Cold War Gallery North

1 To fund the building of a new Air Force Museum, the Air Force Museum Foundation was created in 1960. Eugene Kettering became the foundation's first chairman and he actively assisted in raising funds to construct the Air Force Museum which opened in 1971.	2 The cold war resulted from the dividing of Europe in WWII. Kettering's model display is in this short hallway that leads to the third hangar.	3 The sign says The Cold War dominated the second half of the 20th century. This confrontation grew out of the clash between the ideologies of the Western democracies led by the United States -- and the communist nations led by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The ever-present threat of nuclear weapons made this period the most dangerous one in world history, but the diligent efforts of the men and women of the US Air Force helped bring this conflict to a peaceful end.	4 The NORTHROP AT-38B TALON is an advanced trainer that gave trainee pilots an interim step between basic jet trainers and advanced operational jets. AT-38Bs could carry gun pods, rockets or practice bombs and trainee pilots learned basic combat manoeuvres and air-to-ground weapons delivery.
5 The USAF's relatively low air-to-air kill ratio in the SE Asia War led to a change of tactics that mimicked Soviet tactics. USAF aggressor pilots flew T-38As against other other pilots flying frontline USAF fighters. This AT-38B flew as a lead-in-fighter trainer until its retirement in 1991. It came to the museum in 1999 and was placed on display in 2004.	6 The display in the centre is called "Mines - a legacy of war" and describes its effect on innocent non-combatants many years after hostlities cease.	7 The DOUGLAS C-133A CARGO MASTER was a turboprop aircraft developed to fulfill USAF requirements for a large-capacity strategic cargo aircraft. The Cargo Master went directly into production as the C-133A; no prototypes were built.	8 The first C-133A made its initial flight on April 23, 1956 and when production ended in 1961 Douglas had built 50 C-133s. With the development of the larger Lockheed C-5A the C-133 was released from the active inventory in 1971.
9 The C-133A on display established a world record for propeller-driven aircraft when on Dec. 16 1958, it carried a cargo payload of 117,900 pounds to an altitude of 10,000 feet. It was flown to the museum on March 17, 1971.	10 The LOCKHEED AC-130A SPECTRE is a C-130 converted to a gunship, primarily for night attacks against ground targets. To enhance its armament's effectiveness, it used various sensors, a target acquisition system, and infrared and low-light television systems.	11 The crew of this AC-130A Spectre gunship, named Azrael ( in the Koran, Azrael is the angel of death who severs the soul from the body) displayed courage and heroism during the closing hours of the first Iraq war. On Feb. 26 1991 Coalition ground forces were driving the Iraqi army out of Kuwait and Azrael was sent to the Al Jahra highway to intercept the convoys of tanks, trucks, buses and cars fleeing the battle.	12 Facing batteries of Iraqi surface-to-air missiles and radar-guided anti-aircraft artillery, the crew attacked the convoys and inflicted significant damage. The crew's heroic efforts left much of the Iraqi equipment destroyed or unserviceable, contributing to the defeat of the Iraqi forces. Azrael was retired to the museum in October 1995.
13 The MIKOYAN GUREVICH MiG-19S was the first Soviet production fighter capable of supersonic speeds in level flight. It entered service in 1955 and became the Soviet Union's primary fighter during the last half of the 1950s. Possibly as many as 10,000 MiG-19s in various versions were built by the Soviet Union, China, Poland and Czechoslovakia.	14 Many other countries used the MiG-19 including Cuba, North Vietnam, North Korea, Iraq and most of the Warsaw Pact nations. The Soviet Union phased out the MiG-19 in the early 1960s in favour of the more advanced MiG-21 but other nations continued to use the MiG-19 for many more years.	15 The BOEING RB-47H STRATO JET is the electronic reconnaissance version developed from the B-47E bomber. It entered service in August 1955.	16 Over the next decade, RB-47H crews flew thousands of dangerous "ferret" missions. Flying in radio silence at night along (and sometimes over) the border of the Soviet Union and other communist nations, RB-47Hs collected essential intelligence about the size and capability of Soviet air defense radar networks.
17 The need for this information and the relatively small number of RB-47Hs forced crews to spend much of their time away from their homes at Forbes AFB in Kansas. The RB-47H continued in service until the more capable Boeing RC-135 (similar to the prototype 707) replaced it in the mid-1960s.	18 Between 1947 and 1957 Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed built over 2,000 Stratojets. The USAF phased out its last B-47 bombers in 1965 and its last Stratojet in 1969. The aircraft on display came to the museum in 1998 after extensive restoration by museum personnel. It went on display in 2003 and is marked as it appeared in 1960.	19 The NORTHROP B-2 SPIRIT merged the high aerodynamic efficiency of the "flying wing" design with composite materials, special coatings and classified stealth technologies to become virtually invisible to air defense radar systems. Its speed is high subsonic. Northrop Grumman constructed two additional aircraft without engines or instruments for fatigue testing, the second of which is the aircraft on display.	20 The B-2 first flew on July 17, 1989 and Northrop Grumman delivered the first operational B-2 on Dec. 17 1993. The B-2 saw combat in operations over Serbia in 1999, Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003.
21 Each mission consisted of a non-stop flight from Whiteman AFB in Missouiri to the target and back. With a crew of only two, each flight lasted more than 30 hours, requiried numerous aerial refuelings and delivered up to 40,000 pounds of precision weapons.	22 The USAF originally planned to purchase 165 B-2As but the changing world situation and budget constraints reduced the number bought to just 21.	23 The USAF replaced the NORTH AMERICAN T-28A TROJAN as a primary trainer in the mid-1950s. The Trojan on display was painted as a typical Air Training Command T-28A in the mid-1950s and was transferred to the museum in September 1965.	24 NORTHROP designed the F-89 SCORPION as an all-weather fighter-interceptor. With the radar operator in the rear seat guiding the pilot, the F-89 could locate, intercept and destroy enemy aircraft by day or night under all types of weather conditions.
25 On July 19 1957, an F-89J fired a Genie test rocket with a nuclear warhead which detonated over a Nevada test range. It marked the first launch of an air-to-air rocket with a nuclear warhead.	26 The Maine Air National Guard transferred the Scorpion on display to the museum from in July 1969 and it was the last F-89 in service with an operational unit.	27 It is painted to represent an F-89J based at Ladd Air Force Base near Fairbanks, Alaska and it carries insignia red arctic markings.	28 The BOEING B-1B LANCER is the improved variant of the B-1A that was cancelled in 1977. The first production model of this long-range, multi-role, heavy bomber flew in October 1984. The first operational B-1B was delivered to Dyess AFB, Texas in June 1985 and the final B-1B was delivered in 1988.
29 The B-1 was first envisioned in the 1960s as a supersonic bomber but its development was stopped and restarted many times as the theory of strategic balance changed from flexible response to mutually assured destruction and back again. It eventually entered service more than 20 years after first being studied.	30 The B-1B's blended wing/body configuration, variable-geometry design and turbofan engines combined to provide greater range and high speed — more than Mach 1.2. Forward wing settings were used for takeoff, landing and high-altitude maximum cruise. Aft wing settings were used in high subsonic and supersonic flight, which also enhanced the aircraft's manoeuvreability.	31 The B1-B was first used in combat against Iraq 1998 and was also employed in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Starting in 2002, the USAF began reducing the number of B-1Bs as a cost-saving measure. The aircraft on display arrived at the museum from the 7th Bomb Wing at Dyess AFB, Texas on Sept. 10, 2002.	32 The SIKORSKY MH-53M PAVE LOW is capable of operating at day or night or in bad weather. It conducted long-range, low-level missions to insert, extract and resupply special operations forces.
33 The Pave Low program equipped HH-53 helicopters with forward-looking infrared sensors, inertial global positioning systems, doppler radar navigation systems and terrain-following and terrain-avoidance radar. The MH-53 could fly clandestine, low-level missions in any weather, day or night. The Pave Low system gave the aircrew instant access to the total battlefield situation on a colour, digital map screen that was compatible with night goggles.	34 The aircraft on display flew its final combat mission in Iraq on March 28, 2008. During its 38-year career this helicopter flew many combat missions in Vietnam and Iraq before being retired in 2008.	35 The LOCKHEED F-117A NIGHTHAWK was developed to attack high value targets without being detected by enemy radar. By the 1970s new materials and techniques allowed engineers to design an aircraft with radar-evading or "stealth" qualities. The result was the F-117A, the world's first operational stealth aircraft.	36 The first F-117A flew on June 18 1981 and achieved initial operating capability in October 1983. The F-117A first saw combat on Dec. 19 1989, when two F-117As attacked military targets in Panama
37 The F-117A again went into action during the first war in Iraq in 1990-1991 from a base in Saudi Arabia. The F-117s flew 1,271 sorties achieving an 80 percent mission success rate while suffering no losses or battle damage. A total of 59 F-117As was built between 1981 and 1990.	38 The aircraft on display is the second F-117A built and was specially modified for systems testing. The Air Force retired it to the museum in 1991 after its test program was completed. It is marked as it appeared during tests conducted for the Air Force Systems Command between 1981 and 1991.	39 The GENERAL DYNAMICS EF-111A RAVEN was a tactical electronic jamming aircraft in the 1980s and 1990s. The USAF received 42 EF-111As between 1981 and 1985 and the aircraft supported several USAF operations in the 1980s and 1990s. The EF-111A served until 1998. See the ejection module?	40 The GENERAL DYNAMICS F-111F AARDVARK was a long-range, all-weather strike aircraft capable of navigating at low level targets deep into enemy territory. The F-111 entered USAF inventory in 1967 and the fighter version was retired in 1996.
41 The aircraft was originally conceived in 1960 to combine the USAF requirement for a fighter-bomber with the Navy's need for an air-superiority fighter but the Navy eventually cancelled its program. The F-111F on display arrived at the museum in May 1996.	42 The GENERAL DYNAMICS F-16A FIGHTING FALCON evolved from a 1972 USAF Lightweight Fighter prototype program which sought a small, lightweight, low cost, air-superiority day fighter designed for high performance and ease of maintenance. It achieved combat-ready status in October 1980.	43 The F-16 on display was one of the first F-16s to be received by the Thunderbirds in 1982 when they transitioned from T-38s to F-16s. The Thunderbirds continued to fly this aircraft until 1992 when they converted to F-16Cs. I saw this actual aircraft at an air show at Edwards AFB in 1986.	44 In 1996 the F-16 was then modified to operational condition and assigned to the Air Education and Training Command to train pilots at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona. The Thunderbirds repainted it in Thunderbird colors at Nellis AFB Nevada and the museum placed it on display in October 1996.
45 Many other nations including Belgium, Denmark, Turkey, Egypt and Israel have purchased the F-16.	46 Instead of the normal control column between the pilot's legs, the F-16 has a fly-by-wire control column operated by the pilot's right hand. This is a demonstration cockpit that normal sized people can fit into.	47 The PRATT & WHITNEY F100-PW-220 ENGINE powers the F-15 and most of the F-16s. The F100 series remains in use with the air forces of more than 20 countries and it will continue to be an important military powerplant far into the 21st century.	48 The MIKOYAN GUREVICH MiG-29 was designed in response to a new generation of American fighters which included the F-15 and F-16. Designed as an air defense fighter, this dual-purpose aircraft also possessed a ground attack capability.
49 MiG designers started working on the MiG-29 in the early 1970s and the first prototype made its first flight on Oct. 6, 1977. US reconnaissance satellites detected the new fighter in November 1977 and NATO gave it the designation "Fulcrum."	50 Although newer, the MiG-29 lagged behind the most modern Western fighters in several important areas. For instance, the aircraft designers had little experience in either fly-by-wire controls or lightweight composite materials for airframe construction.	51 The first MiG-29 versions used a conventional hydraulic flight control system and an aluminum alloy fuselage. Over time, MiG designers addressed these deficiencies and later variants of the MiG-29 incorporated some fly-by-wire controls and composite materials.	52 The aircraft on display was an early model Soviet Air Force MiG-29A stationed at Kubinka Air Base near Moscow. It was one of the six MiG-29s that made a good will visit to Kuoppio-Rissala, Finland in July 1986. This event marked the first public display of the MiG-29. Note the crude finish at the wing fence before it extends into the fin.
53 McDONNEL DOUGLAS F-4G WILD WEASELs were modified F-4E fighters with their cannon replaced by electronic warfare equipment. Their mission was to attack enemy air defenses, including surface-to-air missile (SAM) air defense radars. One hundred & sixteen F-4Es were rebuilt as F-4Gs for this special purpose.	54 This F-4G launched more than 40 missiles during the first Iraq War in 1991. The F-4G carried a pilot and an Electronic Warfare Officer who navigated, assisted with communications and coordinated attacks on SAM sites. The F-4G Wild Weasel first flew in 1975 and was retired in 1996. The museum's F-4G was placed on display in September 1996.	55 The McDONNEL DOUGLAS F-15A EAGLE is a twin-engine, all-weather air-superiority fighter that began entering the USAF inventory on Nov. 14, 1974. It was the first U.S. fighter to have an engine thrust greater than the normal weight of the aircraft, allowing it to accelerate while in a vertical climb.	56 F-15Cs conducted counter-air operations during the first Iraq War. They escorted strike aircraft over long distances and were used to search out and attack "Scud" ballistic missile launchers.The F-15A on display was delivered to the 27th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Langley AFB, Virginia in 1980 and is painted in the colours of that squadron.
57 The USAF ordered more than 350 A models for operational service and 1235 F15's in total were produced. F-15s of various models are used by Israel (77), Japan (2) and Saudi Arabia (146).	58 The CONVAIR F106-A DELTA DART all-weather interceptor was developed from the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger. Deliveries to the USAF began in July 1959 and production ended in late 1960 after 340 had been built. The aircraft featured so many modifications and design changes to the F-102 that it became a new design in its own right.	59 The F-102's delta wing had to be redesigned with an area-ruled (coke bottle) fuselage to exceed supersonic speed in level flight. To exceed Mach 2 the F-106 required a more powerful J-75 afterburning turbojet with enlarged intake diameter to compensate for the increased airflow requirements .	60 The aircraft on display was involved in an unusual incident. During a training mission from Malmstrom AFB on Feb. 2 1970, it suddenly entered an uncontrollable flat spin forcing the pilot to eject. Unpiloted, the aircraft recovered on its own and miraculously made a gentle belly landing in a snow-covered field near Big Sandy, Montana.
61 After minor repairs, the aircraft was returned to service. It last served with the 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron before being brought to the museum in August 1986. Note the area-ruled shape of the fuselage and also compare the size of the engine inlets with the F-102.	62 Although over 1,000 CONVAIR F-102 DELTA DAGGERs were built, it did not perform as expected. The speed limitation was caused by the constant diameter of the fuselage which caused a sharp transition for airflow at high sub-sonic speeds.	63 The fuselage and wing of the F102 were modified to comply with the "area-rule" and the F-106 was the result. The F-102A on display served the 57th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in Iceland and, on various occasions, encountered Soviet aircraft flying reconnaissance missions over the arctic. It was flown to the museum in 1971.	64 TRABANT 601 S "DELUX.
65 The sign says: In 1961, Berlin became the focal point of increased tensions between the Western democracies and the Soviet Union. Dissatisfied with the economy and the political conditions in East Germany, thousands of East German refugees fled into West Berlin, the only gap in the Iron Curtain running from the Baltic to the Black Sea. To stop the exodus of their nation's elite, the East German government sealed the border between East and West Berlin. During the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 13, 1961, East German troops and workers, backed by Soviet tanks, ran barbed wire and built barricades. The wire soon gave way to heavy concrete segments topped with a concrete tube. A parallel barrier later went up in the East, leaving between them a brightly lit Todesstreifen (death strip), consisting of tank traps, fixed guns, attack dogs and land mines. In 1989 communist governments collapsed across eastern Europe and on Nov. 9 the East German government partially opened the border in Berlin. A resulting flood of East Germans rushed to West Berlin, and following celebrations at the Brandenberg Gate and other locations, the Berlin Wall began to come down. During the 28 years it separated East and West Berlin more than 5,000 people escaped over, through and under the wall. Approximately 100 people died making the attempt, most shot by border guards.	66 The McDONNEL F101-B VOODOO was originally designed as a long-range bomber escort for the Strategic Air Command. However, when high-speed, high-altitude jet bombers like the B-52 entered active service, escort fighters were not needed. Therefore, before production began, the F-101's design was changed to fill both tactical and air defense roles.	67	68 The FAIRCHILD REPUBLIC A-10A THUNDERBOLT II is the first USAF aircraft designed specifically for close air support of ground forces. It is named for the famous P-47 Thunderbolt, a fighter often used in a close air support role during the latter part of World War II.
69 The A-10 is highly manoeuvrable at low speeds and altitudes to ensure accurate weapons delivery. It is intended for use against all ground targets, but specifically tanks and other armoured vehicles. It also carries the systems and armour needed to survive in this environment.	70 The Thunderbolt II's great endurance gives it a large combat radius and a long loiter time in a battle area. Its short takeoff and landing capability permits operation from airstrips close to the front lines. Maintenance at forward bases with limited facilities is possible because of the A-10's simple design.	71 The A-10A on display was flown on Jan. 21 1991, by Capt. Paul Johnson on an eight-hour rescue support mission during the first Iraq War. For this he was awarded the Air Force Cross, the USAF's second highest award for valour. The aircraft was delivered to the museum in January 1992.	72 Development of the PANAVIA TORNADO GR1 began in 1968 when the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy initiated a collaborative project to produce a low-level, supersonic aircraft. Panavia Aircraft, a new tri-national company established in Germany, built the variable-sweep-wing aircraft. The first prototype flew on Aug. 14, 1974 and operational deliveries began in July 1980.
73 Tornados could carry a wide range of weapons, including the Air-Launched Anti-Radar Missile (ALARM) and the Paveway II and III laser-guided bombs (LGB). The RAF also modified a number of Tornados to carry the Sea Eagle anti-shipping missile. This variant became the GR1B.	74 During the 1991 Gulf War Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornado GR1s attacked Iraqi air bases at low-level with anti-runway weapons. Flying more than 1,500 operational sorties, mostly at night, RAF GR1 aircrews played an important role in forcing the Iraqis out of Kuwait The RAF lost six GR1s in combat.	75 The aircraft on display flew with the RAF's 17 Squadron from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where it sported desert camouflage and the name Miss Behavin'. The aircraft is currently painted as an aircraft assigned to 617 Squadron. It came to the museum in October 2002 as a donation from the RAF.	76 The BOEING X-45A J-UCAS served as a scaled-down, advanced technology aircraft to demonstrate the technologies needed to conduct suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) missions with Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAV). On April 18, 2004, the X-45A demonstrator hit a ground target with a 250-pound, inert, precision guided weapon released from its internal weapons bay.
77 The X-45As successfully completed their test program by autonomously flying a pre-planned mission against simulated ground-based radars and associated surface-to-air missile launchers. This test also required the UCAVs to use their on-board, decision-making software to avoid a new, unplanned threat. Their computers independently determined which aircraft would attack the new target based upon their position, weapons and fuel.	78 The LOCKHEED SR-71 was a long range, Mach 3+ strategic reconnaissance aircraft developed by the Lockheed Skunk Works as a black project. A defensive feature of the aircraft was its high speed and operating altitude, where, if a surface-to-air missile launch was detected standard evasive action was simply to accelerate.	79 Approximately two-thirds of the fuselage and half the wing space was devoted to 12,200 gallons of fuel. The fuel was unique in that it had a high kerosene base and had to be ignited by a catalyst, tetraethyl borane. Cooling the airframe was carried out by cycling fuel behind the titanium surfaces at the front of the wings (chines). On landing after a mission the canopy temperature was over 300 °C , too hot to approach.	80 The air inlets were a critical design feature that allowed cruising speeds of over Mach 3.2 and, at the same time, maintain subsonic Mach 0.5 airflow into the turbojet engines.
81 By moving to the rear, the spike tip would withdraw the shock wave, until it just touched slightly inside the cowling lip. In this position the spike shock-wave then repeatedly reflected between the spike centerbody and the inlet inner cowl sides. In doing so, shock pressures were maintained while slowing the air until a Mach 1 shock wave formed in front of the engine compressor.	82 Tremendous pressures would build up inside the inlet and in front of the compressor face. Bleed tubes and bypass doors were designed into the inlet and engine nacelles to handle some of this pressure and to position the final shock to allow the inlet to remain "started." Air that was compressed by the inlet/shockwave interaction was diverted around the turbo machinery of the engine and directly into the afterburner where it was mixed and burned.	83 This configuration was essentially a ramjet and it provided up to 70% of the aircraft's thrust at higher mach numbers. The additional "thrust" refers to the reduction of engine energy required to compress the airflow. One unique characteristic of the SR-71 was that the faster it went, the more fuel-efficient it became.	84 The SR-71's PRATT & WHITNEY J-58 TURBOJET was designed in the late 1950s to operate for extended speeds of Mach 3+ at altitudes of more than 80,000 feet. The J58 was the first engine designed to operate for extended periods using its afterburner. Note the bleed tubes that bypass high pressure air around the combustion chambers directly to the afterburner.
85 The SR-71 was in service from 1964 to 1998 with 12 of the 32 aircraft being destroyed in accidents although none were lost to enemy action. The SR-71 has held the world record for the fastest air-breathing manned aircraft since 1976.	86 The Blackbird's structure was 85% titanium and 15% composite materials and this was a first in the aircraft industry. Studies of the aircraft's titanium skin revealed that, because of intense heating caused by the rapid flight of the vehicle (heat treatment), the metal was actually growing stronger over time.	87 To allow for thermal expansion the fuselage panels were manufactured to fit loosely on the ground. Proper alignment was achieved only when the airframe heated at high speeds causing the airframe to expand several inches. Because of this, the aircraft would leak fuel onto the runway before it took off. The aircraft would quickly make a short sprint to warm up the airframe and it was then refueled in the air before departing on its mission.	88 On March 21 1968, in the aircraft on display, Maj. Jerome O'Malley and Maj. Edward Payne made the first operational SR-71 sortie. During its career, this aircraft accumulated 2,981 flying hours and flew 942 total sorties (more than any other SR-71). The aircraft was flown to the museum in March 1990.
89 To me, the SR-71 is still THE ONE — the most magnificent aircraft ever to fly.	90	91 The aircraft on display is the last U-2A built. During the 1960s, it made 285 flights to gather data on high-altitude, clear-air turbulence and to flight test reconnaissance systems. It was delivered to the museum in May 1980 and is painted as a typical reconnaissance U-2.	92 The MARTIN RB-57D entered service in 1956 and flew many classified reconnaissance missions around the world. Perhaps the most noteworthy mission took place Dec. 11, 1956, when three RB-57Ds overflew the city of Vladivostock in the Soviet Union in broad daylight. The ensuing protest by the Soviets led President Dwight D. Eisenhower to end military overflights of the USSR (later U-2 missions were flown by the CIA).
93 Although the RB-57D could carry a larger payload and fly faster (and nearly as high) as the U-2, the USAF stopped using it in 1960 due to wing failures. Some RB-57Ds however, continued to fly weather reconnaissance, atomic air sampling and air defense training missions until the last aircraft was retired in 1970.	94 The RB-57D on display is one of the 13 photoreconnaissance RB-57Ds. It is painted as it appeared in the late 1950s while it served in the 4025th SRS; it went on display in 2004.	95 The BOEING AGM-86B ALCM cruise missile is an air-to-ground (AGM) nuclear weapon launched from B-52 or B-1 bombers. The ALCM is self-guided and it finds its preselected target by comparing pre-recorded contour maps with terrain "seen" by its sensors. The cruise missiles wings, tail surfaces and engine inlet are folded while the ALCM is being carried and then deploy upon launching.	96 "Western Union designed the Bomb Alarm Display System beginning in 1959, and in 1962 the network was complete. One drawback was that it responded only after an attack -- it did not give advance warning. Another drawback was that it relied on commercial telephone or telegraph lines, which could be damaged. Though the bomb alarms made military decision-making more reliable, better communication systems and satellites made the network unnecessary by the late 1960s." END OF TOUR. GO TO COLD WAR GALLERY SOUTH TO CONTINUE Next folder: Cold War Gallery South