Test pilots and engineers embark on the first flight of the largest airplane ever built: the Stratolaunch, a one-of-a-kind aircraft designed to transport rockets, spacecraft and experimental hypersonic planes into the stratosphere.

Engineers in China are constructing the largest and most ambitious water transfer project in human history, defying nature to move vast quantities of water from the south to the dry north in Beijing, all without the use of pumping stations.

Explore three battlefield behemoths that command land, sea and air.

Inside access shows how an engineering marvel lifts boats to new heights.

The world's biggest oil tanker is longer than four football fields and can haul 15,000 trucks worth of oil.

Engineers in Seattle are building the world's first floating railway bridge, and to tackle this complex engineering challenge, they use new, innovative construction technology that enables high-speed trains to go where they've never gone before.

A brand-new skyscraper in Texas is a gravity-defying engineering marvel with a one-of-a-kind shape, and to build it, experts use cutting-edge construction and design that pushes modern-day tower-building to strange and innovative heights.

The world's largest heavy-left ship can carry entire cruise ships halfway across the globe without stopping, and to do this, experts use cutting-edge maritime engineering and the latest science for herculean strength and first-class maneuverability.

The man-made islands of Dubai are modern-day engineering marvels that turn the Arabian Sea into high-priced real estate. Today, a team of expert engineers use cutting-edge technology to build a brand-new city district where there was once only water.

A team of engineers are overhauling London's underground infrastructure to build a world-class sewer system. Using cutting-edge tech and the latest construction methods, they work to transform a centuries-old network into a modern-day masterpiece.

The F-35 is the most advanced fighter jet on the planet. Special access into the most expensive military program ever reveals how engineers use cutting-edge tech to outfit this 1,200 mile-per-hour aircraft with a state-of-the-art stealth system.

The skinniest skyscraper in the world will soon become New York's third tallest, and using an innovative, gravity-defying design, this colossal megastructure is breaking all the rules of engineering.

Behind every seemingly impossible marvel of modern engineering is a cast of historic trailblazers who designed new building techniques, took risks on untested materials and revolutionized their field.

A state-of-the-art NATO airplane is one of the most complex surveillance tools in the world. Special access inside the behemoth reveals how cutting-edge engineering and a hi-tech midair refueling system helps its crew defend against security threats.

The world's highest bridge impossibly spans an 1,800-foot chasm known as the Crack in the Earth, and to build this engineering marvel, experts use cutting-edge construction technology that can conquer the deadly cliffs of this rugged environment.

Deadly avalanches and catastrophic flooding are ever-present threats at one of the world's busiest ski resorts, but new technology and cutting-edge construction methods help engineers conquer the elements to keep this mountain-top getaway safe.

A look at the incredible machines built to get troops directly to the front line, on land, at sea and in the air.

The Independent, a residential skyscraper in Austin, Texas. At 690ft, it is the tallest building in the city, surpassing the 683ft Austonian, another residential skyscraper.

A look at the world's biggest oil tanker - the mighty Supertanker Europe of the record-breaking TI Class of ship.

A look at the Beijing Daxing, set to become the biggest airport in the world, designed to accommodate a staggering 100 million travellers each year.

The skinniest skyscraper on earth is being built in New York City. Can engineers find a way to build this ultra-tall slender building?

Chinese authorities attempt a huge infrastructure project as they try to move vast amounts of water from the wet south of the country to the dry north.

The Falkirk wheel is the first and only rotating boat lift, capable of moving 600 tonnes of boat and water over a 25-metre height difference in just minutes.

Stratolaunch is designed to lift rockets, spacecraft and experimental high-speed hypersonic planes into the stratosphere, then release them for their onward journey into space.

When engineers built railroads across the swamps of New Orleans, they used cutting-edge technology and methods to get it done, and these extreme trains attest to the innovative engineering required to conquer the most challenging water environments.

The first railroads in the United States were engineering marvels built to conquer America's deadliest places. Using cutting-edge science, engineers and builders changed the nation by connecting the California frontier with the rest of the country.

When engineers built a cutting-edge railroad to navigate the South American Andes, they use cutting-edge tech and engineering to conquer its deadly heights, and this trailblazing train sets new records on one of the most dangerous routes in the world.

Experts use cutting-edge tech and bold engineering to build a record-breaking bridge that spans a deadly chasm in a remote section of the Himalayas. When completed, it will be the world's tallest railway bridge, towering almost 1,200 feet high.

New York City is building an 11 billion dollar construction project to extend the busy Long Island Railroad, and using brand-new technology, engineers and builders blast bedrock to create a vast tunnel below Grand Central Terminal.

Engineers at Virgin are building the world's first hyperloop train system, an innovative high-speed technology that uses magnetic levitation to travel over 600 miles per hour and transform transportation as we know it.

The Chernobyl disaster created one of the world's deadliest places, and as a temporary fix around the damaged reactor begins to fail, engineers race to build a cutting-edge structure to contain the contamination that could threaten the world.

New York City's biggest construction project ever features several brand-new buildings in Manhattan's Hudson Yards, where an army of ambitious engineers and builders are tasked with developing seven city blocks over 24-hour subway trains.

The US Army's Abrams tank is a 70-ton war machine capable of reaching speeds of 45 miles per hour on the most extreme terrains on earth, but before it enters the battlefield, it must face a set of brutal challenges to put its engineering to the test.

To build the world's biggest offshore wind farm, engineers and builders braved the deadly waters of the North Sea. Using the latest science and tech, these innovators constructed 175 towering turbines that can withstand the most hellish conditions.

An ambitious team of engineers has created an Iron Man-like jet suit that can propel the user over 30 miles per hour, and using cutting-edge technology, these visionaries have made dreams of the distant future a reality.

One of the most cutting-edge buildings in the world is a 16-story hotel built on the cliffs of an abandoned quarry, and using the latest science and tech, engineers race to build this innovative mega-structure with two underwater floors.

The US Navy's brand-new Ford-class aircraft carrier is the world's largest warship, and using the latest naval and aeronautic technology, engineers and military personnel race to build and test this cutting-edge vessel.

An ambitious team of engineers is building the world's fastest car, and using cutting-edge rocket technology, this record-breaking vehicle will be able to accelerate from zero to 1,000 mph in just 20 seconds.

To build the world's tallest railway, engineers braved a deadly Himalayan environment and its -40 degree temperatures.

The Black Pearl is one of the largest and fastest sailing yachts in the world, and using cutting-edge innovations in shipbuilding and engineering, its crew puts this brand-new $200 million vessel through the gauntlet to test its unique capabilities.

The world's toughest trains have conquered deadly jungles, deserts, and mountains, and were made possible by expert engineering and cutting-edge technology.

The world's fastest trains were built with expert engineering and cutting-edge technology, pushing the speed of railroad travel to new limits.

The world's busiest cities are kept running by innovative train systems built with expert engineering and cutting-edge technology.

The world's most incredible trains cross deadly canyons and chasms of terrifying heights, and were made possible by expert engineering and cutting-edge technology.

The world's toughest trains have conquered the deadly heights of our tallest mountains, and were made possible by cutting-edge railroads engineered to make impossible climbs and brave extreme weather.

The world's most incredible trains have conquered dangerous oceans and seas, and were made possible by expert engineering and cutting-edge technology.

Discover what it took to build the largest and most sophisticated radio telescope on the planet. This engineering colossus will help astronomers explore galaxies billions of light years away, and might help discover extraterrestrial life.

Go inside the ambitious engineering project that remade the famous Panama Canal. Billions of dollars were spent to move millions of cubic tons of earth, and ultimately, the canal will be able to accommodate the biggest ships in the world.

Find out what it took to build the largest ship in the world, the Pioneering Spirit. This 900,000-ton behemoth can install oil pipelines in the world's deepest waters and features state-of-the art thrusters and mammoth lifting beams.

Go inside a state-of-the-art research base located in Antarctica, the coldest continent on Earth. Halley VI is built atop giant skis on a floating ice shelf, and this innovative design helps scientists brave the dangers of this extreme environment.

Uncover what it took to build one of the most ambitious rail projects in history, London's Crossrail. This staggering feat will span over 73 miles and transport 200 million people a year around one of the world's largest and busiest cities.

Discover what it took to build the world's tallest freestanding tower, the Tokyo Skytree. This record-breaking marvel faces some of the most deadly disasters on the planet, and must brave earthquakes and extremely high winds.

The International Space Station is the most expensive engineering project ever attempted, and the result is a masterpiece of modern ingenuity. This incredible vessel pushes the boundaries of space exploration and brings us closer to galactic colonization.

The US Navy is the largest sea force on the planet and their new, ground-breaking Littoral Combat Ships are the fastest combat ships in its fleet. Built for speed, these innovative warships can travel at over 40 knots per hour in shallow water.

The Tesla car factory is one of the largest and most innovative factories in the world. This state-of-the-art facility is the home to high-tech robots that work around-the-clock to produce thousands of cutting-edge electric cars each week.

The world's largest aircraft combines the latest in technology and engineering to dwarf everything else in the skies. This marvel can stay airborne for five days and land anywhere in world, whether on land or at sea.

Kingda Ka is the tallest roller coaster in the world and fastest in the U.S., redefining the design of all thrill rides. This engineering colossus is one of the most innovative on the planet and features the fastest drop ride ever built.

The Perdido Oil Platform is one of the most advance feats in modern engineering, producing 100,000 barrels of oil each day; this structure is as tall as the Eiffel tower and manages to stay afloat in some of the deepest waters in the world.

For NASA to send a person to Mars, they will need to build the most powerful rocket ever built. Discover inside story behind the Orion Space Craft, an engineering feat designed to sustain astronauts for years in one of the universe's harshest environments.

How did engineers build the tallest bridge on the planet? As tall as a skyscraper, the Millau Viaduct braves deadly wind speeds over an immense abyss, and we go inside the story behind this modern wonder.

The AT and T Stadium in Texas is home to the Dallas Cowboys and the world's largest retractable roof. This $1.2 billion stadium can house over 100,000 fans, and we'll go inside how this engineering feat was built.

China's Three Gorges Dam is the largest and heaviest concrete structure on earth, and it produces more power than any hydroelectric dam ever built. Discover how engineers reshaped a river to accomplish this incredible engineering feat.

How did engineers move mountains to build the longest and deepest rail tunnel on the planet? Discover how 25 million tons of rock were moved to build this modern wonder, the Gotthard Base Tunnel.

Go inside the largest cruise ship on the planet: MS Harmony of the Seas. A massive ship that's 1,181 feet long and a staggering 227,000 tons.

The Virginia Class is one of the most advanced nuclear powered, fast attack submarines ever produced for the US Navy. These technological titans are almost 400 feet long, and weigh a staggering 7,800 tons.

The Shard, a 73-story glass skyscraper in London, has 11,000 exterior glass panels, a colossal concrete core that supports luxury apartments, a hotel, and close to 600,000 square feet of office space.

The Rion Antirion Bridge is an engineering colossus, spanning almost two miles. Discover how engineers conquered deep water and hurricane force winds to build a structure that could stand strong in one of the most active earthquake zones on our planet.

The HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier has a surface area larger than two soccer fields, and is stocked with cutting edge F35 fighter jets. Discover how this megaship ticks inside and out.

Soaring over 2,000 feet into the sky, the Shanghai Tower is the second tallest building in the world, and a futuristic engineering marvel. Discovery how cutting-edge technology means that the building's occupants will never feel it sway.

The Kansai International Airport in Osaka Bay, Japan, is built on the largest man-made island in the world. Discover how engineers built an artificial island on top of clay seabed to make the most daring engineering project of modern times a success.

The Shanghai Maglev is the fastest passenger train in operation on the planet. Discover how engineers were able to design a train that could levitate, and reach a phenomenal top speed of 268 mph.

We take the world's largest plane apart and show what makes this engineering marvel so incredible. Explore the Airbus A380 inside and out, and discover how its engineers redefined the limits of modern aviation.

How the world's largest cruise ship was built. Also: the greatest submarine ever built.

How the fastest things in the universe were engineered.

How some of the toughest things on Earth are engineered.

World's Tallest Structures are investigated

Behind every seemingly-impossible marvel of modern engineering is a cast of trailblazers who pioneered new building techniques that made it all possible.

Two giant construction projects in Asia are featured. The first half covers the construction of the world's largest and most powerful single-dish radio telescope, in Guizhou Province, southwest China. The second half features the construction of the Shanghai Tower, the second-tallest building in the world and the tallest building in China. The program was re-edited from two previous episodes of the series, with some new narration added.

Discover what it took to build Britain's newest Aircraft Carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth and the biggest, longest, most powerful ship that is used to remove and install oil platforms, the Pioneering Spirit.

Discover what it took to build the worlds tallest building, the Tokyo Skytree and build the Kansai Airport on man-made island.

Discover what it took to build the 110 ton ice station, Halley-6 in Antarctica and build the 450 ton International Space Station which provide the platform for research into systems and procedures for deep space exploration.