Here's what it takes to become a certified C2-A pilot

The Airbus A400M is capable of carrying up to 116 paratroopers at one time—that's more than any other western-built transport plane. Here, it's carrying Dutch and German paratroopers on a joint exercise.

Paratroopers experience first parachute jump from A400M (2:45)

In 1942, a prized Japanese A6M Zero warplane fell into American hands. The secrets it yielded allowed U.S. Navy pilots to come up with new combat tactics that proved decisive in the Pacific Theater.

This captured enemy plane helped U.S. pilots devise new tactics (2:15)

U.S. Navy captain David McCampbell is vastly outnumbered by a squadron of Japanese warplanes high above the Philippine Sea in 1944. His nine confirmed kills in a single day would go on to earn him the Medal of Honor.

This U.S. fighter pilot destroyed nine enemy planes in one mission (3:32)

When it comes to military transport, the Airbus A400M is in a class of its own: it has a 37-ton maximum payload, a fuel capacity of 16,000 gallons, and the ability to fly 5,500 miles without refueling.

Why the A400M is the most advanced military transport plane (1:06)

After a long-drawn out conflict in the Pacific, the troops needed a morale boost. And the United Service Organizations provided it in spades, thanks to spectacular shows by Hollywood legends like Bob Hope and Joe E. Brown.

Why USO tours were vital for troop morale in the Pacific (2:01)

Allied POWs rescued in the South China Sea have an incredible story to tell. They'd been kept in a secret prison camp in Thailand, where their Japanese captors forced them to build a railroad from Thailand to Burma.

These POWs were forced to build the Bridge over River Kwai (2:34)

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An anxious student pilot is attempting to land a C2-A Greyhound on a U.S. aircraft carrier. It's part of a qualifications test she must pass ten times in order to be certified as a C2-A pilot.

Here's what it takes to become a certified C2-A pilot (3:21)

The AC-130 is the world's biggest flying artillery gunship, nicknamed "Hell in the Sky." With three side-firing weapons—a 25mm gatling gun, a 40mm Bofors cannon, and a 105mm howitzer—it's easy to see why it got its name.

Deadly AC-130 gunship in action firing all its cannons (3:07)

It's November 2001, and Lieutenant Colonel Allison Black is a navigator on an AC-130 gunship flying over Afghanistan. She recounts a typical combat mission during operation Enduring Freedom.

AC-130 gunship navigator recalls Taliban combat mission (2:56)