Great Planes

This four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber was designed by Boeing, and has a distinguished history of service, primarily in the United States' Air Forces from late World War II through the Korean War.

The C-130 Hercules has found uses in a variety of roles, from airborne assault, search and rescue and maritime patrol to weather reconnaissance, scientific research support and aerial firefighting.

It’s all vertical for this aircraft - the Harrier. Known as the world’s first vertical takeoff and landing fixed-wing aircraft, this is the first jet to have hovering capabilities.

Small in size, but big in influence, the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter defies current trends in fighter aircraft. While other planes were getting bigger and more complex, the F-5s were agile, low cost and easy to maintain.

When it was first produced, this one-man Air Force was the biggest single-engine, single-seat fighter aircraft ever built.

Ahead of its time, the XB-70 Valkyrie could travel at three times the speed of sound. More than a half century after its first flight, the strategic bomber is still one of aviation’s most interesting achievements.

The A-10 Thunderbolt is the most lethal close-air-support, fixed-wing aircraft ever flown. The Warthog, or tankbuster, may be slow and ugly, but it's been called the best friend to boots on the ground.

The Rockwell B-1 Lancer is a world record holder for speed, payload and distance. This swing-wing bomber has a colorful past that helped pave America’s future.

Not just any helicopter, the AH-64 was something truly new. A computerized, fully-armed gunship, it could fly where no fixed-wing aircraft could ever go. Modern warfare demands modern equipment, and the Apache fit the bill.

This is the world’s first swing-wing production aircraft. Unofficially called the Aardvark, the early F-111 was grounded, almost forever, but was eventually employed from Vietnam through Operation Desert Storm and beyond.