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Return of the Lightweight Fighter

2 episodes 96%4KCC

How nimble warplanes changed air combat from the Zero to the F-16.

Explore how lightweight fighters repeatedly challenged the belief that bigger aircraft were better, from the Mitsubishi Zero in World War II to the F-16 Fighting Falcon. This series reveals the designs, tactics, and hard lessons that reshaped aerial combat across decades. Sign up to see why agility, economy, and maneuverability kept returning to the center of military aviation.

Episode guide

2 episodes
1
1Return of the Lightweight Fighter: Part One
Early in World War II, the Mitsubishi Zero—one of the all-time great dogfighters—proved that lightweight fighters were viable. Soon, heavier and more expensive aircraft, like the Grumman Hellcat, would topple the Zero—diminishing the stature of lightweight fighters in the eyes of military planners.
24 min
2
2Return of the Lightweight Fighter: Part Two
By the 1960's, outmoded dogfighters were being replaced by big, heavy fighters with radar guided air-to-air missiles. But faced with the formidable new MiG 21 in Vietnam, the U.S. Air Force was forced to give lightweight fighters a second look.
22 min
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