Aircraft Collection

From US Navy to US Air Force First manufactured for the US Navy during World War II, the US Air… Read More »

Slow & Low Providing close air support to ground forces is an important military function in combat—and the A-10 is… Read More »

A Three-War Plane A-26 aircraft first entered combat in Europe during World War II. During the war, US Army Air… Read More »

The Plane That Never Was Amid the Cold War, the US Air Force called for a new, faster ground attack… Read More »

A Tried-and-True Bomber Rockwell International developed the B-1 Lancer in the 1970s as a replacement bomber for the B-52. The… Read More »

Fortress in the Sky Entering production in 1937, Boeing designed the B-17 Flying Fortress to penetrate deep into enemy territory.… Read More »

World War II’s Workhorse Adapted from the XB-24 aircraft in 1939, the B-24 Liberator deployed to every theater of World… Read More »

Billy Mitchell, Airpower & Strafe Noses Named the Mitchell after the late General Billy Mitchell who led the push for… Read More »

First of its Kind Designed in 1940 as a replacement for the B-17 and B-24, the B-29 first flew in… Read More »

For more than 60 years, the B-52 has been a crucial asset of the US Air Force’s strategic bomber force.… Read More »

Developed by De Havilland Aircraft of Canada, Ltd., in cooperation with the Canadian Department of Defense, the DHC-4 Caribou prototype… Read More »

Sky Supplies Adapted from a commercial airliner, Douglas Aircraft Company developed the C-47B Skytrain in the 1930s for military use.… Read More »

Across the Ocean 79,642 Times The Douglas C-54 was the military version of the four-engine Douglas DC-4 commercial transport developed… Read More »

Fairchild Aircraft manufactured the C-119 Flying Boxcar to carry cargo, military personnel, or medical patients. Developed in November of 1947,… Read More »

Big Plane, Big Cargo The Douglas’ C-124 Globemaster II had one job—carrying as much cargo as possible. This aircraft’s massive… Read More »

Lockheed designed the C-130 Hercules in the late 1950s as the first purpose-built troop carrier, and the aircraft has been… Read More »

Development of the C-131 Samaritan The C-131 Samaritan entered the US Air Force fleet in the early 1950s to fill… Read More »

Refueling in the Sky When the US Air Force needs aircraft refueled in mid-air, they turn to their primary fuel… Read More »

A military version of the Lockheed Model 1329, the C-140 Jetstar is a light jet transport originally intended for the… Read More »

A Plane Without a Pilot When General Atomics Aeronautical Systems developed the MQ-1 Predator drone in the late 1990s, it… Read More »

The Flight Heard ‘Round the World’ On 17 December 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright achieved a historical feat: the first… Read More »

First Licensed Aircraft Manufacturer This aircraft is a replica of the Burgess-Wright Model B Flyer. Burgess manufacturing company started manufacturing… Read More »

War Trainer to Barnstormer Originally manufactured by the Springfield Airplane Company in Springfield, Massachusetts, the JN-4 lived two very different… Read More »

Air Force Adoption F-4 aircraft initially entered service in 1958 to provide US Navy fleet defense; however, the US Air… Read More »

Jack of all Trades (and services) Few airframes are as prolific as the F-4 Phantom II. As one of the… Read More »

You are on Camera! Developed in 1963, the RF-4C differs from a typical Phantom thanks to its larger nose section… Read More »

Soviet Stand-in For the US Air Force, the F-5 was a supersonic fighter that combined low cost, ease of maintenance… Read More »

An Air-to-Air Superiority Fighter F-15As are single-seat, all-weather, air-superiority fighters that first took flight in 1972. These aircraft were the… Read More »

US Air Force Icon Considered the backbone of the US Air Force’s fighter fleet for more than three decades, the… Read More »

Backbone of the US Air Force In January 1979, the first operational F-16A arrived in Utah as the newly designated… Read More »

Falcons into Thunderbirds The US Air Force’s premier demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, have flown the F-16 since 1983. This unit’s… Read More »

Soviet Impact The Soviet Union designed the MiG-21 to counteract the threat of US Air Force B-52 bombers as its… Read More »

Definition of Air Dominance After six years of development, the F-22 Raptor first took flight on 7 September 1997 in… Read More »

A Groundbreaking Fighter Production of the fastest variant of the P-38 aircraft, the P-38J high-altitude interceptor, began in 1943. P-38Js… Read More »

World War II’s Warhawk Curtiss produced P-40s in various configurations for 28 Allied countries. After several modifications, the P-40N arrived… Read More »

Thunderbolt and Lightning Raids Airmen flying P-47s provided bomber escorts, close air support, and swift ground attacks during World War… Read More »

Rolls Royce of Fighters At Great Britain’s request in 1940, the P-51 was initially designed similar to the NA-73 aircraft.… Read More »

First of the Jets Production of the XP-80, the experimental version of the F-80 Shooting Star, began in 1943 for… Read More »

Cold War Ground Support Production of the F-84F—the first swept-wing F-84 variant—began in 1954. This airframe filled the role of… Read More »

Tactical Design At the request of Tactical Air Command, who required a light fighter-bomber able to deliver tactical nuclear weapons,… Read More »

Killer Sabre The F-86, the US Air Force’s first swept-wing jet fighter, made its initial flight in October 1947. Equipped… Read More »

A Groundbreaking Jet This long-range fighter was an aircraft of several firsts. Northrop designed the Scorpion as the first jet-powered,… Read More »

Supersonic Super Sabre F-100As first took flight in 1953 and were the US Air Force’s first operational aircraft capable of… Read More »

A Nuclear Defense Fighter F-101s were originally designed as a long-range bomber escort for the Strategic Air Command. However, this… Read More »

First manufactured in 1956, the F-102 was the first supersonic, all-weather jet interceptor. This aircraft served as an interim weapons… Read More »

Missile with a Man in It Designed as a supersonic air-superiority fighter, Lockheed produced two versions of the F-104. One… Read More »

Workhorse of Vietnam The F-105 all-weather, supersonic fighter-bomber, also known as the “workhorse of Vietnam,” is renowned for its ability… Read More »

What in the World is a Wild Weasel? “Wild Weasel” describes any specialized US Air Force aircraft and missions that… Read More »

Anteaters in Flight Does the long nose of this aircraft remind you of an ant eater? Early F-111 crews thought… Read More »

World’s First Stealth Fighter The F-117 “Nighthawk” is a single-seat, twin-engine strike-fighter built by Lockheed’s Skunk Works. Designed as a… Read More »

Controlling the Dart First manufactured in 1959, Convair developed the F-106A to be an all-weather interceptor against Soviet attacks. These… Read More »

International Fighter The MiG-17F was the first afterburner-equipped fighter to enter service with the Soviet Union. Equipped afterburners provide the… Read More »

Versatile Helicopter Initially designated as the UH-1A and commonly nicknamed “Huey,” the Iroquois served during the Vietnam War starting in… Read More »

Vietnam Resource & Medical Movement During the Vietnam War, the US Air Force used the CH-3E for troop, cargo, and… Read More »

Army Workhorse H-13s were a single-engine light helicopter used often by the US Army. When the Korean War began, the… Read More »

Workhorse in Action The US Air Force first purchased the H-21, a large, heavy-lift, tandem-rotor transport in the 1950s. Helicopter… Read More »

Combat Fire & Rescue Adapted from the Kaman H-43A, the HH-43B became the next variant of rescue- mission helicopters in… Read More »

Ready Rain or Shine Adapted from the HH-53 Super Jolly Green Giant, the MH-53M is an all-weather helicopter equipped for… Read More »

O-2 FACs In 1966, the O-2A replaced the O-1 Bird Dog as a forward air control (FAC) aircraft. Fully equipped… Read More »

History of the Dragon Lady The US Air Force used the U-2 for reconnaissance missions during the Cold War—and still… Read More »

Bucking Broncos Developed under a US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps tri-service program, the OV-10A is a twin turboprop,… Read More »

67 of a Kind Many US Air Force aircraft are modified throughout their lifespan to meet changing mission needs. When… Read More »

Enter the Blackbird One of the most recognizable aircraft in the US Air Force, SR-71s were long- range, strategic photo-reconnaissance… Read More »

Final Phase Trainer US Army Air Forces, US Navy, and the British Royal Air Force used the AT-6/T-6 as a… Read More »

Second Phase Trainer The US Army Air Forces used the BT-13 aircraft as basic trainers during World War II. As… Read More »

First Phase Trainer In 1933, Lloyd Stearman designed the forerunner of the Kaydet PT-17, a variation of the PT-13 model,… Read More »

Trainers Leap Forward When the US Air Force and Navy needed a trainer to replace the aging, World War II… Read More »

Learning at 270 Miles Per Hour Following World War II, US Air Force navigators and bombardiers trained on flight instrument… Read More »

Training in the Shooting Star In 1948, the T-33 Shooting Star first took flight. Over the next eleven years, Lockheed… Read More »

Whistling “Tweety Bird” Affectionately known as the “Tweety Bird” due to the high-pitched sound of its engines, the T-37 entered… Read More »

Supersonic Training T-38 Talons first took flight in 1959. They are a twin-engine, high-altitude, supersonic jet trainer used in a… Read More »

Expeditor Expedition The C-45 Expeditor was the World War II military version of the popular Beechcraft Model 18 commercial light… Read More »

Utility Transport First introduced into the US Air Force in 1953, the Cessna U-3 functioned as a utility and light… Read More »

Cub to Grasshopper Modified from the Piper J-3 Cub, the L-4 was a light observation and liaison aircraft adapted for… Read More »

Navion Reconnaissance The US Air Force, Army, and National Guard used the L-17 from the late 1940s through the early… Read More »