There are a total of 198 Cold War US Military Aircraft American Warbirds in the Military Factory. Displaying in this area are seven most famous fighter aircraft during the Cold War Era.
MiG-15:
• MiG-15 was the first production fighter to incorporate swept wings, pressurized cockpit, and ejection seat in a single airframe. Its appearance in Korea was a surprise. USSR not thought to have such engine technology. MiG-15 had very good climb rate and service ceiling but its conventional horizontal tail caused loss of control above Mach 0.92.
• Despite some problems, the MiG-15 became one of the most high-performance, turbojet fighters used by Communist countries. In early air-to-air duels between jet fighters, it outclassed the F-80 and F-84 but met its match in the F-86. The Museum's aircraft is a Chinese license-built and acquired in September 1985.
North American F-86A Sabre:
• F-86 was the first swept-wing fighter in the U.S. inventory and the USAF primary fighter during the Korean War with a kill ratio of 10:1. Following the start of the Korean War, the USAF 4th Fighter Interceptor Wing arrived in Seoul, South Korea, with F-86As in December 1950.
• On December 17, Lt. Col. Bruce Hinton shot down a MiG-15 in the first known combat between swept-wing fighters. By the end of Korea War, F-86s had shot down almost 800 MiG-15s while suffering fewer than 80 combat losses. The Museum's F-86A transferred from the Air Force in 1962 and is one of only a few Museum aircraft flown in combat.
MiG-21:
• MiG-21 entered service in 1960 armed with infra-red, air-to-air missiles. Designed as high-performance, short-range, air-superiority fighter and evolved into multi-role fighter; became most widely used fighter of its time. MiG-21 stayed in front-line service into the 1980s, served in 39 countries and many still in use today and being upgraded. Museum's MiG-21 was built in Moscow in 1962 and has the "wet wing." A "wet wing" is an aircraft wing that doubles as a fuel tank. The fuel is held between the front spar and the skin of the leading edge of the wing.
McDonnell F-4S Phantom II:
• Originally designed as attack aircraft for U.S. Navy, the F-4 is considered by many to be the best fighter-bomber ever built and one of the greatest successes of the American aeronautical industry. It was the U.S. Navy's first Mach 2 carrier-based aircraft, capable of carrying missiles and also qualified for both land and sea operations. F-4 eventually became a multi-role aircraft and over 5,000 were built for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and numerous foreign air forces.
• The F-4 carried three times the normal wartime bomb load of a B-17. It set numerous speed, time-to-climb, and altitude records. In 1968 the Navy chose the F-4 for its Blue Angels team and in 1969 the US Air Force chose the F-4 for its Thunderbirds team.
Chance Vought RF-8G Crusader
• Chance Vought RF-8G Crusader was the first carrier-based aircraft to exceed 1,000 mph; it set the first national speed record of more than 1,000 mph; it was the first aircraft to fly across the United States faster than the speed of sound by USMC Major John Glenn.
• Unusual design innovation includes variable incidence wing for slow-speed flight. When raised for landing, gave wing high angle of attack while fuselage stayed at flatter angle for better pilot visibility. F-8 had four integral 20-mm cannons—proved important in Vietnam War dogfights
Grumman A-6E Intruder:
• An aircraft carrier sails across rough seas on an exercise mission. A Grumman A-6E Intruder is moved into position for takeoff. Its front wheel tow bar is attached to the steam-driven catapult. In a burst of steam and fire, the jet is slammed forward, accelerating to over 180 mph in two seconds, and takes to the sky. The pilot puts the plane into a steep climb, topping out at 45,000 feet in less than 4 minutes. The Multi-sensor system in the aircraft detects an enemy missile attack. The A6E's weapons system locks on to the incoming target and the pilot fires a Sidewinder air-to-air missile. Moments later, the onboard computers confirm a "kill".
• Grumman A-6E Intruder was a sophisticated all-weather Navy attack aircraft operated from aircraft carriers from 1963 to 1997. Complex electronics made A-6E expensive and difficult to maintain, but for most of Vietnam War it was the only Navy attack aircraft that could reliably hit a target at night and in bad weather. Museum's aircraft is a veteran of Vietnam and Desert Storm with over 7,500 hours total time.
SA-2 Missile on Transporter:
• The SA-2 missile is the most widely used air defense missile in the world. There were many variants of the original Soviet version of the missile. Advanced versions of the SA-2 are still in use even after the close of the Cold War.
• The most famous use of the SA-2 was when one downed the U-2 spy plane in 1960. In 1961 SA-2 missiles were shipped to Cuba by the USSR which led to the Cuba Missile Crisis. The Americans faced the SA-2 in combat during the Vietnam War and at least 150 American aircrafts were shot down by SA-2 missile.
• The SA-2 shown here is one of the more common export types and dates to 1969. It has a maximum range of about 31 miles, a maximum operating altitude of 80,000 ft, and speed of Mach 3.5.
Bell UH-1H:
• The Bell UH-1 Huey is one of the most recognized aircraft of the Vietnam War Era. This chopper had a wide variety of uses ranging from medical evacuation to troop transport to gunship. Huey is also the most produced American military helicopter in history.
• There were 9 major variants of Huey over years of production. The aircraft displayed here is an H model. In Vietnam, the UH-1 H with its more powerful engine were generally became the standard Dust Off helicopter. Dust Off operations were usually unescorted and very danger, with loss rates about three times greater than those for other types of helicopter operations. Dust Offs were unarmed except for personal side-arms and painted with red crosses, but Vietnam was not a war of niceties and the red crosses only seem to have made them better targets.
• A total of about 5,000 helicopters were lost by US forces in Vietnam. The US Army's Hueys took the biggest part of these losses, a total of 2,591. The high losses reflected their heavy use and not their fragility, with the heavy use leading to crew fatigue that contributed to the high accident rate.
• It served four tours in Vietnam and flew over 2,500 combat hours. Max loaded weight for Bell UH-1 Huey was 9,500 pounds. The maximum speed was 110 knots and the service ceiling was 12,600 feet with 320 miles flying range.
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