Fact Sheet Alphabetical List

Fact Sheet Search

  • Northrop P-61C Black Widow

    The heavily-armed Black Widow was the United States' first aircraft specifically designed as a night-fighter. The P-61 carried radar equipment in its nose that enabled its crew of two or three to locate enemy aircraft in total darkness and fly into proper position to attack.The XP-61 was

  • Martin B-26G Marauder

    Although the Marauder did not make its first flight until Nov. 25, 1940, its design showed such promise that the Air Corps ordered 1,131 B-26s in September 1940. The B-26 began flying combat missions in the Southwest Pacific in the spring of 1942, but most were subsequently assigned to Europe and

  • De Havilland DH 98 Mosquito

    The famous British Mosquito – known to many as "Mossie" – was a versatile aircraft used extensively during World War II. Constructed primarily of plywood with a balsa wood core, it had excellent speed, altitude and range. First flown on November 25, 1940, the Mosquito entered production in mid-1941

  • Hawker Hurricane MkIIa

    From May to August 1941, Number 71 Squadron flew the Hawker Hurricane MkIIa aircraft. The Hawker Hurricane was one of the most famous British fighters of World War II. The prototype was first flown in November 1935 and the first production aircraft made its initial flight in October 1937. Within a

  • Boeing P-26A

    The P-26A marked a significant step in the evolution of fighter aircraft -- it became the U.S. Army Air Corps' first all-metal monoplane fighter in regular service. Affectionately nicknamed the "Peashooter" by its pilots, the P-26A could fly much faster in level flight than the Air Corps' older wood

  • Sopwith F-1 Camel

    The British Sopwith F.1 Camel shot down more enemy aircraft than any other Allied World War I fighter. Best characterized by its unmatched maneuverability, the camel was difficult to defeat in a dogfight. Tricky handling characteristics, however, made the Camel a dangerous aircraft to fly. More than

  • Allison YT-56-A-3 Turboprop

    The T-56, a jet engine that uses a propeller to produce most of its thrust, was originally designed to power the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. Because the T-56 compressor and turbine rotate at a high speed (13,820 rpm), a reduction gearbox is used to allow the propeller to turn at a much slower, more

  • Pratt & Whitney J57 Turbojet

    This engine is on display in the Cold War Gallery.The J57 turbojet was the first production jet engine to produce 10,000 pounds of thrust. The J57 featured a dual-rotor axial-flow compressor, which lowered fuel consumption over a wide operating range and improved the sluggish acceleration

  • Continental I-1430-9 Hyper

    The development of the liquid-cooled Continental Hyper high-horsepower engine began in 1932. It featured cylinders with "spherical" combustion chambers and sodium cooled exhaust valves. An upright V-12 engine was planned, but emphasis was later changed to an inverted V-12 engine for pursuit planes.

  • Interview with Gen. James H. Doolittle

    The National Museum of the United Air Force features a North American B-25 displayed as it looked on the deck of the USS Hornet. The video presentation that is incorporated into that display is reproduced here in words, photos, sounds and video. The words of Gen. James H. Doolittle, the commander of