This Beaver spent ten years from 1953 serving in Japan. Civilianised as N9239, around 1975 it was put to work by the North Carolina Forest Service. Following delivery to the USAFM in 1980, it was put on display as seen here in 2003 in high visibility marks typical of USAF L-20/U-6 aircraft during the late 1950s and early 1960s

This was the last USAF HU-16 in operational service and established a world altitude record for twin-engine amphibians when it reached 32,883 ft in July 1973. Two weeks later it was retired and flown to the museum. Since being taken on strength in 1952 it had served in the US, Greenland, Germany, Canada, Japan and Philippines, ending up with the 301st ARRS at Homestead AFB, FL from 1967

Assigned to the 37th ARRS at Da Nang AB, S Vietnam, this HH-3 flew with the call sign "Jolly Green 22" in the SE Asia War. In March 1968 it was one of two HH-3s rescuing the crew of a downed USMC F-4. By the time its 32 months of service in Vietnam was complete, it had rescued a total of 27 airmen with many awards for bravery earned by the crews. At the end of March 1979, in another daring rescue mission by '709, 28 sailors were saved from a Taiwanese freighter that had run aground in the Yellow Sea. Retired after Desert Storm in 1991, it was restored by the museum in 2010

With a "Can Do" badge below the windscreen.

The Pave Low program modified 'Super Jollies' for operating clandestine, low-level missions in any weather, day or night. The aircraft at the NMUSAF was assigned to the 20th Expeditionary Special Operations Squadron and its last flight was a combat mission in Iraq in March 2008. During its 38-year career, this helicopter participated in many important missions including the intended 1970 rescue of American POWs thought to be held in a prison near Hanoi, North Vietnam, although It transpired that the prisoners had been moved out some time previously. The MH-53s were retired by AFSOC in 2008

The F-16 on display at the NMUSAF was one of the first to be received by the Thunderbirds in 1982 when they transitioned from T-38s. The team continued to fly this aircraft until 1992 when they converted to F-16Cs. It was then modified to operational condition and assigned to the Air Education and Training Command to train pilots at Luke AFB, AZ. On retirement in 1996 it was retired to Thunderbirds colours at Nellis AFB, NV before entering the museum in October that year

A total of 59 F-117A stealth aircraft were built between 1981 and 1990. This is the second, specially modified for systems testing by AFSC at Edwards AFB. In September 1985 the left tail fin broke away while the aircraft was pulling up during a weapons test, but the pilot was able to land safely earning him a DFC. The Air Force retired it to the museum in 1991 after the test program was completed. During Operation Desert Storm, the F-117As flew 1,271 sorties, achieving an 80% mission success rate and suffered no losses or battle damage

USAF C-7B 62-4182 was moved to the Western International Aviation scrapyard at Davis-Monthan in Sep 1986. It was registered to Newcal Aviation as N60NC on 5 Sep 1986, but this registration was never applied, and the aircraft did not leave the Western scrapyard until 30 Sep 2020 when it was moved from the Western International scrapyard to a compound at the Pima Air & Space Museum, reportedly for a rebuild using parts from 62-4150/N92NC c/n 86 and 63-9739/N80NC c/n 186. It was again registered, now as N68NC, on 15 Jun 2021, but this registration too was never applied to the aircraft. This Caribou was still stored at the museum at the time of upload, with no sign of any rebuild.

Bringing back memories of seeing Globies over England in the late 60s, this is actually C-124C 52-1066 which during the Congo Airlift in 1960 went off-course on a flight from Chateauroux to Athens and was forced down by Yugoslav AF fighters. The aircraft and crew were held until diplomatic negotiations secure their release for return to France. In September 1974 it was consigned to MASDC for storage, after service with the last C-124 operator, the 165th TAG, Georgia ANG. Ferrying to the USAF Museum in August 1975, it is now displayed as an aircraft of the 756th MAS/909th MAG at Andrews AFB

First assigned to the 355th TFS/354th TFW (Myrtle Beach AFB, SC), in September 1972 this A-7 deployed to Thailand for combat in Vietnam, returning to the USA by May 1974. By 1977 the aircraft had been transferred to the 120th TFS/140th TFG (Colorado ANG) based at Buckley AFB, Denver. Flown to the National Museum of the USAF in January 1992

During the 1991 gulf War the Rhein Main transport hub was thus crowded with aircraft that even the taxiways were used to load / offload cargo. Photographer unknown