The primary section of the open-air exhibition focuses on the history of the Cold War – featuring aircraft belonging to NATO and Warsaw Pact countries that could have been deployed against one another at any moment, including in nuclear combat.
Estimated time for an individual visit – approximately 50–80 minutes.
Positioned on the apron before the main hangar are aircraft operated by NATO nations. Among them is the Canadair CF-104 Starfighter, a licence-built version of the American Lockheed F-104G Starfighter fighter-bomber. This fighter, capable of exceeding twice the speed of sound and featuring exceptionally short, anhedral wings, was designed in the 1950s by Clarence ‘Kelly’ Johnson. It entered licensed production in Canada, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Japan, becoming the primary combat aircraft for NATO member states in the early 1960s. Due to its technical complexity and demanding handling characteristics, these machines were prone to frequent accidents. Our exhibit served with the Royal Canadian Air Force and subsequently with the Royal Danish Air Force, in whose livery it is currently displayed.
Flanking the Starfighter are two combat aircraft presented by the Royal Swedish Air Force. The first of these is the SAAB J 35J Draken (meaning ‘Dragon’ in English), a double-delta wing fighter designed in the 1950s, capable of exceeding Mach 2. As a neutral nation, Sweden prioritised the production of its own combat aircraft, which it also exports.
Positioned by the Starfighter’s starboard wing is the considerably larger SAAB AJSF 37 Viggen. The name Viggen (meaning ‘Thunderbolt’ in English) refers to a supersonic combat aircraft produced in fighter-bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, and maritime patrol variants. The AJSF 37 is the reconnaissance version, equipped with six cameras in the nose of the fuselage to capture ground imagery from various altitudes. During the 1970s and 1980s, these aircraft frequently photographed the Polish coastline from international airspace over the Baltic Sea, often encountering Polish fighters scrambled to intercept them. The Viggen is designed to operate from austere strips, such as sections of public roads in Sweden. Thanks to its large wing area and thrust reverser, it possesses short take-off and landing (STOL) capabilities, while its vertical stabiliser can be folded to allow the aircraft to pass under road overpasses. Both Swedish aircraft arrived in Kraków under their own power and were transported to the Museum from Balice Airport.
In the corner, by the hangar wall, stands the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak, a subsonic strike aircraft designed in the United States in the early 1950s as the successor to the F-84 Thunderjet. Over 2,000 units were produced, and they entered service with the United States Air Force and most NATO nations, including the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France, Norway, Denmark, Greece, and Turkey. French Thunderstreaks saw combat during the Suez Crisis in 1956. It was one of the primary potential adversaries of the Polish Air Force and other Warsaw Pact nations during the Cold War confrontation. Its successor in NATO countries was the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. The exhibit on display served with the Belgian Air Force.
Opposite the Thunderstreak, near the far corner of the hangar, stands a French Dassault Mystère IVA fighter-bomber, designed in the 1950s. These aircraft were operated by the air forces of France, Israel, and India. French and Israeli Mystères saw combat during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Throughout the 1960s, Israeli aircraft frequently engaged in dogfights with Egyptian fighters and were deployed for strike missions during the Six-Day War in June 1967. Indian machines carried out strike duties during the conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.
On the other side of the road stands another French design, the successor to the Mystère – the supersonic Dassault Mirage V strike aircraft with a delta wing, also in Belgian livery. The Mirage V is a ground-attack version of the Mirage III fighter, originally developed at Israel’s request but not delivered following the arms embargo imposed on Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967. These aircraft were exported to numerous countries and produced under licence in Belgium. Further along is the SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1, a twin-engine British-French strike aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons, designed in the 1960s. During the Cold War, RAF Jaguars stationed in the United Kingdom and West Germany at the Brüggen and Laarbruch bases were intended to play a vital role in repelling a potential Warsaw Pact attack on NATO nations. They saw combat in the Gulf Wars and the former Yugoslavia. Beyond France and the United Kingdom, Jaguars were operated by the air forces of Ecuador, Oman, and Nigeria, and remain in service with the Indian Air Force. Our exhibit, serial number XX730, served with No. 6 Squadron RAF, based at Coltishall.
Alongside the Jaguar stands one of the most remarkable aircraft in the Museum – the British Aerospace Harrier GR.3. This is a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) strike aircraft, designed in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. Variants were developed for the Royal Air Force, operating from land bases, and for the Fleet Air Arm (the naval air branch), operating from aircraft carriers. Their successful combat debut took place during the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982. The RAF Harrier GR.3s stationed in West Germany were also intended to be used to repel a potential Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe, primarily in an anti-tank role. It was planned that, in the event of the destruction of permanent bases, they would operate from austere sites, such as shopping centre car parks. The Museum’s exhibit, serial number XW919, served with No. 4 Squadron RAF, based at Gütersloh in West Germany, and subsequently saw combat in the Falklands War, during which it was damaged by Argentine anti-aircraft fire.
On the other side of the taxiway stand the two largest aircraft in the collection – the Tupolev Tu-134A airliner and the Antonov An-26 transport aircraft. The Tu-134 was the first turbojet-powered airliner in the LOT Polish Airlines fleet, entering service in 1968. The modernised Tu-134A version, capable of carrying 76 passengers, was introduced in 1973; LOT operated eight such aircraft. They served short-haul international routes until 1994.
The An-26 was the primary transport aircraft of the Polish Air Force. It is a high-wing monoplane powered by two turboprop engines, developed by the Antonov Design Bureau in the USSR based on the An-24 airliner. The prototype first flew in 1969. The aircraft could carry a payload of 5,500 kg, 30 paratroopers, or 24 stretchers. The crew consisted of two pilots, a navigator, a flight engineer, and a radio operator. At the rear of the fuselage is a ramp that lowers for loading and air drops. It was capable of transporting vehicles, such as UAZ off-road cars. In 1972, the Polish military purchased 12 An-26 aircraft. They were operated by the 13th Regiment and subsequently the 13th Transport Aviation Squadron in Kraków-Balice until early 2009. They were utilised for paratrooper drops and transport duties. These aircraft supplied Polish military contingents abroad and participated in humanitarian missions, as well as ‘Akcja Serce’ (Action Heart) – the transport of organs for transplantation.
Behind the transport aircraft is a collection of helicopters operated by Polish military aviation. Standing side by side are four Mi-2 helicopters. The Mi-2 is a light multi-role helicopter designed in the USSR, powered by two turboshaft engines. These helicopters were produced in numerous variants at the WSK PZL Świdnik factory. They continue to be in service in both military and civilian aviation to this day. The exhibit equipped with two tubes on its sides is the chemical reconnaissance and smoke-screen-laying version.
The larger helicopter adjacent to the Mi-2 is the Mi-4ME. The Mi-4 is a transport helicopter designed in the USSR in the early 1950s, powered by an ASz-82 radial engine. The version on display, equipped with a sea-surface surveillance radar, a magnetometer, and a depth-charge launcher, was utilised for anti-submarine warfare. Opposite the hangar housing the ‘Wings of the Great War’ exhibition stands a TS-11 Iskra bis B aircraft in the livery of the 61st Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment from Biała Podlaska.
On the other side of the hill, which conceals a German anti-aircraft shelter from the Second World War, stands an Ilyushin Il-14. This is a twin-engine passenger aircraft designed in the Soviet Union in the early 1950s. These machines were operated by LOT Polish Airlines from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, primarily on domestic routes. They were also utilised by the military air force for transport duties, including paratrooper drops and the conveyance of high-ranking state officials. The Museum’s exhibit, bearing the side number 3078 and manufactured in the GDR, is a VIP salon version intended for government transport. Among its passengers was Władysław Gomułka, the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers’ Party Central Committee.
To the right of the Il-14, on the opposite side of the taxiway facing the hangar, stands its successor – the Yakovlev Yak-40 jet executive aircraft in a VIP configuration. These aircraft arrived in Poland in the early 1970s and were utilised for the transport of high-ranking state officials until 2011. They also served as aerial target tugs. LOT Polish Airlines periodically chartered these machines from the military to operate low-demand routes. Owing to the distinctive high-pitched sound of its engines, the Yak-40 was nicknamed the ‘flying whistle’.
Alongside the Yak stand two Ilyushin Il-28 aircraft – twin-engine jet bombers designed in the USSR in the late 1940s. They were operated by the Polish Air Force from 1952 until 1977. The first aircraft, bearing the number S3, is a training variant, in which the front cockpit is occupied by an instructor. The second, numbered 72, is an example of the Il-28R reconnaissance version. Behind them stands a Soviet Mil Mi-24V assault and transport helicopter in Hungarian livery. The Mi-24, which has also been used by Polish aviation for over 40 years, is the most widely deployed combat helicopter in the world. Helicopters of this type have been utilised in numerous armed conflicts, such as those in Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf Wars, Chechnya, and Ukraine. Polish Mi-24s also flew missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Alongside the Il-14, one can discover truly exotic exhibits – American combat aircraft from the Vietnam War era. Across the path, by the Il-14’s starboard wing, stand the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly and the Northrop F-5E Tiger II. The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly is a light twin-engine strike aircraft developed from the Cessna T-37 Tweet trainer; these machines were primarily utilised for counter-insurgency operations. The F-5E Tiger is a light supersonic fighter-bomber. Both aircraft were supplied by the United States to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and bear the markings of that now-defunct state. Following the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, they were captured by North Vietnamese forces and sent to Poland for technical evaluation at the Air Force Institute of Technology, where the possibility of integrating Soviet-made weaponry was explored. Both aircraft joined the Museum’s collection in 1992.
Positioned behind the tail of the Il-14 is one of the Museum’s most fascinating exhibits – the American supersonic Republic F-105 Thunderchief strike aircraft. Developed in the late 1950s, it was designed primarily to deliver tactical nuclear weapons, although it could also carry a substantial conventional payload. It remains the largest single-engine, single-seat combat aircraft ever built. In the early 1960s, besides the United States, these aircraft were stationed at American bases in West Germany – Bitburg and Spangdahlem – as well as in Okinawa and Japan, from where, in the event of war, they were to carry out nuclear strikes against targets in Eastern Europe, the USSR, and China. Upon the outbreak of the Vietnam War, most of these aircraft were redeployed to the Korat and Takhli bases in Thailand, conducting bombing raids against targets in North Vietnam and Laos. The F-105s carried out 75% of all bombing missions over North Vietnam, sustaining heavy losses from formidable North Vietnamese anti-aircraft defences. The Thunderchiefs’ most renowned and successful action was the bombing of the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi on 11 August 1967, which carried the strategic railway line transporting supplies from Haiphong harbour into the interior. Furthermore, F-105 pilots succeeded in shooting down 27 Vietnamese fighters.
The exhibit on display, serial number 59-1822, belonged to the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Takhli. In 1970, it was piloted by an American officer of Polish descent, Major Donald Kutyna, who later became the Commander-in-Chief of NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command). To highlight his Polish heritage, he named the aircraft the ‘Polish Glider’.
Positioned by the main hangar wall are three light aircraft. Two of these – the single-engine, high-wing Aero L-60 Brigadyr and the twin-engine Aero 145, both of Czechoslovak manufacture – were operated for many years in Poland by the air ambulance service. The third aircraft in this row is the PZL M-20 Mewa, a licence-built version of the American Piper PA-34 Seneca II, produced at the PZL Mielec factory. These machines also served with the air ambulance service and remain in use today as air taxis and for the training of future commercial pilots.
Along the path leading to the main building stand aircraft used for the training of military pilots. The first of these is the turboprop PZL-130 Orlik TC-1, manufactured by the PZL Okęcie works. These aircraft, modernised to the TC-II standard with more advanced engines and electronic equipment, are utilised for pilot training before their transition to jet aircraft; they also fly with the ‘Orlik’ aerobatic team. Alongside is the twin-engine PZL M93 Iryda – an aircraft intended to be the successor to the Iskra, which was under development for over 20 years but was never ultimately brought into service. The next aircraft is the Czechoslovak Aero L-29 Delfin, against which the Iskra lost the competition for the Warsaw Pact’s standard trainer. Delfins were operated by all communist states, including the USSR, as well as numerous Third World nations.
The next aircraft is the French twin-engine Fouga CM.170 Magister, designed in the early 1950s. It was the first mass-produced jet trainer in the world. It features a distinctive butterfly or V-tail, an invention of the Polish designer, engineer Jerzy Rudlicki, dating back to the early 1930s. Beyond France, these aircraft were produced under licence in West Germany, Finland, and Israel. They were utilised in many countries for training purposes and as light strike aircraft, notably during the Congo Crisis in 1961 and the Six-Day War in 1967. They also flew with the French Air Force’s aerobatic team, the ‘Patrouille de France’. Opposite the Fouga Magister stand two MiG-21 aircraft. The first is a two-seat MiG-21UM operational trainer in a ‘snow leopard’ livery. The second is a MiG-21MF fighter, which belonged to the commander of the 10th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Łask, Major Dariusz Pacek, presented in a commemorative gold livery.
Flanking the path in front of the main building are three helicopters. To the left stands a Mi-8 in a VIP configuration. It was operated by the 36th Special Transport Aviation Regiment and was used to transport the highest-ranking state officials. On two occasions, in 1983 and 1997, Pope John Paul II travelled aboard this machine during his pilgrimages to Poland. Its interior is open to the public.
Opposite the ‘Papal Mi-8’ stands a near-identical machine, registration SN-40XP, which was operated first by the 103rd Aviation Regiment of the Vistula Military Units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and subsequently by the Police Aviation. Standing directly alongside is a PZL Kania police helicopter. This is a Polish design, developed in the late 1970s based on the Mi-2, featuring American engines and avionics, and was intended for export to Western markets. In Poland, these helicopters were operated by the Police Aviation and remain in service with the Border Guard. Our exhibit served first with the police aviation section in Poznań and later in Kraków; thus, it was stationed on the Museum’s grounds. Following its withdrawal from service, it became a museum exhibit.
