Military
Explore the weapons and combat systems used by the armed services. A broad range of topics in the Military Channel includes tanks, aircraft, biological warfare and stealth technologies.
Watch Your Six: Military Jet Pictures
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Does Army experience help your civilian career?
How NCO Professional Development Ribbons Work
How Army Reconnaissance Jobs Work
How Agent Orange Worked
How Biological and Chemical Warfare Works
How Mustard Gas Works
5 Countries That Ditched Their Military Forces
Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers Risk All to Save Lives
How Camp X Worked
Anatomy of an Underwater Explosion
Can You Really Outrun an Explosion?
How Blast-resistant Clothing Works
HowStuffWorks Illustrated: Two Legal Gun Modifications
Gun Pictures
What's the world's smallest gun?
Are robots replacing human soldiers?
Can drones replace fighter jets?
Do wars drive technological advancement?
Submarine Pictures
How the Zumwalt Class Destroyer Works
How Aircraft Carriers Work
How Military Video Conferencing Works
Why a Draft Would Weaken the U.S. Military
What Was the First War?
Top 5 Gadgets on the High-tech Soldier
10 Insane Disguises That Actually Worked
How Code Breakers Work
How Spy Flies Will Work
YOU Can Drive a Tank!
Is the army testing an invisible tank?
Centurion Main Battle Tank
Learn More / Page 4
Was a dog really the first to encounter bin Laden? We may never know, but we do know that man's best friend has been serving in wars for centuries, getting soldiers smokes, sniffing out bombs and patrolling borders. Why do canines make such good soldiers?
Whether you call it a homemade bomb, a booby trap or an improvised explosive device, an IED is simple to make, easily hidden and extraordinarily destructive. Why are these deadly devices one of the No. 1 killers of soldiers in Iraq.
The Vietnam War occurred decades ago, but one of its legacies lingers on in Vietnamese soil and the U.S. court system. How did this defoliant do so much damage?
Advertisement
When he needs a new state-of-the-art trick up his sleeve, James Bond asks Q. Who do U.S. soldiers go to for cutting-edge equipment?
Have you always thought of yourself as more of a Jean-Pierre than a Jon? Good news, you can still be that guy, provided you're willing to fight for France for five years.
You may have thought militaries stopped using napalm after the Vietnam War thanks to the United Nations, but this incendiary weapon lives on in modern warfare. Has it also been used in Iraq?
If you're a fan of Iron Man comic books and movies, you probably wish you had a flight-capable suit of armor to battle evildoers. Well, you might just be in luck.
By Kevin Bonsor & Patrick J. Kiger
Advertisement
How in the world can a gun silencer work? How can you possibly take an explosive noise that can damage your hearing and turn it into a little "ffft" sound?
If you've ever watched a gun fired into the air at a celebration, you've probably wondered where that bullet ends up. We've got the answer.
It is pretty common to hear someone on the news say, "The crowd was dispersed with tear gas." What is tear gas? What does it do?
When an airplane is described as a "stealth" aircraft, what does that mean? What is "stealth technology" and how does it work?
Advertisement
Weapons in space that can knock down missiles have been under development for years and are starting to look realistic. Learn how they will work!
By Kevin Bonsor
Nine countries hold the 13,000 nuclear weapons in the global stockpile. That's less than during the Cold War but it doesn't change the fact that these bombs are still a threat to global humanity. So how do they work and are we close to nuclear war?
Suicide bombings are chillingly logical. By hiding explosives on a willing carrier, individuals smuggle death into densely populated areas. But are these bombers strictly a modern phenomenon?
By Robert Lamb
Once you pass through this school's gates, you leave your civilian clothes and ordinary life behind and join the South Carolina Corps of Cadets. It's a far cry from the adventures of a typical, clueless college freshman. So what's knob life like?
Advertisement
The United States Navy is the largest navy in the world. Learn how the Navy is structured, what ships it uses, what life is like in the Navy and how it has evolved over the years.
The Kim Jong Un regime continues to demonstrate its desire to threaten the U.S. and its allies with nuclear-armed ICBMs. But can any of these missiles actually reach the U.S. mainland?
By Julia Layton & Sarah Gleim
In the first reports released since North Korea announced its underground nuclear test on Monday, officials are saying they have found no evidence of a nuclear signature in the air above the blast site.
By Julia Layton
In 2007, Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey came under fire for refusing to classify water boarding as torture. What does water boarding entail? Does it work?
By Julia Layton
Advertisement
Ever heard of a military operation run out of a hollowed-out mountain? Welcome to NORAD, a defense command that monitors air and space for potential attacks on the U.S. Learn about NORAD and the unique location for the NORAD headquarters.
Sure, llamas are our friends. But little did we know that these fuzzy, camel-like creatures might save us all should the End come in the form of a biological attack.
By Julia Layton
The National Guard serves many purposes and does many jobs for the United States. But how does it differ from the U.S. Army? And what can the president authorize the Guard to do?
Formerly known as "shell shock," research into post-traumatic stress disorder began intensely after Congress requested a study of how Vietnam veterans were readjusting to civilian life in 1983. What have we learned since then about PTSD and what are the symptoms?
By Josh Clark
Advertisement
In what may prove to be the first nuclear explosion since 1998, North Korea claims it has conducted an underground test of a nuclear weapon.
By Julia Layton
The U.S. Army Rangers are an oddity of the U.S. military special operations forces. Though they can trace their lineage as far back as colonial times, they didn't become a permanent presence in the military until the 1970s.
By Josh Clark