The museum
The museum preserves the history of Strategic Air Command and broader American aerospace history through bombers, tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, missiles, spacecraft, and supporting exhibits.
Near Ashland, Nebraska, the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum interprets the immense machinery of twentieth-century strategic airpower. Its bomber halls place large aircraft together so visitors can follow changing Cold War assumptions about range, altitude, speed and nuclear deterrence.
The museum’s exhibit listings name an Avro Vulcan, B-36 Peacemaker, B-47 Stratojet, B-52 Stratofortress, B-58 Hustler and B-1A Lancer alongside wartime B-17, B-25 and B-29 aircraft. Reconnaissance, command-and-control and tactical aviation appear in aircraft such as the SR-71A, U-2C, EC-135 Looking Glass and FB-111A. The museum also displays aircraft associated with the Korean and Vietnam wars, early jet fighters and former Eastern Bloc types.
The Air Archive inventory counts aircraft and unmanned air vehicles named in the official exhibits directory. Missiles, launch vehicles and thematic educational displays are important parts of the museum but are not miscounted as aircraft. These records describe institutional exhibits, not a guarantee that every aircraft is available for entry or close inspection.
What defines the collection
Strategic Air Command, Cold War bombers, reconnaissance, missiles, command-and-control, and aerospace technology.
What to expect
Begin with the B-36 and B-52 to appreciate the physical scale of strategic bombing, then compare the B-47 and B-58 to understand changes in jet design. Move through the reconnaissance and command aircraft before exploring smaller fighters, transports and helicopters.
What the museum holds
Dozens of strategic aircraft, missiles, and aerospace exhibits
The inventory below separates what the museum or its sources say the institution holds from the smaller set of aircraft histories already connected to the Air Archive.
- Avro VulcanUnknown
- Boeing B-17 Flying FortressUnknown
- Rockwell B-1 LancerUnknown
- North American B-25 MitchellUnknown
- Boeing B-52 StratofortressUnknown
- Republic F-105 ThunderchiefUnknown
- Lockheed F-117 NighthawkUnknown
- Republic F-84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak familyUnknown
- North American F-86 SabreUnknown
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21Unknown
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23Unknown
- A-26B “Invader”Unknown
- B-29TB “Superfortress”Unknown
- B-36J “Peacemaker”Unknown
Open full museum-listed inventory (37 entries)
| Aircraft | Status | Identity |
|---|---|---|
| A-26B “Invader” | Unknown | — |
| Avro Vulcan Avro Vulcan | Unknown | — |
| Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress B-17G “Flying Fortress” | Unknown | — |
| Rockwell B-1 Lancer B-1A “Lancer” | Unknown | — |
| North American B-25 Mitchell B-25N “Mitchell” | Unknown | — |
| B-29TB “Superfortress” | Unknown | — |
| B-36J “Peacemaker” | Unknown | — |
| B-47E “Stratojet” | Unknown | — |
| Boeing B-52 Stratofortress B-52 “Stratofortress” | Unknown | — |
| B-57E “Intruder” | Unknown | — |
| B-58A “Hustler” | Unknown | — |
| C-119G “Flying Boxcar” | Unknown | — |
| C-47A “Skytrain” | Unknown | — |
| C-54D “Skymaster” | Unknown | — |
| CH-21B “Work Horse” | Unknown | — |
| EC-135 “Looking Glass” | Unknown | — |
| F-101B “Voodoo” | Unknown | — |
| F-102A “Delta Dagger” | Unknown | — |
| Republic F-105 Thunderchief F-105 “Thunderchief” | Unknown | — |
| Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk F-117 “Nighthawk” | Unknown | — |
| Republic F-84 Thunderjet / Thunderstreak family F-84F “Thunderstreak” | Unknown | — |
| North American F-86 Sabre F-86H “Sabre” | Unknown | — |
| FB-111A “Aardvark” | Unknown | — |
| H-19B “Whirlwind” | Unknown | — |
| HU-16B “Albatross” | Unknown | — |
| KC-97G Stratofreighter | Unknown | — |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 MIG-21F “Fishbed-C” | Unknown | — |
| Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 MiG-23 “Flogger” | Unknown | — |
| MQ-1C “Gray Eagle” | Unknown | — |
| RB-45C Tornado | Unknown | — |
| RF-4C “Phantom II” | Unknown | — |
| SR-71A “Blackbird” | Unknown | — |
| T-29A “Flying Classroom” | Unknown | — |
| T-33A “T-Bird” | Unknown | — |
| T-39A “Sabreliner” | Unknown | — |
| U-2C “Dragon Lady” | Unknown | — |
| XF-85 “Goblin” | Unknown | — |
Aircraft histories connected to this museum
These links connect museum holdings to aircraft histories already in the Trackpads Air Archive. They are not intended to imply that every museum aircraft has a dedicated archive profile yet.