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  • Panavia Tornado GR1

    During the 1991 Gulf War, military planners made the elimination of Iraq's air defenses a top priority. At the start of Operation Desert Storm (called Operation Granby by the British), Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR1 aircraft attacked Iraqi air bases at low-level with Hunting JP233 anti-runway

  • Ryan BQM-34 Firebee

    The Firebee, originally designated the Q-2, was a high-speed target drone for both surface-to-air and air-to-air missiles. It was used primarily for the testing of newly-developed missiles and for the training of fighter-interceptor pilots whose aircraft were armed with missiles.Capable of being

  • Sikorsky MH-53M Pave Low IV

    U.S. Air Force special operations forces used the Sikorsky MH-53M to covertly enter enemy territory. Capable of operating at day or night or in bad weather, these helicopters conducted long-range, low-level missions to insert, extract, and resupply special operations forces. The MH-53 helicopters

  • Vertol CH-21B Workhorse

    This aircraft has been moved to storage.Designed by helicopter pioneer Frank Piasecki, the Vertol H-21 first flew in April 1952. With two main rotors, its long fuselage could hold large numbers of people or heavy cargo loads. Later adaptations allowed the aircraft to perform rescue and assault

  • North American F-86D Sabre

    An intelligence warning in 1948 prompted the U.S. Air Force to hurriedly develop an all-weather interceptor. Starting with the basic airframe of its F-86A, North American incorporated two unprecedented concepts into the F-86D (initially designated the F-95). First, a highly sophisticated electronic

  • Northrop B-2 Spirit

    The global spread of sophisticated air defense systems in the 1980s threatened the USAF's ability to destroy an enemy's most valued targets. To overcome this threat, the USAF incorporated the revolutionary low-observable, or "stealth," technology into a long-range bomber capable of delivering large

  • General Electric J47 Turbojet

     The J47 was developed by the General Electric Co. from the earlier J35 engine and was first flight-tested in May 1948 as a replacement for the J35 used in the North American XF-86 Sabre. In September 1948 a J47 powered an F-86A to a new world's speed record of 670.981 mph. More than 30,000 engines

  • W53 Thermonuclear Bomb

    Based upon the Mk-53 "hydrogen" bomb, the W53 was modified to be carried by the Titan II Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM). With a yield in the megaton range, the W53 fit into a Mk-6 re-entry vehicle installed on top of the Titan II.This artifact is on loan courtesy of the National Museum of

  • Gen. Bernard A. Schriever

    "Father of Air Force Space and Missiles"Bernard A. Schriever was the chief architect of the U.S. Air Force's early ballistic missile and space programs. His visionary leadership in the 1950s and 1960s made the USAF a world leader in developing military science and technology. He directed the

  • Manned Orbiting Laboratory

    When the Dyna-Soar program was cancelled in December 1963, the Air Force continued its efforts to develop a capability for manned space operations. In the spring of 1964, the USAF began work on the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), an evolution of the earlier "Blue Gemini" program, which was