Photographer: Jim Morrow. Ex USAF serial number 61-3032. Lockheed's demonstrator with "Free World Defender" titles.

A pleasant surprise when this beauty turned up at Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio. Painted in a gold colour scheme to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Iowa Air National Guard.

Originally designated YF-96A, it featured the fuselage of the last production F-84E fitted with sweptback wing and horizontal tail. Note the round intake of the f-84E as opposed to the ovular intake of production F-84Fs. The change was required to accommodate the increased airflow needs of the more powerful J65 engine which replaced the J35 of the F-84E and YF-96A.Iit's last use was in the development of the FICON parasite fighter for the B-36 with the addition of a nose hook and negative dihedral on the horizontal tail surfaces.

Photographer: Tom Brewer.

This F-4 was originally built for the USN as F4H-1 but, before delivery, modified to become the USAF YRF-110A Spectre prototype, which was redesignated RF-4C in 1962. In 1965, it became the YF-4E testbed, to test F-4E slats and Fly by Wire (as seen in this picture). In 1974, canards were added on this aircraft. This photo was taken after the unqiue Phantom was retired and preserved in the Air Force museum.

Constructed almost entirely from magnesium, designated NF-80C-LO.

The first B-52 to fly, Featuring tandem seating as did the XB-52, all future models had a side by side flight deck. Seen here in May 1959 at the old Air Force Museum located on the Patterson side of Wright-Patterson AFB. The YB-52 was retired in the late 1950s to the museum, but the aircraft was scrapped in the mid-1960s because of a drive to get rid of excess military hardware.

Parked in the lot beside to original Air Force Museum, the F-107A was designed to the same requirement as the Republic F-105. Only 3 prototypes were built as the F-105 was chosen for production.

Prototype Spectre gunship that was converted under Project Gunship II at Wright-Patterson AFB. It carried four 20mm cannon and four 7.62mm multi-barrel guns, used in a 30-degree left bank at night. This AC-130 was sent to Nha Trang AFB in Vietnam on Sept. 21, 1967 for a 90-day test. Other Spectres of 16th SOS based at Ubon flew interdiction missions along the Ho Chi Ming Trail from 1968 onward, destroying many trucks. This aircraft carries the emblem of Air Force Systems Command on the left side.

On display at NMUSAF since 2004. This rare Type 21 Zero was recovered from Kavieng, New Ireland and bought by the museum in 1971. Said to have been flown by 6th Kokutai, it is now painted with tail code A1-3-102 to represent a section leader's Zero from the aircraft carrier Zuiho during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea in Mar 1943. Zuiho Zeros wearing J3 grey normally used tail code EIII until Oct 1942. The carrier's Zeros were based ashore during Feb-Mar 1943 to provide support after the Guadalcanal debacle. The longer spinner of this externally well-restored Nakajima-built A6M2b is evident.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. "Dennis the Menace" is in the markings of the 97th FIS based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base during the mid-1950s.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. This Kingcobra is ex 43-11728, painted as an RP-63A manned target aircraft for aerial gunnery practice.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. The Apache was the dive bomber version of the Mustang. It was used by the USAAF in North Africa, Sicily, Italy and India. This Apache is painted to represent the aircraft flown by Capt. Lawrence Dye of the 522nd FBS, 27th FG in World War II.

"Night Mare" on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. This aircraft was delivered to the Royal Australian Air Force in 1942. It is painted to represent the Beaufighter flown by Capt. Harold Augspurger of the USAAF 415th Night Fighter Squadron, which operated from North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Corsica, before moving to France and Germany by the end of the war.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. With its unmistakable "Droop Snoot" nose, "Bird of Prey" is one of eight modified C-135s that was a joint project between NASA and the DoD to provide mobile tracking and telemetry as an Apollo/Range Instrumentation Aircraft (A/RIA). It became operational in Jan. 1968 and went on to serve with the 4950th Test Wing and 412th Test Wing over a 32-year career. The bulbous nose contains a steerable seven-foot antenna.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. This Voodoo served with the 18th Fighter Interceptor Squadron and with the 142nd Fighter Interceptor Group. It was flown to the museum in Feb. 1981.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. These aircraft were highly modified versions of the World War II A-26 Invader, used for ground-attack missions along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. This Phantom is painted to represent "Scat XXVII", the 8th TFW aircraft in which Col. Robin Olds flying as Tampa Lead on MiG CAP shot down two MiG-17s using a Sparrow and a Sidewinder near Bac Giang in northeast Vietnam on May 20, 1967. The left splitter vane carries two red stars.

On display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Originally AT-8 multi-engine advanced trainers, these aircraft went through designation changes as the AT-17 and the UC-78 light personnel transport that served with the USAAF, USN and RCAF. This Bobcat was acquired by the museum in 1982.

On display at NMUSAF. The F-102 was the world's first supersonic all-weather jet interceptor and the USAF's first operational delta-wing aircraft, equipping more than 25 Air Defense Command (ADC) squadrons. It was designed so that its radar would guide the F-102 into an attack position and automatically fire rockets and missiles via the electronic fire-control system. This Delta Dagger of the 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in Iceland was one of the first to intercept a Soviet Tu-95 over the Arctic.