i think superior sensors are almost more important than superior firepower.
narrator: we're counting down the top 10 super sensors across every classic weapon system from the awesome all-seeing eye of the awacs man: they are rapidly closing on each other.
to the groundbreaking radar of the f-14 tomcat and the fearsome night vision of the havoc helicopter gunship to find out what delivers that critical edge.
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS English Sbutitles Collected and Modified By: in battle, sensor data can be the difference between victory and defeat.
sensor information is critically important because you can't kill an enemy that you can't find.
[ whirring .]
narrator: it doesn't get much more vital.
the fastest to recognize the situation and respond to it pilot: i got it.
is the one who prevails.
narrator: with the help of military experts, we're going to examine the war machines with the most decisive sensor systems on the planet.
each machine will be assessed on a balance of service record, versatility, design ingenuity, and rank within their class to determine our definitive top 10.
at number 10, it's the jet fighter that revolutionized aerial combat with its super senses.
the f-14 tomcat.
origin -- u.
s.
a.
cost -- $38 million.
weight -- 35 tons.
length -- 63 feet.
from the moment it entered service with the u.
s.
navy in 1974, the tomcat set new standards.
huston: there really wasn't anything that was capable of taking it on directly very well.
you felt like you were flying the best and the fastest and the most capable and the most powerful fighter ever, and that's a great thing to feel.
narrator: this $38-million machine's two general electric f110 turbofan engines provided 28,000 pounds of thrust.
truly unprecedented power.
but that's not what set the tomcat ahead of the pack.
the f-14's killer edge is the multipurpose awg-9 radar, capable of seeing enemies more than 100 miles away and tracking multiple opponents.
huston: it started making a name as an airplane that could really go fast, really fly high, and do a lot of things with its radar that no other fighter had ever done before.
narrator: the sensor system is so critical to the fighter's combat capability and so complex that it requires an additional crew member, the radar-intercept officer, or rio, dedicated to its operation.
[ radio chatter .]
huston: the f-14 could track 20 full targets simultaneously and shoot 6 of them simultaneously, and that was never accomplished by any other airplane in the world.
narrator: the ability to shoot multiple opponents simultaneously came courtesy of the half-million-dollar aim-54 phoenix missile, which used targeting data from the awg-9 radar to slam into targets at three times the speed of sound.
[ beeping .]
radar isn't the tomcat's only super sense.
an infrared-sighting mechanism just behind the aircraft's nose allows the rio to detect hostile aircraft without using radar, even in total darkness.
you've greatly increased your probability of kill, and that allows you to fire it quickly and then go.
[ beeping .]
narrator: and the $6.
7-million lantern targeting pod uses infrared light and laser energy to guide attacks on ground targets.
it carries a real punch in the range of weapon systems it can mount.
it's a sophisticated flying platform.
narrator: awesome super senses, combined with the firepower to make them count, place the tomcat firmly in the top 10.
the f-14 was in service for more than 30 years.
the tomcat was adapted for ground attack.
the design boasts a host of innovative features.
the tomcat was a class leader for decades.
overall, the tomcat earns enough for the number-10 position.
claiming the number-9 spot on the super-sense countdown, the helicopter gunship that sees in the dark.
the mi-28 night hunter.
origin -- russia.
cost -- $12 million.
weight -- 9 tons.
length -- 55 feet.
[ helicopter blades whirring .]
in 2006, the russians unveiled the mi-28.
nato code name -- havoc.
its advanced super senses make it a fearsome aerial assassin for the 21st century, able to see its enemies before they see it.
the mi-28 is equipped with very good radar and sensors.
narrator: havoc is crowned with an advanced millimeter wavelength radar station.
these modern radars track, independently, multiple targets.
narrator: for hunting hidden targets, havoc calls on yet another array of super senses -- its state-of-the-art thermal-imaging cameras.
they are powerful enough to detect the heat signature of a man four miles away.
caddick-adams: the mi-28 can pick up targets and direct the fire of other weapons systems from their own side.
they're acting as an aerial observation post.
narrator: any target lit up on radar can be taken out with surgical strikes at ranges up to 5 miles by the havoc's 16 ataka radio-guided missiles armed with antitank warheads or thermobaric explosives.
hazell: a thermobaric explosion is like a standard explosion on steroids.
narrator: if the thermal imager spots a target behind cover, the night hunter carries up to 80 supersonic unguided s-8 rockets able to blast them out at ranges over two miles.
anything left standing is dealt with by a heavyweight 30-millimeter automatic cannon capable of firing 400-gram high-explosive incendiary rounds at a blistering 250 rounds per minute.
the mi-28 has not yet been used in a major battle.
havoc scores highly on versatility.
the design is also highly innovative.
it is one of the best gunships in the world.
the night hunter's deadly effective use of its super senses wins it the number-9 position.
go, go, go, go.
coming up, the cutting-edge super sensors that rule the battlefield.
the best situational awareness wins.
narrator: coming in at number 8 in the "super sensor" countdown, the future of close-quarter tactical surveillance.
the eyerobots.
origin -- israel.
cost -- $50,000.
weight -- 6 pounds.
length -- 28 inches.
in modern urban warfare, knowing what's around the next corner is a matter of life and death.
[ indistinct shouting .]
go, go, go, go.
[ gunfire .]
mcfadden: going into a fight, the side with the best situational awareness wins.
if you're faced with a large cache of weapons and perhaps a booby trap, then you really need to understand the situation fairly quickly.
narrator: the combat engineers of the israeli defense force tackle this deadly problem with these a suite of state-of-the-art super-sensing robots.
hazell: what you need is the ability to put in a robot there so that it can assess the situation without endangering human life.
narrator: for tackling the tunnel networks terrorists use to escape detection, the 6-pound eyerobot is lowered into position with a sling.
the remote-controlled robot can pack down to just 7 inches high and 16 inches wide to fit into tight, confined spaces.
even in subterranean darkness, the eyerobot can see with two l.
e.
d.
lights, providing the eyes.
the built-in camera provides 312-times optical zoom, laser range finding, and infrared-imaging abilities for low-light conditions.
the camera images are fed back to the operator's laptop in real time via a wireless link.
anywhere the operator wants to see, the eyerobot can get there.
eyerobot can cope with a variety of challenging terrain, whether it's stairs, whether it's crawling down drain pipes.
narrator: but when they get up close to the enemy, the combat engineers turn to the eyerobot's smaller cousin, the eyedrive.
its purpose is a twofold -- one is reconnaissance, and the other is to do reconnaissance with stealth.
narrator: this close to the enemy, the eyedrive can only use its super senses if it remains undetected.
so it creeps slowly into position at a max speed of 5.
8 miles per hour.
the moment you alert your opponent as to what's going on, they'll do several things.
one is they'll press a button and blow something up, they'll kill a hostage, or they will bug out.
narrator: the engineers control the bot with a pad modeled on a game-console controller.
with a perfect picture of the scene the combat troops can take decisive action.
these robots have been so successful, there are now more than 2,000 of them serving with coalition forces in iraq and afghanistan.
the robots are still new but have seen extensive service.
they are versatile enough to be used for bomb-disposal duties.
the design is highly innovative.
the robots are leaders in their field.
overall, the eyerobots earn enough for the number-8 position.
at number 7 in our "super sensor" countdown, an incredible mobile battlefield laboratory.
the fuchs armored detection vehicle.
origin -- germany.
cost -- $6 million.
weight -- 20 tons.
length -- 24 feet.
weapons of mass destruction chemical, biological, nuclear are the greatest fear an army commander can face.
the $6-million fuchs mobile laboratory [ engine revs .]
has super senses to sniff out any trace of those threats before they can do damage to troops on the ground.
caddick-adams: it has a variety of sophisticated monitoring equipment on board that will tell its command chain straightaway whether there's anything wrong with the environment outside.
narrator: to detect airborne toxins, a specially designed 4-foot-high mast measures wind speed and direction, while probes channel samples of the air through to the onboard lab equipment.
for chemical weapons, we measure with a computer inside.
air comes in through the probe, then i can see what kind of chemical it is.
narrator: the mass spectrometer breaks complex chemicals down into their constituent parts and identifies them by comparing the results with a database of thousands of known toxins.
they act as a trip wire.
what they'll do is look at the areas you're most worried about, and they'll send back reports.
narrator: but not every potential threat is airborne.
dangerous chemical agents could lie on the ground ready to be unleashed by the stamp of a soldier's boot.
the fuchs finds these with 9-inch-wide silicon rubber-coated rollers.
the rollers pick up samples of earth and carry them to a probe heated to 500 degrees fahrenheit, which breaks them down for chemical analysis.
as long as the spectrometer analysis doesn't reveal anything capable of compromising the crew's protective clothing man: all these are safe.
the troops can hit the ground and go to work.
once the crew are hands-on with the potential hazards they can use the fuchs' awesome arsenal of portable sensory equipment to assess the threat.
man: you have to have knowledge of chemicals and nuclear materials.
post-9/11, what you've got is a panoply of different kinds of threats coming from al-qaeda and other organizations.
narrator: for an army facing the threat of chemical warfare the fuchs' super senses could make the difference between victory and total destruction.
the fuchs is in afghanistan and has responded to major terrorist threats.
it is highly specialized.
the design is remarkable.
it's definitely a world leader.
overall, the fuchs earns enough for the number-7 position.
still to come, the state-of-the-art sensors that are changing the face of warfare.
narrator: soaring towards the top of the "super sensor" countdown, the cold war veteran that's still serving today.
the u-2 spy plane.
origin -- u.
s.
a.
cost -- classified.
weight -- 20 tons.
length -- 63 feet.
the first u-2 spy plane was built-to-order for the cia in the early '50s at the height of the cold war to reveal the soviet union's most closely guarded secrets.
for that job, they needed the most sophisticated super senses ever developed.
to get a perfect view, the u-2, nicknamed "dragon lady," boosts to high altitude with 17,000 pounds of thrust.
her 103-foot wingspan keeps her soaring above 70,000 feet [ radio chatter .]
twice the altitude of a regular jet liner so close to space that the pilots wear pressurized suits to keep them alive.
to see from this height, the u-2 uses specially designed large-format cameras capable of seeing a man reading a newspaper at a distance of 72,000 feet.
[ camera shutter clicks .]
[ camera shutter clicks .]
it was photographs from these cameras that revealed the soviet union was lagging behind in the cold war, with fewer bombs and missiles than anyone suspected.
as well as visual data, the u-2 also collects vital electronic intelligence.
an array of passive sensors buried in the nose, the rear of the cockpit, and the wings monitor and record radio signals [ radio chatter .]
revealing crucial details about radar and communications networks.
[ radio static .]
you can't impact enemy networks if you can't tap into them.
if you don't have the ability to locate and understand what the enemy's doing, then you can't affect them.
narrator: throughout her 60 years of service, the dragon lady's super senses have been constantly updated.
the current full range of detection powers is classified, but experts believe the latest versions of the u-2 can pick out an individual cellphone user on the ground and eavesdrop on the call.
[ man speaking native language .]
the improvements that we've seen in the last few years in sensors, i think, indicate where future warfare is going.
[ radio chatter .]
narrator: the one person who didn't benefit from the super senses was the pilot, as these previously classified training films clearly show.
man: the view from the cockpit is really, really poor, and because of this, the pilot needs all the help he can get in determining how high he is from the runway when the airplane actually stalls.
narrator: so a co-pilot and a chase car drives out to meet the u-2 on landing to talk the pilot down.
there's a eight at the "t" and a six, five, four, three -- three feet.
two and a half, two feet.
tail's way up.
two feet.
one foot.
tail's way up at one foot.
one foot.
tail's coming down.
six inches.
six inches.
hold it up.
narrator: as long as you've got pilots skilled enough to bring the big bird down, there's no better recon aircraft.
the u-2 has been in service for 60 years.
it is highly specialized for global recon.
the design of the jet-powered glider is totally unique.
the u-2 has no rival in its class.
overall, the u-2 earns enough for the number-6 position.
coming in at number 5, the next generation of recon vehicle -- the semi-autonomous, remote-controlled guardium buggy.
origin -- israel.
cost -- $600,000.
weight -- 1.
5 tons.
length -- 10 feet.
the israeli defense force uses the 7-foot high, unmanned vehicle's super senses to pinpoint threats such as snipers, i.
e.
d.
s, or suicide bombers without exposing soldiers to any risk.
it takes the man out of the machine, and that, of course, is where the battlefield is going.
narrator: the operators control this incredible vehicle from the safety of a base up to 14 miles away.
as the buggy moves, four cameras on the exterior feed the driver's point of view back to the operator.
hazell: they can probe into much more dangerous territory than the conventional vehicle of its type would.
narrator: the driver's p.
o.
v.
is adequate for controlling the vehicle, but for hunting down an elusive enemy, guardium turns to its high-tech sensors.
i'm actually crossing the field.
trying to get to our suspect.
finding his location.
okay, so, now i think i found the target, so i'll extract the mast.
for detailed searching, guardium is equipped with a sensor mast, capable of extending to 12 feet high.
you really do need excellent cameras to visualize the terrain in front of you.
start scanning around.
i will change to the thermal camera.
narrator: the thermal imaging scan reveals critical details that would be invisible to the naked eye.
we can see there's a man inside the vehicle.
the hood of the vehicle is hot, so it means the vehicle was running.
the sensor technology on the guardium is really clever.
it's state-of-the-art.
narrator: the remote-controlled buggy's two-way communication system even allows the operator to interrogate potential hostiles.
get out of the vehicle with your hands up.
above your head.
and don't' move.
there's nowhere to hide from the high-tech buggy's super senses.
guardium has only been in service for four years.
it can perform duties from recon to perimeter security.
the design of the first generation of ugv is groundbreaking.
guardium is the forerunner of a new class of vehicles.
overall, the guardium earns enough for the number-5 position.
still to come, more winning super sensors.
if they can see you and are able to launch long before you can see them, you lose.
narrator: coming in at number 4 in the "super sensor" countdown, the guardian of the waves -- the horizon class frigate.
origin -- france and italy.
cost -- $770 million.
weight -- 7,770 tons.
length -- 500 feet.
the frigate uses its super senses to protect western europe's largest warship -- the aircraft carrier charles de gaulle.
[ speaking indistinctly .]
man: we can hear what comes from the radars or the electronic warfare sensors or the sonars.
narrator: the warship's sensors envelope the entire fleet in a vast, protective bubble, extending above and below the water.
the thales ums sonar can detect submarines within a radius of 41 miles.
to boost her submarine-hunting capabilities, the resident nh90 helicopter can deploy its own active sonar to scan the depths.
this is an eternal fight from the prey and the hunter.
narrator: if they discover a submerged attacker [ whistle blows .]
[ speaking native language .]
[ radio chatter .]
[ speaking native language .]
narrator: two mu90 torpedo launchers will make short work of them.
for surface or aerial threats, the thales long-range radar scans a 200-mile-wide area every four seconds.
aircraft, this is my last call before i open fire.
turn away immediately to south.
south.
any aerial intruder will be met with aster surface-to-air missiles capable of speeds up to 1,500 yards per second, nearly four times the speed of sound.
man: the main threat today is fast aircraft and missiles, and the aster almost neutralizes any of these threats.
the fastest jet in the world goes mach 2, but for the aster, it's just a walk in the park.
narrator: if the frigate detects a surface threat, she can respond with two oto melara 76-millimeter guns, each capable of firing 120 explosive shells per minute.
it's very effective, with a high rate of fire, and is a very accurate weapon system.
you can take out anything -- land, sea, air.
anything.
narrator: the horizon's super senses make her an all-around deadly opponent.
the horizon class has acquitted itself well so far.
it's effective against targets on land, sea, and in the air.
the design incorporates the latest developments in sensor technology.
the horizon is one of the world's premier escort vessels.
overall, the horizon earns enough for the number-4 position.
coming in at number 3, europe's most advanced jet fighter -- the eurofighter typhoon.
origin -- europe.
cost -- $65 million.
weight -- 20 tons.
length -- 52 feet.
in modern aerial warfare, the ability to detect your opponent before they detect you is a decisive factor.
if they can see you and are able to launch long before you can see them, you lose.
narrator: the eurofighter typhoon has super senses designed to go up against the most deadly aircraft ever built.
the cutting edge is the captor radar system housed in the aircraft's nose.
this multi-node, pulse-doppler radar is designed to track and identify air or ground targets at ranges exceeding 150 miles.
the lethally effective sensory device boosts the effective range of the fighter's bvraam air-to-air missiles.
the typhoon is really good at delivering a wide range of precision-guided munitions onto targets which are often very far away.
and it's got the most modern weapons and attack systems available.
narrator: to counter enemy attempts at jamming, the band x radar can constantly switch between three different frequencies.
[ beeping .]
but in the age of stealth-capable jet fighters, radar alone is not enough.
the typhoon's ace in the hole is the "pirate" -- passive infrared airborne tracking equipment.
with this, the aircraft constantly scans the space around itself in multiple directions, detecting the infrared heat signatures of potential hostiles.
for the super senses to do their job, the typhoon has to be in the right place at the right time.
when an aircraft gets off the deck, it can be up to altitude very quickly ready to engage whatever is up there.
narrator: once the typhoon has tracked down its opponent, the 40,000 pounds of thrust from it's two ej200 turbofan engines power it towards the target at speeds greater than 1,500 miles per hour.
and in aerial combat, the innovative canard configuration -- two small wings just behind the nose -- grants maneuverability that makes the typhoon a deadly dogfighter.
the maneuverability is phenomenal.
adams: and it can outmaneuver most opponents it will ever come across.
there's no doubt that eurofighter typhoon is extremely effective in air-to-air combat.
narrator: the eurofighter doesn't just have super senses for hunting down its victims, radar and laser warning receivers let the pilot know instantly if the aircraft is targeted by the enemy so he can start countermeasures or put the aircraft into evasive maneuvers.
all around, sensors take the typhoon's capability to the next level, whether it's on offense or defense.
it's gonna make a very big impression in the world of fighters for a long time to come.
narrator: the typhoon has proved itself in combat over libya.
it is being adapted for ground attack to boost versatility.
the design incorporates the world's most capable sensor technology.
it's up against strong competition from the usa.
overall, the eurofighter earns enough for the number-3 position.
still to come man: you have 5,000 feet on bull's-eye 198.
the most decisive super sensors on the modern battlefield.
they have just an unbelievable capability.
1034 hostile.
narrator: at number 2 in the countdown of war-winning super sensors, the most battle-proven, unmanned aerial vehicle to date -- the heron.
origin -- israel.
cost -- $10 million.
weight -- 1.
5 tons.
length -- 39 feet.
in 2005, the israeli military made the decision to purchase a classified number of these drones to defend their borders.
the unmanned aerial vehicle is a hugely important concept for warfare in the 21st century.
narrator: the uav's incredible sensory abilities mean israel's enemies can never assume they are unobserved.
it's perfect for the environment in which the israelis operate -- a small country surrounded by potential opponents, and they need to be on their guard all the time.
narrator: at a secret location, we have been given exclusive access to the heron and one of her pilots.
the heron pilot is so crucial to israel's security, that an interview has been granted on the condition that we don't reveal his identity.
man: this is the camera -- actually our primary weapon.
narrator: what sets the heron apart from anything else in its class is the 550-pound payload.
what it's carrying is the most sophisticated array of sensors that money can buy.
narrator: the high-resolution camera can provide crystal-clear pictures from altitudes of over 10,000 feet.
satellite-linked gps guidance allows the pilot to position heron with pinpoint accuracy from mission control 200 miles away.
mission endurance up to 45 hours guarantees it'll be on station at the critical moment.
man: the wings here are very narrow and very long -- 16.
5 meters -- which give us the ability to stay above the target and a low fuel consumption.
take off on sunday evening, lands on tuesday morning.
if they launch it for a long time, they need to be able to cope with day and night, and that usually means an infrared capability.
narrator: in darkness, heron uses f.
l.
i.
r.
-- a forward-looking infrared camera -- to spot targets up to three miles away.
sight isn't heron's only super sense.
it's a great listener, too.
antennae around the fuselage constantly gather data about radio or radar signals in the vicinity, and the state-of-the-art communications array beams the critical info back to base in real time.
man: under this dome, there is a directional antenna with the ability to rotate and look directly back at home, while this is an omnidirectional antenna that can look all the way around.
adams: they are no longer weapons of choice.
they're key to the success of any modern army.
narrator: the heron is thoroughly battle proven.
it has performed well in support of a wide range of missions.
the design has been copied worldwide.
the uav's state-of-the-art sensor package is a class leader.
the heron's overall scores are enough to earn the number-2 position.
[ indistinct shouting .]
go.
go.
go.
go.
it doesn't matter whether you're a foot soldier going house to house or a pilot cruising the stratosphere at twice the speed of sound sensors are a critical edge.
and when you factor in all the key elements, there's one war machine whose super senses leave all others trailing in its wake.
coming in at number 1, the most powerful aerial detection system in the world today -- the e-3 sentry awacs -- airborne warning and control system.
origin -- usa.
cost -- $270 million.
weight -- 156 tons.
length -- 152 feet.
[ radio chatter .]
for 30 years, the awacs westinghouse radar [ radio chatter .]
mounted in a 30-foot wide dish man: pilot fcc track northwest.
has served as the ultimate eye in the sky, detecting enemy aircraft at distances up to 400 miles.
huston: they can see everything.
they have just an unbelievable capability.
narrator: here at tinker air force base, oklahoma 27 of the $270 million aircraft are on constant standby, ready to provide aerial surveillance over conflict zones in any corner of the globe.
man: what we do is go out and establish air power in an area where we don't have any ground radars.
171130s7.
clear for takeoff.
narrator: the 156-ton aircraft can range 4,000 miles in a single flight, which takes phenomenal crew endurance.
i've done two that were over 21 hours.
they're pretty rough, and, you know, you just try to tough it out.
narrator: for these long missions, they have to carry a fuel load of 80,000 liters -- enough to fill the tanks of more than 1,000 gas-guzzling s.
u.
v.
s.
for optimal long-distance surveillance, the awacs gets as high as possible, up to a maximum service altitude of 41,000 feet.
the sentry's fearsomely powerful radar takes an enormous amount of juice to run, so each of the mighty jet's four pratt & whitney tf33 engines has two generators attached, pumping out one megawatt of electricity.
that's enough for a quarter of a million light bulbs.
if that sounds like a lot, you have to consider that as well as the radar, the aircraft is carrying up to 19 mission crew operating some of the most sophisticated target-tracking and battle-management systems ever created.
track 1033, 1034 hostile.
you have 5,000-feet bull's-eye 19846.
we have quite a few aircraft airborne at any one moment.
[ radio chatter .]
and this is just a small slice of the east coast.
we're bringing all the pieces together for the war and getting everything accomplished.
they can literally control the entire air battle and keep the big picture which allows you to have a much smaller picture on what your target is.
narrator: with these awesome systems, the crew scan an area of 193,000 square miles every 10 seconds.
that means that just one of these aircraft can see everything that flies over an area the size of california, giving fighter crews a massive edge in combat.
just ran the i.
d.
process on these two tracks here.
you can see them changing from suspects to a hostile.
narrator: in the gulf war, e-3 controllers contributed to 38 out of a total of 41 air-to-air kills in the entire conflict.
having an e-3 on station just means you know everything that's going on on the battlefield.
pilot mcc.
[ radio chatter .]
we have our friendly guys up in the north that are turning south to engage.
[ radio chatter .]
man: according to our computer calculations, they are rapidly closing on each other.
narrator: the awacs' super senses are a war-winning weapon.
the sentry's service record is hugely impressive.
it's effective against targets on land, sea, and in the air.
the design is totally groundbreaking.
there is simply nothing anywhere in the world to rival the e-3 at what it does.
overall, the awacs aircraft does more than enough to stake its claim to the number-1 position.
in this countdown, we've analyzed the most awesome super sensors on the planet.
go.
go.
go.
go.
from number 10 all the way down to number 2, there are strong contenders, but there's no doubt about the winner -- the e-3 sentry.