Heavy metal (53 minutes): "In this high-tech age of precision-guided missiles, the modern tank evokes an image of a bygone era of land warfare. But the thick armor of today{u2019}s tanks conceals space-age ballistic computers, laser range finders and sophisticated electronics allowing survival on the battlefield. Examine the origins of the tank as a means to overcome the stalemate of trench warfare in World War I. Trace the path of tank evolution by several of the major tank developing countries including Britain, France, Germany, and the United States. The latest vehicles - the British Challenger, French Le Clerc, German Leopard and the American Abrams -- represent the latest in Heavy Metal"--Publisher website. Rolling power (53 minutes): "The combat capability of the modern army depends on a careful balance of many types of advanced weapons, all of them fast moving, all of them deadly. This episode will show you a battletested example of how today{u2019}s armies are organized to optimize their effectiveness. The largest and most lethal of mobile units used today is the Heavy Maneuver Division, exemplified by the US Army{u2019}s 24th Infantry Division. The key combat elements of the division -- tanks, infantry, artillery and army aviation -- are examined, explaining how they interact to maximize combat power on the battlefield. Featured equipment includes the M1 Abrams main battle tank, infantry vehicles such as the M2 Bradley, artillery systems including the M109 self-propelled howitzer, and the MLRS, and close-air support vehicles such as the AH-64 Apache. Learn how modern armies translate tactics and technology into war fighting capability through realistic training"--Publisher website.

Originally broadcast as part of the television series Arsenal, now packaged as part of the War in the Gulf series. Program content copyright 1996. Features: scene selection; trailer.