Cold War jets race skyward in the bold quest to escape the runway.
Discover how Cold War engineers in the United States, the Soviet Union, and Germany tried to free combat aircraft from vulnerable airfields through zero-length launches and radical landing systems. From rocket-boosted takeoffs to hazardous mat landings, this film reveals the ingenuity, risk, and strategic fear behind a remarkable aviation experiment.
Love Runway of Thunder: The Story of Project Zelmal? It’s just the start.
Join now to unlock the whole library — thousands of award-winning documentaries beyond Runway of Thunder: The Story of Project Zelmal, from the deep ocean to deep space.
Trending Now
- New shows weeklyFresh documentaries land every week.
- Exclusive originalsAward-winning films you can’t stream anywhere else.
- Watch anywherePhone, tablet, web and TV — pick up where you left off.
- No commitmentNo contract. Cancel in a click.
Pick the plan that’s right for you.
Flexible plans, no contracts.
Thousands of documentaries across nature, history, space, and science.
- Watch in 4K on all your devices
- Download and watch offline
- Stream ad-free — cancel anytime
Thousands of documentaries across nature, history, space, and science.
- Up to 4K
- Offline downloads
- Ad-free
Frequently asked questions
Thousands of the world's best documentaries and factual programming — nature, history, science, technology, and biography — including exclusive Curiosity Originals like Runway of Thunder: The Story of Project Zelmal. Stream it all ad-free, anytime.
Runway of Thunder: The Story of Project Zelmal streams with every plan. Plans start at $4.17/month.
Watch on the web, iOS and Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Android TV, and most smart TVs. Start on one device and pick up right where you left off on another.
Curiosity Stream is our streaming service — thousands of documentaries and originals. The Smart Bundle is Curiosity Stream plus four other independent streaming services (Tastemade, Kidstream, Curiosity University, and SOMM TV) on a single subscription.























