Tri-Service

'Weapons Races' To Put Military Hardware Under The Spotlight

Military hardware is to be put under the spotlight in a brand new documentary to Forces TV.

'Weapons Races', which will run weekly on Fridays at 10pm, looks at eight of the most significant weapons races to transform modern warfare, from the original concepts that overturned military thinking to the most advanced versions of each weapon in service today.

Whether it's a new idea such as radar, or a series of breakthroughs producing a dramatic new weapon like the jet fighter, in every case it means that enemies have to react with their own countermeasures - often starting a potentially catastrophic competitive spiral.

The series begins this Friday with 'The Race for the Jet Fighter' - which focuses on the Lockheed F-22 Raptor (pictured above).

It's been argued that there will never be another manned jet fighter as powerful, with the Raptor's extraordinary capability the result of a weapons race to evolve the perfect combat aircraft.

Later episodes will focus on arms races caused by the development of battle tanks, nuclear weapons, strategic bombers and ballistic missiles, and aircraft carriers.