Vintage Military Aircraft

Black and white photographs of classic military aircraft in flight and on the ground, highlighting historical aviation designs.

Vintage Photograph. US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in flight.

Vintage Photograph. Convair F-102A supersonic all-weather in flight.

A right side view of a Soviet Su-20 Fitter-C aircraft. Country: Unknown

Anefo photo collection. CSA Galaxy brings first F16 at Schiphol; The F16 is unloaded. September 13, 1978. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

The Plane Farnborough Will Long Remember This fantastic looking aircraft, the De Havilland 110 is of the same type in which test ***** John Derry lost his life when the plane exploded ***** year's Farnborough Air Show. The machine also ***** 28 spectators. Now under development for Naval ***** DH 110, seen from the rear, has all the ***** features of the present day all-weather ***** very high speed, endurance, interception, radar ***** heavy armament. Providing the power are two Rolls Royce ***

Vintage Photograph. US Air Force Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in flight.

The D.H. 108 experimental Jet-Propelled Aircraft Taken off at Hatfield Aerodrome, Herts., April 12.Flying a D.H. 108 experimental Jet-Propelled Aircraft, with swept back wings, John Derry, a De Havilland testpilot, Completed the sixty two and one hale mile course in six minutes 9.6 seconds at a speed of 605.230 miles per hour at Hatfield Aerodrome, herts April 12. This beats the existing records by over forty miles per hour. Time and speed subject to official confirmation by the royal aero club officials acting on behalf on the federation aero Nautique International. April 29, 1948. (Photo by Associated Press Photo).

Lockheed JF-104A (AF56-745A Tail No. 60745) Starfighter airplane piloted by Fred Drinkwater conducted flight testing that demonstrated steep approaches that were ultimately used by the space shuttle. Steep descent testing, including power-off landing approaches and demonstration of minimum lift-to-drag ratio (L/D) landings came out of the interest in the use of low L/D lifting bodies for recovery to landing from space. Note Used in publication in Flight Research at Ames; 57 Years of Development and Validation of Aeronautical Technology NASA SP-1998-3300 fig 93

Tail from an MC Donnell Douglas F-4e Phantom II 32 Tacitical Fighter Squadron (TFS) on the Soesterberg airbase.

DF-SN-86-12587. Country: France (FRA)

LOCKHEED F-94C #156 AIRPLANE. COOLING AIR EJECTOR on NACA Ames Flight Line

Tail-Less Jet Fichter Takes The Air -- The DH.108 in ***** recent tests. The de Havilland DH.108 has successfully flown 2500 miles from its Suffolk base. New "elevons" at the wing-tips of this revolutionary single-seat fighter take the place of both ailerons and elevators. Swept-back wings delay the onset of compressibility, and speeds substantially greater than those of conventional aircraft are expected of the DH.108 in its later stages. At present the aircraft is not designed for high speeds, but later it will be modified to tackle the special problems which arise when an aircraft's speed approaches that of sound. The DH.108 is built round a standard Vampire fuselage powered by a de Havilland Goblin turbo-jet engine developing 12,000 h.p. Controllability is weel established - already the DH.108 has fought mock battles with the ***** Manoeuvrable Mosquito. June 2, 1946.

An air-to-air left side view of two F-4S Phantom II aircraft. They are assigned to Fighter Squadrons 301 and 302 (VF-301, 302). Country: Unknown

Right side view of a QF-4B Phantom II target aircraft before launching an AQM-37A Challenger Target over the Pacific Missile Test Center Range. Base: Naval Air Station, Point Mugu State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A view of a Soviet Su-17 Fitter fighter-bomber. Country: Unknown

North American Aviation F-100 Super Sabrejet in flight

To Use Jet Bomber for Atomic Tests - The Air Force said today three types of bombers - one the B-47 all-jet medium bomber like this one soaring just above the clouds on a test flight -- will be used in the atomic tests in the Pacific. The B-47 is a six-jet engine powered, swept-wing plane in the "600-mile-per-hour speed class." March 21, 1951. (Photo by AP Wirephoto).

Vintage photograph. Northrop F-89D

Back of the tail with the General Electric Engines of an MC Donnell Douglas F-4e Phantom II Gear from the American 32 Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS).

Airplane A 32 Sampling aircraft on the ground Aircraft A 32 Sampling aircraft on the ground. View from above. From Air Force Museum's image archive.

A Russian Navy SU-27K Flanker fighter aircraft from the Northern Fleet aircraft carreir KUSNETSOV exercising at sea. Country: Murman Coast

Oct. 10, 1975 - Mirabel - Montreal, Canada Arrival of the Concorde - October 4, 1975.

An air-to-air right side view of a Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat aircraft. Country: Unknown

A right side view of a Fighter Squadron 1 (VF-1) F-14A Tomcat aircraft parked on the flight line. Base: Naval Air Station, Miramar State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Vintage photograph. Douglas XF4D-1

An air-to-air right side view of two Attack Squadron 72 (VA-72) A-7E Corsair II aircraft over the coast of Florida. Country: Unknown

An air-to-air right side view of an F-117A stealth fighter aircraft of the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing. The aircraft is en route to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield.

Low angle view of an F-111F Aardvark in flight

B-57B on ramp

DN-SN-86-00076. Country: Unknown

DN-SN-85-05636. Base: Natc, Patuxent River State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Artwork: "Heavy Laden" Artist: Unknown. Country: Unknown

F-8U Crusader military aircraft, NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia, USA, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics , 1957

Above the clouds a six-ship Delta formation of Thunderbirds F-16As fly in trail to one of their support C-141B Starlifter aircraft. Country: Unknown

A right front view of a Marine A-4M Skyhawk aircraft sitting on the flight line. The A-4M is from Marine Light Attack Squadron 331 (VMAL-331). Base: Mcas, Cherry Point State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Anefo photo collection. Three Lockheed Super Starfighters. September 13, 1961

DD-ST-88-09455. Base: Unknown

The Pogo Convair XFY-1 (VTOL) General Dynamics

An F-106A Delta Dart aircraft passes over the Mojave Desert while en route to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will be used in the QF-106 drone program. The aircraft, which was the second-to-last F-106 in active service, had been used as a safety chase aircraft in the B-1B aircraft production acceptance flight test program. State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Artwork: "Phantom" Artist: Dick Kramer. Country: Unknown

High angle view of two fighter planes on a military base, Convair F-102A Delta Dagger

An air-to-air left side view of a Soviet I1-14 Crate aircraft involved in the search and rescue operations for the downed Korean Airlines 747 (KAL-007). KAL-007 was shot down by a Soviet aircraft when it was suspected of being a surveillance mission over Sakhalin Island. Country: Sea Of Japan

A front view of an F-4C Phantom II aircraft carrying cluster bomb units on a triple ejector rack (TER) on each wing, and camera pods mounted outboard on each wing rack, on the ground during testing. Base: Eglin Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

RF-84-F on Tarmac

JF-104A (Serial #56-0749) on the ramp at the NASA Flight Research Center (now the Dryden Flight Research Center) at Edwards AFB. The aircraft is shown with the Air Launched Sounding Rocket (ALSOR) attached to the underside. NASA test pilot Milton O. Thompson ejected from this aircraft on 20 December 1962, after an asymmetrical flap condition made the jet uncontrollable.

Fiat f-104g. g.91t/3. g01r/4. 1963.

A front view of a parked F-4E Phantom II aircraft armed with a GBU-15 (CW) bomb, parked on the apron. Base: Eglin Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Duke Crash-Lands After Record-Bid Fails -- Neville Duke taking off on his record-breaking bid.Ace test pilot Neville Duke crash-landed his Hawker Hunter jet at Dunsfold Aerodrome, near Guildford, England, to-day.The 31-year-old pilot's plane developed under-carriage trouble during his attack on the air speed record - 715.69 M.P.H. Now held in America - But the made a wonderful landing on one wheel.As the plane touched down one of the wing tips was slightly damaged. Duke was unhurt. September 01, 1953. (Photo by Paul Popper).

Anefo photo collection. Starfighter made abdominal landing at Schiphol by defective landing gear. 7 June 1963. Noord-Holland, Schiphol

DF-SC-87-02071. Country: Unknown

An air-to-air left side view of a Soviet MiG-23 Flogger B aircraft. (PHOTO courtesy of Soviet Military Power). Country: Unknown

A view of a parked Navy F-4C Phantom II aircraft, armed with practice bombs. The aircraft is being used for the testing of the Global Positioning System satellite. Country: Unknown

An air-to-air left underside view of an F-111 aircraft flown by the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath. Mounted on the F-111's wing pylons are four Paveway laser-guided bombs. Country: England / Great Britain (ENG)

Right side view of a Soviet II-38 May reconnaissance aircraft. "Soviet Military Power," 1983, Page 93. Country: Unknown

An air-to-air left side view of a B-52H Stratofortress aircraft as it flies over the Utah Test and Training Range. The B-52H Stratofortress aircraft is carrying an air-launched cruise missile under its left wing. Base: Dugway Proving Grounds State: Utah (UT) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Sukhoi Su-25k, 8077 of the Czech Air Force, on the Static Show of the Open Day of Leeuwarden Air Base on July 2, 1994.

Propellers - Turbine And General Aviation. August 26, 1954.

A Soviet Su-27 Flanker aircraft taking off. Country: Unknown

Right side view of an F-111A aircraft assigned to the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing on the flight line during exercise Red Flag '80-1. Subject Operation/Series: RED FLAG '80-1 Base: Nellis Air Force Base State: Nevada (NV) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Low Angle Front View of a British Avro "Vulcan" Flight Demonstration During the "World Congress of Flight" in Las Vegas, Nevada. Low Angle Front View of a British Avro "Vulcan" Flight Demonstration During the "World Congress of Flight" in Las Vegas, Nevada.

F-101A Front quarter view on Edwards LakebedAug. 10, 1956

DN-SN-86-03932. Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

An air-to-air head-on view of an F-15 Eagle aircraft. Country: Unknown

A right underside view of a Soviet Tu-28 Fiddler fighter aircraft in flight. (Substandard image). Country: Unknown

DN-SC-87-05646. Country: Unknown

DF-SC-85-09639. Country: Unknown

A right rear view of a Soviet Su-24 Fencer fighter-bomber aircraft in-flight. Country: Unknown

Vintage photograph. Boeing YB-52 Stratofortress takes off from Boeing Field, Seattle, Washington

DN-SC-88-06707. Base: Point Mugu State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A right side view of an F-111 aircraft during testing of B-83 nuclear bomb dummies. Base: Edwards Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Artwork: "After the Bear" Artist: Ray Martens. Country: Unknown

A right front view of a Russian Navy IL-38 May maritime reconnaissance aircraft in flight. (Exact date shot unknown). Country: Baltic Sea

DN-ST-90-07246. Base: Naval Air Station, Oceana State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

1981 - An air-to-air left side view of a QF-100D Super Sabre aircraft..

A C-1A Trader aircraft takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ (CVN 68). The C-1A is a carrier on-board delivery (COD) aircraft developed to carry high priority freight and passengers to and from carriers at sea. Base: USS Nimitz (CVN 68)

World's First Delta-Jet Bomber-New Picture -- This is a new picture of the world's first four-jet operational delta bomber, the Avro 698. The Delta shape enables the aircraft to fly faster, higher and and farther with a bigger load and with greater economy than anything else in the world. The 698 made its first flight on August 30 and flew many times for thrilled crowds during the week-long Farnborough air display. But so secret is the aircraft that the Ministry of Supply did not allow it to la

Left side view of a North American F-86E Sabre, "Miss B" (s/n 50-602; c/n 170-24). A technician is standing next to two carts beside the aircraft .. Left side view of a North American F-86E Sabre, "Miss B" (s/n 50-602; c/n 170-24). A technician is standing next to two carts beside the aircraft ..

A right side view of a KC-10A Extender aircraft in flight. Base: Edwards Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Vicker's New Experimental Plane - First pictures of the new supermarine 525 experimental aircraft.The supermarine 525 made its first flight recently piloted by Vickers Armstrong's chief test pilot Mr. M. J. Lithgow, who flew the aircraft for more than 20 minutes and described the flight as "completely successful".The plane, which has been described as the fastest and most powerful aircraft ever designed for aircraft carrier operations, is powered by two rolls-royce avon engines *****. May 06, 1954. (Photo by Paul Popper, Paul Popper Ltd.).

F-84F Thunderstreak fighter bomber in flight

1979 - Right side view of an AGM-86 air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) in flight.

DN-SC-89-05229. Country: Unknown

X-3 (center), and clockwise from left: X-1A, D-558-I, XF-92A, X-5, D-558-II, and X-4.

The Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, besides being used extensively in its primary role as an inflight aircraft refueler, has assisted in several projects at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.In 1957 and 1958, Dryden was asked by what was then the Civil Aeronautics Administration (later absorbed into the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1958) to help establish new approach procedure guidelines on cloud-ceiling and visibility minimums for Boeing's first jet airliner, the B-707. Dryden used a KC-135 (the military variant of the 707), seen here on the runway at Edwards Air Force Base, to aid the CAA in these tests.In 1979 and 1980, Dryden was again involved with general aviation research with the KC-135. This time, a special wingtip "winglet", developed by Richard Whitcomb of Langley Research Center, was tested on the jet aircraft. Winglets are small, nearly vertical fins installed on an airplane's wing tips to help produce a forward thrust in the vortices

Three-quarter left front view of a North American F-86E Sabre jet (s/n 51-2737; c/n 172-20) parked on the ground with external fuel tanks. Speed brake is extended.. Three-quarter left front view of a North American F-86E Sabre jet (s/n 51-2737; c/n 172-20) parked on the ground with external fuel tanks. Speed brake is extended..

A BREGUET BR1150 ATLANTIC (SP-13A) maritime patrol range (1969-1984) top sea.

An air-to-air right side view of a QF-4B Phantom II director aircraft carrying an AQM-37 air-launched target drone over the Pacific Missile Test Center range. Base: Naval Air Station, Point Mugu State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Gloster Meteor Mk.VIII in the Air Force Museum in Soesterberg.The device is painted in the colors of the Demo team "Ruiten Vier". The device performs the erroneous registration 7E-5 (I-189). In reality, this is the I-207, with constructions number 6511.

Vintage photograph. Navy North American FJ-1 Fury seen in flight

AN air-to-air left side view of an F-101B Voodoo aircraft. Base: Tyndall Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DN-ST-85-12741. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

The P-III Will Be Seen At Farnborough Air Show -- A sharp-tailed, delta winged Bouton Aircraft P-III, powered by a Rolls Royce "Nene" turbo-jet engine. It is one of 50 types of aircraft which will be on show at the flying display and exhibition of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors which opens here on Wednesday. The P-III is a research aircraft. September 10, 1951. ;The P-III Will Be Seen At Farnborough Air Show -- A sharp-tailed, delta winged Bouton Aircraft P-III, powered by a Rolls

Anefo photo collection. Transfer rocket launcher in Germany. Hercules rocket voucher. October 10, 1961. Germany

An air-to-air right side view of a Royal Australian Air Force CA-29 Mirage aircraft as it takes off during the Cope Thunder exercise. Subject Operation/Series: COPE THUNDER Base: Clark Air Base State: Luzon Country: Philippines (PHL)

An Air Anti-submarine Squadron 29 (VS-29) S-3A Viking aircraft taxis on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72). Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)

Lockheed F-104G Starfighter of 311 Squadron in the landing at Leeuwarden airbase.

A Lockheed P2V-7B, P-2H & SP-2H Neptune (1961-1982) and a Breguet Brii50 Atlantic (SP-13A) (1969-1984) maritime patrol range in formation flying.

A Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 33 (VAQ-33) TA-3B Skywarrior aircraft is launched from the aircraft carrier USS KITTY HAWK (CV 63). Base: USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63)

Supermarine 341 Swift jet fighter Date: circa 1950

Ground-to-air right side view of a Royal Air Force Buccaneer aircraft performing touch and go operations during Test and Evaluation Squadron Five's (VX-5) airshow. Base: Nav Weapons Center, China Lake State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

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