One of seven original AC-130As. Ca Nov '56: TOS USAF as C-130A. By Jul '57: 314th Troop Carrier Wing, Stewart AFB, TN. UKN: Converted to JC-130A for testing. 1968: Converted to AC-130A. Beginning ca. Sep '68: Flew combat missions over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. By Nov '75: 711th Special Operations Squadron/919th Special Operations Wing, Duke Field, FL. Feb '91: Flew at least three combat missions during Operation Desert Storm. Ca.September 1994 to ca.March 1995: Flew combat missions over Haiti during Operation Uphold Democracy. Oct '95: Flew to the Air Force Museum for retirement.

Nov '56: TOS USAF as C-130A. May '67: Converted AC-130A prototype for more conversions. Jun '67: Eglin AFB for further testing and modification to certify for combat. 21 Sep 67: Detachment 2/14th Air Commando Wing. Nha Trang Air Base, South Vietnam. Dec '67: Eglin AFB for modifications. 12 Feb 68: Detachment 2/14th Air Commando Wing, Ubon Royal Thai AFB,Thailand. 1968: Unit designation changed to 16th Special Operations Squadron/8th TFW. Ca.1973: 4950th Test Wing, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH as JC-130A. May '76: National Museum of the USAF. Sep '23: Removed from display to be scrapped.

In June 1962 this, the second of three X-15s, became the first aircraft to exceed Mach 5 after being air-dropped form its NB-52A mothership over Mud Lake, NV. In October 1967, after a fuselage stretch and addition of the large propellant tanks, it reached Mach 6.7, fastest of the three X-15s. After service, 56-6671 went into storage till moved to the USAFM in 1969.

A further development of the original Bell X-1, the X-1B was instrumented to study thermal heating during supersonic flight. Cracks in the fuel tanks finally grounded the rocket plane with the last flight on Jan. 23, 1958. Displayed at the US Air Force Museum.

Grumman G-712 forward swept wing demonstrator, better known as the X-29A. Rebuilt from F-5A 63-8372 to explore state-of-the-art composite technologies in aircraft design. First flew in 1984. Later registered as NASA 003. Preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson, AFB OH from 1994.

The full length of the X-3 Stiletto just fits the frame during a visit to the newly opened X-planes hall of the National Museum of the USAF in Wright Patterson in 2016. It was first flown from Edwards AFB in 1952 and designed to test sustained flight at twice the speed of sound. It also explored the use of very short wings and titanium airframe construction. Because it was underpowered with an interim J34 engine, it failed to achieve the high speeds for which it was designed. By 1956 it had been transferred to this museum.

On display in the X-planes hall at NMUSAF, Convair researched the high-speed delta wing in response to a USAF requirement for a supersonic interceptor. Enter the XF-92A, first flown on 18 September 1948. This aircraft helped in development of Convair's F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart and B-58 Hustler.

This is the unique FICON (FIghter CONveyor) modification of the prototype Thunderstreak, designed to operate as a parasite fighter from a mothership B-36. Originally designated YF-96A, it featured the fuselage of the last production F-84E fitted with sweptback wing and horizontal tail. The aircraft went back into storage after this visit to the X-planes hall in 2016.

This was originally the jet-powered Martin SV-5J, a derivative of the X-24A lifting body built for flight training but never flown. For display purposes, the SV-5J has been modified to represent the X-24A. Martin donated it to the USAF Museum in 1971.

A development of the well known F-84 series, this XF-84H Thunderscreech could well have been the loudest aircraft ever..... Intended to combine the speed of a jet with the long range, low fuel consumption and low landing speed of propeller-driven aircraft, the two XF-84H built made 12 flights in the mid-50s. Around 1958 this first one was preserved at Bakersfield (CA) with an electric motor to turn the prop. After restoration it went to the USAF Museum in 1999.

One of only two complete Macchi 200 surviving, MM8146 was damaged near Benghazi in November 1942 and subsequently captured by British forces during the Axis retreat after the battle of El Alamein. In early 1943 it was shipped to the USA and used for tours around the country to raise War Bonds. It ended up with this great collection.

Built by Fieseler Flugzeugbau, Kassel in 1940, this Fi-156C-3 was delivered to Swedish Air Force and served until 1948. It became D-EBOY and N156SV before it was bought by the National Museum of the USAF in 1974 for display. It received the markings of the Storch used by Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in North Africa. The starbord side carries a blue Edelweiss emblem on the nose, whereas the port side has this stylised swastika palm tree.

1949: TOS USAF, assigned to 10th Rescue Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, AK. 4/59: Ft. Leavenworth, KS, Army Flying Club, with c/r N4928E (cancelled 14 September 1962). By 1995 the Air Force Museum had it undergoing restoration.

Taken up in March 1955 by the USAF as standard C-131B 53-7793, this Convair was later used at Griffiss AFB, NY as a radar test-bed and after being contracted out to Calspan of Buffalo, NY in Dec 1966, was redesignated as an NC-131B. It was re-engined with Allison turboprops at Burbank and made its first flight as NC-131H Total In-Flight Simulator in July 1970. During a long career, the unique TIFS simulated the flight characteristics of many aircraft in development, including the X-40, Tacit Blue, Space Shuttle, B-2, YF-23, C-17, SST, MD-12X and Indonesia's N-250. Ferried to NMUSAF in Nov 2008

After flying with the 58th and 405th Tactical Training Wings at Luke AFB, AZ this Eagle was transferred to the Louisiana ANG at New Orleans. When struck off from active service in 1991, it was redesignated as GF-15A and used at Langley AFB, VA for ground instructional training. Following a period on display at Hampton, VA it was moved to the NMUSAF in 2013

1949: TOS USAF, assigned to 10th Rescue Squadron, Elmendorf AFB, AK. 4/59: Ft. Leavenworth, KS, Army Flying Club, with c/r N4928E (cancelled 14 September 1962). By 1995 the Air Force Museum had it undergoing restoration.

This C-46 is painted as a Commando flying the "Hump" between India and China in 1944, after the Japanese had closed the Burma Road. Although the C-46 carried more cargo than the C-47 and offered better performance at higher altitudes, under these difficult flying conditions they required extensive maintenance and had a relatively high loss rate. 44-78018 was retired from USAF service at Howard AFB in Panama in 1968 and was flown to the museum in 1972 - my 1973 photo in its grey livery here

The museum obtained this F-86H from the New Jersey ANG in 1964, now exhibited with part of its stressed skin removed to show the internal structure and placement of equipment

This tanker was rolled out as a KC-135A-BN in January 1961 and was first based at Wurtsmith AFB, MI, going to the 70th BW, Clinton-Sherman AFB, OK by 1967. While on refuelling ops in the Gulf of Tonkin in May 1967, it received an emergency request from six Navy aircraft which were dangerously low on fuel while helping with the rescue of a downed airman. A daisy chain via two A-3 tankers allowed the F-8s and F-4s which otherwise could not get back to their carrier to be refuelled, winning the USAF crew the 1967 Mackay Trophy. Re-engined to KC-135R spec in 1986, to USAFM April 2022