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  • 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

  • Kerosene Lamp

    Note: This item is currently in storage.This kerosene lamp was used during World War I by Sgt. 1st Class A.B. Curran of the 103rd Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Force, Air Service. This lamp was manufactured to burn mineral spirits but could also burn kerosene. Curran used kerosene to fuel

  • Martin Marietta LGM-118A Peacekeeper

    The Peacekeeper served as the U.S. Air Force’s most powerful, accurate and technologically advanced Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) deterrent from 1986 to 2005. Conceived to replace the Minuteman ICBMs, its development began in the early 1970s under the name “Missile, Experimental,” or

  • Tech. Sgt. James H. Ledford

    On Dec. 8, 1952, disaster struck a 6167th Operations Squadron B-26 crew on a low-level classified mission over North Korea -- an antiaircraft shell exploded next to the pilot, Maj. Lawrence Freligh, severely wounding him. Freligh slumped against the control column, sending the aircraft into a dive.

  • Northrop AT-38B Talon

    The U.S. Air Force originally ordered the T-38A Talon in the 1950s as an advanced, supersonic flight trainer. The Talon’s maneuverability also made it useful as a trainer, fighter lead-in, and as the first in a series of aggressor aircraft.Before the Lead-In-Fighter Trainer (LIFT) program began in