All Rise...

Judge David Johnson always comes in second in his weapon races.

The Charge

Discover the technology that drives military conflicts.

The Case

Previously seen on Discovery's Military Channel, Weapons Races is an eight-part series of 50-minute episodes that examines the genesis, evolution and modern-day perfection of some of the major weapons used in global combat.

Here's how it shakes out:

Disc One
• "The Race for the Jet Fighter"
• "The Race for the Battle Tank"
• "The Race for Radar and Stealth"

Disc Two
• "The Race for the Nuclear Bomb"
• "The Race for the Strategic Bomber"
• "The Race for the Strategic Ballistic Missile"

Disc Three
• "The Race for the Nuclear Submarine"
• "The Race for the Aircraft Carrier"

Those are a lot of races. And those are some high stakes. Each episode is expertly crafted to take the viewer from the beginnings of the weapons—the precursors and influences—and track it through its growth in the combat field. For example, you'll see the trailblazing fighter planes from World War I, with all of their fancy advances like guns that can fire through the propeller, which culminate in the hot new jet fighters of 2006 that can blow up the Death Star.

Every installment features interviews with experts and historians, archive footage of the old versions of the weapons, updated footage of their badass descendants and helpful graphics outlining how the machines have evolved. Good stuff recommended for the military buff in your family.

Simple DVDs: full frame, 2.0 stereo, and text-only biographies of various weapons inventors.

The Verdict

Not Guilty.

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