Weaponology

Today’s battlefield is dominated by hugely reliable, hyper-lethal, superweapons. Billions of dollars are spent on research and development, in a never ending search for technological superiority. But how did these weapons evolve? Who are the men and women that gave birth to these inventions? Each week, Weaponology takes a high-tech future weapon and unlocks its family tree, tracing the roots of its existence. Discover what links a 19th Century Scottish pastor to the assault rifle, a seed-planting device to the machine gun, and how a pizza delivery boy became the Henry Ford of body armour. Weaponology; it’s time to go ballistic.

BODY ARMOR; in Weaponology we follow the history of armor protection from medieval knights in full plate armor to the latest revolutionary invention of Dragon Skin combining maximum protection with minimum weight. We find out how a priest risked his life inventing the first bullet-proof vest, how a pizza boy invented concealable body armor and how a chemist stumbled across a strong, bullet-catching fibre that would save thousands of lives. With interesting demonstrations we investigate what happens when a bullet hits a vest and how helmets can turn into killing machines, if they don’t adapt to the changing threats of war.

RAPID FIRE; take cover! Weaponology: Rapid Fire traces the men and the moments that gave birth to the most deadly family of infantry weapons. Firstborn was the Gatling Gun, big and cumbersome but the grandaddy of rapid fire. Then successive generations of machine guns in all shapes and sizes dominated the World Wars. Skip forward to the Cold War and accuracy was married to devastating rate of fire, making the assault rifle the new weapon of choice. The MP-7 is the new kid on the block. It has inherited all the best features of its ancestors to become the ultimate version of this ultimate weapon. It’s time to meet those ancestors.

ARTILLERY; “God of War” or “King of Battle”...few can question the awesome power of this deadly Weaponology engine of destruction.

Artillery can crush an enemy’s will to fight or drive men to the edge of reason.

Weaponology takes you on a journey through time to see how the Romans harnessed physical artillery with Catapults and Ballistas before artillery went up a gear with the cannons of the gunpowder era.

We witness how modern field artillery pieces were born, the innovations that made guns fire further, faster and more accurately...and not just guns on land but floating fortresses and artillery that takes to the skies.

SUBMARINES; modern submarines are the most powerful weapon platforms ever built.  They silently stalk their victims from under the waves, annihilating ships with torpedoes, smashing fortifications with tomahawk missiles, and inserting special forces for clandestine missions.  In short, they are the ultimate marine warfare package.  But these naval super weapons can trace their ancestry to the American War of Independence and a crazily ambitious plan to attack the British flagship in New York harbour with a sub built from a wooden barrel.  Through 200 years of war, disasters and technological flashpoints, Weaponology charts the development of today’s latest and greatest naval submarines.

VERTICAL TAKE OFF; since the birth of flight, men have challenged the laws of physics (with fixed-wing and rotary technologies) to achieve Vertical Take Off. With cutting-edge science and awesome firepower, Vertical Take Off aircraft are now the most versatile, terrifying weapons in today’s combat arena. As angels of mercy, they’ve evacuated thousands of wounded from the hottest hellholes. As angels of death, they’ve taken no prisoners, obliterating man and machine. Weaponology shows how the development of engine power and advanced avionic, target and survival systems have enabled helicopters and VTOL jets to conquer every terrain, rule the skies and own the night.

BOMBERS; traces the men and the moments that made the air strike the most potent weapon in the military’s arsenal.

From the first moment that man took to the skies, he realised the potential of using fixed-wing aircraft to assault the enemy from the air. In World War 1, pilots
dropped bombs out of the cockpit by hand. Eight decades later, the bomber went intercontinental, supersonic, eluded radar and dropped bombs with precision accuracy. Built to carry the fight to the enemy, there’s no hiding place from 21st Century bombers and their bombs.

FIGHTER PLANES; are the sharp-end of the world's air forces. Since the Wright Brothers took off on the first manned flight, men have challenged the laws of physics to conquer air, speed and manoeuvrability. Fighter aircrafts have evolved into the most sophisticated, eye-catching killing machines ever designed by man. Feared in the skies as well as on the ground, modern fighter planes approach their targets at twice the speed of sound. Weaponology shows how the development of engine power and aerodynamics, target and survival systems, have enabled fighter jets to conquer every terrain and rule the skies.

BOOBY TRAPS; Designed to maim, kill and psychologically defeat the enemy: traps, mines and IEDs are the hidden killers of the battlefield.  They are the ultimate sentinels, striking without warning and denying the enemy territory.  Originating from ancient hunting techniques built to gain the advantage over powerful prey, traps are as useful in modern wars as they were in prehistory.  Thoroughly versatile they can be deployed anywhere turning every building, vehicle and landscape feature a potential killzone.  Through centuries of technological landmarks and global conflicts Weaponology charts the development of the most advanced and deadly traps on today’s battlefield.