Air Force Armament Museum: Difference between revisions

Air Force Armament Museum

GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast (MOAB) weapon on display at the Air Force Armament Museum.
Established	1975
Location	Eglin Air Force Base, Florida
Website	http://www.afarmamentmuseum.com

The Air Force Armament Museum, adjacent to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the only facility in the U.S. dedicated to the display of Air Force armament. Founded in 1975, it was originally located in a converted gymnasium on the northeastern edge of the Eglin main base, adjacent to Valparaiso, Florida.

Visitors can view a variety of historical Air Force planes, from a World War II B-17 bomber to an F-4 Phantom II jet. Other aircraft include the SR-71 Blackbird, A-10, C-47, B-25, T-33, P-47, P-51, F-15, F-16, F-80, F-84, F-86, F-89, F-100, F-101, F-104, F-105, F-111, RB-47, RF-4, O-2, C-131, B-52, B-57,MH-53 Pave Low , and a Soviet MiG-21.

A wide variety of bombs, missiles, and rockets are exhibited, including the newest air-to-air missile, the AMRAAM, and the GBU-28 bunker-buster developed for use during Operation Desert Storm. Other missiles include the Paveway series, Falcons, the Tomahawk, Mace, Hound-dog, radar-controlled, laser-controlled and several guided by a TV camera in the nose. Also on display is the GBU-43 MOAB, Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, or by its nickname, "Mother of All Bombs", the world's largest conventional explosive weapon.

A gun vault displays a variety of weapons ranging from a 1903 Springfield rifle to the GAU-8, which is capable of shooting 6,000 rounds per minute. Featured here is the Sikes Antique Pistol Collection, with over 180 handguns, including flintlocks, duelling pistols, Western six-shooters, Civil War pistols, and a wide variety of early military weaponry.

Inside:

• Republic P-47N-25-RE, 44-89320, marked as P-47N-5-RE, "Expected Goose", of the 463rd Fighter Squadron, 507th Fighter Group, Ie Shima.
• Cavalier F-51D, U.S. Army 68-15796, remanufactured two-seat Mustang used as chase plane for AH-56 Cheyenne attack helicopter project, marked as F-51D-11-KT with spurious serial 41-3571, as aircraft of the 354th Fighter Squadron, Steeple Morden, Great Britain.
• Lockheed F-80C-10-LO, 49-0432, marked as 49-713A of the 16th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, flown by Lt. Russell Brown when he downed a MiG-15 in the first all-jet air battle.
• Republic F-105D-1-RE, 58-1155, marked as F-105D-6-RE, 59-1771, "JV" tailcode, "Foley's Folly" on port fuselage, "Ohio Express" on starboard fuselage, as flown by Capt. Peter Foley, 469th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Korat RTAFB, third pilot to survive 200 missions over North Vietnam.
• Republic-Ford JB-2 Loon, on loan from the National Air and Space Museum.
• Ryan-Teledyne BQM-34A Firebee.
• Ryan-Teledyne BQM-35F, 70-0410, "BQ-15288", target drone from Tyndall AFB, Florida.

Outside: (partial)

• North American TB-25J-25-NC Mitchell, 44-30854, the last B-25 in the USAF inventory, marked as B-25B, 40-2344, Gen. Jimmy Doolittle's aircraft on the Tokyo Raid.
• Douglas TC-47B-25-DK Skytrain, 44-76486, later U.S. Army EC-47K, displayed as AC-47 Spooky gunship, 43-49010.
• Boeing B-17G-97-DL Flying Fortress, 44-83863, then U.S. Navy PB-1W, BuNo 77231, then civilian firebomber N5233V, marked as aircraft of the 96th Bomb Wing.
• Republic F-84F-35-GK Thunderjet, 51-9495, marked for the 401st Fighter-Bomber Wing, England AFB, Louisiana.
• Martin EB-57B-MA Canberra, 52-1516, last assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard, Burlington, Vermont, marked as aircraft of the 8th Bomb Squadron, 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, Phan Rang Air Base, South Vietnam.[1]
• North American F-86F-26-NH Sabre, 52-5513, marked as F-86F-1-NA, 51-2910, "Beauteous Butch II" flown by Korean War ace Capt. Joseph C. McConnell. Donated by Gen. Choc Young Bock of the Republic of Korea Air Force.
• Northrop F-89D-65-NO Scorpion, 53-2610, last assigned to the 119th Fighter Group, North Dakota ANG, Hector Field, North Dakota.
• Boeing RB-47H-1-BW Stratojet, 53-4296, retired to storage 29 December 1967, last USAF B-47 in active service, a reconnaissance variant. Bailed to contractor for F-111 radar testing with F-111 nose fitted. Upon completion of this program, flown to Eglin AFB circa 1976. Has had both the F-111 radome and stubby RB-47H nose replaced with standard bomber nose, making it a bastardized configuration. Displayed in typical Strategic Air Command markings.
• Lockheed T-33A-5-LO Shooting Star, 53-5947, last assigned to the 325th Fighter Weapons Wing, Tyndall AFB, Florida, and still carrying those markings.
• North American F-100C-25-NA Super Sabre, 54-1986, last assigned to the Armament Development & Test Center, Eglin AFB, marked as F-100C-20-NA, 54-1954 as flown by Col. George "Bud" Day at the time of his shoot down and capture as a POW during the war in Southeast Asia.
• McDonnell JF-101B-55-MC Voodoo, 56-0250, last assigned to the 4440th Aircraft Delivery Group, Langley AFB, Virginia.
• Lockheed F-104D-15-LO Starfighter, 57-1331A, last assigned to the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, California, where it was used to fly chase on the X-15 project.
• Boeing B-52G-95-BW Stratofortress, 58-0195, "El Lobo II", first assigned to the 4135th Strategic Wing, Strategic Air Command, Eglin AFB, September 1959; last assigned to the 2nd Bomb Wing, Barksdale AFB, Louisiana, during which time it flew missions in Gulf War II.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21F, c/n 014, displayed in typical Russian Air Force markings.
• North American GAM-77 / AGM-28 Hound Dog air-launched stand-off missile, marked as Hound Dog A, 59-2794, the first A model missile delivered to Strategic Air Command, and assigned to the 301st Bomb Squadron, 4136th Strategic Wing, at Eglin AFB, Florida.
• Martin CGM-13 Mace, 59-4860, manufactured 14 March 1961, flown by the 4751st Drone Missile Squadron, Air Defense Command, Hurlburt Field, Florida. Donated to infant museum in 1973 as its first airframe display.
• Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird, 61-7959, "Big Tail" modification, trucked to the museum.
• McDonnell F-4C-23-MC Phantom II, 64-0817, last assigned to the 3246th Test Wing, Armament Development & Test Center, Eglin AFB, Florida, last flown 5 May 1986. Marked as F-4C-23-MC, 64-0813, of the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing.
• Bell UH-1M-BF Iroquois, 66-15186, built as UH-1C-BF, modified for night attack; served with various U.S. Army units in Southeast Asia; acquired by the museum, December 1999, marked as Eglin aircraft with "ET" tailcode.
• McDonnell RF-4C-32-MC Phantom II, 67-0452, last assigned to the 3246th Test Wing, Armament Development & Test Center, Eglin AFB, in the markings it carried during testing of the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System (ATARS) system, but with a 46th Test Wing badge, successor to the 3246th TW.
• General Dynamics F-111E-CF, 68-0058, last assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida.
• Cessna O-2A Skymaster, 68-6864, sold into civilian use after end of war in Southeast Asia, reacquired by National Museum of the United States Air Force, displayed in Vietnam War-era flat black with red markings scheme.
• Lockheed MQM-105 Aquila (Eagle) mock-up, small battlefield drone for target acquisition, project cancelled.
• McDonnell-Douglas F-15A-12-MC Eagle, 74-0124, "EG" tailcode, last assigned to the 4485th Test Squadron, Tactical Air Command, Eglin AFB, marked as "Gulf Spirit", squadron commander's aircraft of the 33rd Fighter Wing, based at Eglin AFB.
• Republic A-10A Thunderbolt II, 75-0288, c/n 37, to AMARC as AC0135, 9 October 1992, then to display at USAF Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida.
• General Dynamics AGM-109 Tomahawk mock-up of undeveloped Medium Range Air-to-Surface Missile (MRASM), unsuccessful contender in competition with AGM-86.
• General Dynamics F-16A Block 15A Fighting Falcon, 80-0573, "ET" tailcode, last flown by the 3246th Test Wing, Armament Development & Test Center, Eglin AFB, Florida in September 1989.

• Air Force Armament Museum Website

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