The fighter
collection at the museum is quite extensive. Many eras are
here. This is a small sample of some of the fighters at the
museum.
Grumman F-14A Tomcat. Once ruling the skies over many regions of the world, the last Tomcats were retured in 2006.
Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star. This one carries the markings from the movie "Jet Pilot" starring John Wayne. It was a fictional Yak-12 in the movie.
McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II from the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, 433rd Tactical Fighter Squadron. The F-4C was the first model built for the USAF.
Vought DF-8F Crusader from Fleet Composite Squadron EIGHT (VC-8). The F-8 featured a variable incidence wing, allowing the main wing to be raised and lowered to allow the aircraft to have slow flight characteristics while landing on a carrier and keep the nose down for better visibility.
McDonnell Douglas YF-4J Phantom II from the Naval Air Test Facility at Lakehurst NAS, New Jersey. This was the prototype F-4J that featured a bunch of improvements including upgraded RADAR and improved engines among other modifications.
Grumman TF-9J Cougar from VT-23, Kingsville NAS, Texas. Originally called the F9F-8 until the US Navy changed it's designation system.
Grumman TF-9J Cougar from Training Squadron 10 (VT-10) Pensacola NAS, Florida.
McDonnell Douglas F-101B Voodoo from the 107th Fighter-Interceptor Group, NY Air National Guard based at Niagara Falls Airport. They began service with Air Defense Command in 1959 and flew with the Air National Guard until 1982.
North American AF-1E Fury, also called the FJ-4B protoype in Columbus NAS markings. This was the US Navy version of the F-86 Sabre.
Grumman F7F-3 Tigercat from VMF-533 at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. This was the first production twin engine fighter for the US Navy. The first Tigercats arrive in the Pacific in August of 1945 and missed WWII acyion, but later saw use in Korea.
Douglas A4D-2 Skyhawk from VA-153, USS Coral Sea. First flown in 1954, the Skyhawk served with the US Navy into the early 1990s.
McDonnell F2H-2P Banshee from VMJ-2 Marine Photoreconnaissance Sqaudron. The Banshees saw service in Korea as fighters and reconnaissance aircraft.
Douglas TF-10B Skyknight of VMFT(N)-20 Marine Night Fighter Training Squadron at Cherry Point MCAS, North Carolina. Skyknights served in Korea and had more kills than any other Navy or USMC Night Fighter.
McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle from the 325th Tactical Fighter Wing, Tyndall AFB, Florida. The F-15 was accepted into USAF service in 1969 and continues to serve the USAF and other nations as an air superiority fighter.
Some of the fighters at the Pima Air and Space Museum.
Bell P-63E Kingcobra in standard 1945 factory markings. Although it was a dramatic improvement to the P-39, it was still inferior to other fighters of the era. They were put to use in Russia during WWII. They were also used by France and Honduras.
North American P-51D Mustang "Bad Angel" from the 3rd Air Commando Group, 4th Fighter Squadron based in the Philippines in 1945.
Convair TF-102A Delta Dagger from the 525th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Bitburg Air Base in West Germany. The TF-102 was built to help pilots learn the tricky handling characteristics of a delta wing aircraft.
Northrop F-5B Freedom Fighter from the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing based in Williams Arizona. The F-5 was built as a private venture by Northrop to build an inexpensive fighter. The T-38 trainer was used by the USAF for many years. The F-5 was mostly exported. The F-5A is a single seat fighter. The F-5B is a 2 seat trainer that is also capable of combat duties.
North American F-86H Sabre from the 474th Fighter Bomber Wing at Clovis AFB, New Mexico. The F-86H was the last of the Sabres that did not have RADAR. This was the best F-86 in terms of speed and performance. It saw front line service in Korea from 1954-1958.
North American F-86L Sabre from the 354th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. The L version was equipped with RADAR and an engine with afterburners. These were assigned to Air Defense Command in the 1950s.
Republic F-84C Thunderjet from the 33rd Fighter Group, Walker AFB, New Mexico. This aircraft was the first jet fighter built by Republic. Designed in 1944 and first flown in 1946, the second prototype set a speed record.
North American F-100C Super Sabre from the 4510th Combat Crew Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona. The F-100 was the upgrade for the F-86 and saw service in Vietnam and the Cold War. Many were later converted to target drones.
Lockheed F-104D Starfighter from the 156th Tactical Fighter Group based at San Juan International Airport in Puerto Rico. The F-104 was the first fighter to be able to sustain speeds above Mach 2.
Forward shot of the F-104 shows how small and thin the main wings really were.
Lockheed T-1A Seastar from Quonset Point NAS, Rhode Island. The T-1 was a modification on the T-33 Shooting Star, with the design geared toward Navy service. The Navy bought 150 of them and they had a short time in Squadron Service.
Vought A-7D Corsair II from the 162nd Tactical Fighter Training Wing based at Tucson Airport. While designated as an "attack" airplane, the A-7 was also quite capable as a fighter, although it was mainly used for close air support and strike duties. This one welcomes visitors as they pull into the parking lot for the museum.