The main part of the outdoor exhibition is primarily devoted to the history of the Cold War – aircraft belonging to NATO and Warsaw Pact countries that could have fought against each other at any moment, including with the use of nuclear weapons.
Estimated time for an individual visit – approximately 50–80 minutes.
In the square in front of the main hangar stand aircraft used by NATO countries. The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter is a licence-built version of the American Lockheed F-104G Starfighter fighter-bomber. This Mach 2 fighter with very short wings featuring anhedral, designed in the 1950s by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, entered licence production in Canada, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Japan, and in the early 1960s became the primary combat aircraft of NATO countries. It was a technically complex and difficult aircraft to fly, and as a result these machines frequently suffered accidents. Our specimen was used by the Canadian Air Force and subsequently by Denmark, and can now be seen in that country’s markings.
On either side of the Starfighter stand two combat aircraft donated by the Royal Swedish Air Force. The first is the SAAB J 35J Draken (meaning “dragon” in Swedish), a 1950s-designed fighter with a double-delta wing configuration, capable of exceeding Mach 2. Sweden, as a neutral country, chose to produce its own combat aircraft, which it also exports.
By the right wing of the Starfighter stands the considerably larger SAAB AJSF 37 Viggen. Viggen, meaning “Thunderbolt” in Swedish, is a supersonic combat aircraft produced in fighter-bomber, interceptor, reconnaissance, and maritime reconnaissance variants. The AJSF 37 is the reconnaissance version, equipped with six cameras in the forward fuselage that photographed the ground from various altitudes. In the 1970s and 1980s, these aircraft frequently photographed the Polish coastline from international airspace over the Baltic Sea, encountering Polish fighters scrambled to intercept them. The Viggen is adapted for operations from dispersed field bases, which in Sweden are sections of public roads. Thanks to its large lifting surface and thrust reverser, it has a short take-off and landing distance, and the vertical stabiliser folds to allow the aircraft to pass under overpasses. Both Swedish aircraft flew to Krakow under their own power and were transported from Balice airfield to the Museum.
In the corner against the hangar wall stands the subsonic Republic F-84F Thunderstreak attack aircraft, designed in the early 1950s in the United States as a successor to the F-84 Thunderjet. Over 2,000 were produced. They entered service with the United States Air Force and most NATO countries, including the Federal Republic of Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, France, Norway, Denmark, Greece, and Turkey. French Thunderstreaks were used in combat during the Suez Crisis in 1956. It was one of the main potential adversaries of Polish and other Warsaw Pact air forces in a Cold War confrontation. Its successor in NATO countries was the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. The specimen on display belonged to the Belgian Air Force.
Opposite the Thunderstreak, at the other corner of the hangar, stands the French Dassault Mystere IVA fighter-bomber, designed in the 1950s. Such aircraft were used by the air forces of France, Israel, and India. French and Israeli Mysteres were used in combat during the Suez Crisis in 1956. Israeli aircraft engaged in air combat with Egyptian fighters on several occasions in the 1960s and were used for ground attack missions during the Six-Day War in June 1967. Indian machines carried out ground attack missions during the conflicts with Pakistan in 1965 and 1971.
On the other side of the road stands another French design, the successor to the Mystere – the supersonic Dassault Mirage V strike aircraft with a delta wing, also in Belgian markings. The Mirage V is a variant of the Mirage III fighter, designed for ground attack, developed on commission from Israel but not delivered after sanctions were imposed on Israel following the Six-Day War in 1967. These aircraft were exported to many countries and produced under licence in Belgium. Further along stands the SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1, a twin-engine Anglo-French attack aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons, designed in the 1960s. During the Cold War, RAF Jaguars stationed in the United Kingdom and in West Germany at Bruggen and Laarbruch bases were to play a significant role in repelling a potential Warsaw Pact attack on NATO countries. They were used in combat during the Gulf Wars and in the former Yugoslavia. Besides France and the United Kingdom, Jaguars were operated by the air forces of Ecuador, Oman, and Nigeria, and are still in service with the Indian Air Force. Our specimen, serial number XX730, served with No. 6 Squadron RAF, stationed at Coltishall.
Next to the Jaguar stands one of the most remarkable aircraft in the Museum – the British Aerospace Harrier GR.3. This is a vertical/short take-off and landing (V/STOL) attack aircraft, designed in the United Kingdom in the 1960s. Versions were developed for the Royal Air Force, operating from land bases, and for the Fleet Air Arm, operating from aircraft carrier decks. Their successful combat debut came during the Falklands War between the United Kingdom and Argentina in 1982. RAF Harrier GR.3s stationed in West Germany were also intended to be used to repel a possible Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe, primarily in an anti-tank role. It was planned that if permanent bases were destroyed, they would operate from dispersed field sites, which were to be car parks at shopping centres. The Museum’s specimen, serial number XW919, belonged to No. 4 Squadron RAF stationed at Gutersloh in West Germany, and was subsequently used in combat during 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. The Tu-134 was the first turbojet-powered airliner in the LOT Polish Airlines fleet, introduced into service in 1968. The upgraded Tu-134A version, carrying 76 passengers, was introduced in 1973. LOT operated 8 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 aircraft powered by two turboprop engines, developed at the Antonov Design Bureau in the USSR based on the An-24 passenger aircraft. The prototype made its first flight in 1969. The aircraft could carry 5,500 kg of cargo, 30 paratroopers, or 24 stretchers. The crew consisted of 2 pilots, a navigator, a flight engineer, and a radio operator. At the rear of the fuselage there is a loading ramp that can be lowered for loading and airdrops. It was possible to transport vehicles, such as UAZ off-road cars. In 1972, the Polish military aviation purchased 12 An-26 aircraft. They were operated by the 13th Regiment, and subsequently the 13th Transport Aviation Squadron in Krakow-Balice until early 2009. They were used for paratrooper drops and transport missions. These aircraft supplied Polish military contingents abroad, participated in humanitarian missions, and took part in Akcja Serce (Operation Heart) – the transport of organs for transplantation.
Behind the transport aircraft is a collection of helicopters used by the 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 Swidnik factory. They continue to be used in both military and civilian aviation to this day. The specimen with two tubes on its sides is the chemical reconnaissance and smoke screen laying version.
The larger helicopter next 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, magnetometer, and depth charge launcher, was used 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 markings of the 61st Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment from Biala Podlaska.
On the other side of the hill, which conceals a German anti-aircraft shelter from World War II, stands an Ilyushin Il-14. This is a twin-engine passenger aircraft designed in the Soviet Union in the early 1950s. These aircraft were operated by LOT Polish Airlines from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, mainly on domestic routes. They were also used by the military air force for transport tasks, including paratrooper drops and carrying the most important state officials. The Museum’s specimen, side number 3078, manufactured in East Germany, is a VIP salon version intended for government transport. Among others, it was used by the First Secretary of the Polish United Workers’ Party Central Committee, Wladyslaw Gomulka.
To the right of the Il-14, on the other side of the taxiway opposite the hangar, stands its successor – the Yakovlev Yak-40 jet executive aircraft in VIP salon configuration. These aircraft arrived in Poland in the early 1970s and were used to transport the most important state officials until 2011. They also served for aerial target towing. LOT Polish Airlines periodically chartered these aircraft from the military to serve low-demand routes. Due to the distinctive sound of its engines, the Yak-40 was nicknamed the “flying whistle.”
Next to 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 military aviation from 1952 to 1977. The first aircraft, bearing the number S3, is a training version in which the front cockpit is occupied by the instructor. The second, numbered 72, is a specimen of the Il-28R reconnaissance version. Behind them stands a Soviet Mil Mi-24V assault-transport helicopter in Hungarian markings. The Mi-24, which has also been in service with the Polish Air Force for over 40 years, is the most widely used combat helicopter in the world. Helicopters such as this one have been deployed in numerous armed conflicts, including in Afghanistan, the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf Wars, Chechnya, and Ukraine. Polish Mi-24s also flew missions over Iraq and Afghanistan.
Next to the Il-14 one can see truly exotic exhibits – American combat aircraft from the Vietnam War era. On the other side of the path, by the right wing of the Il, stand the Cessna A-37 Dragonfly and the Northrop F-5E Tiger. The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly is a light twin-engine attack aircraft developed from the Cessna T-37 Tweet trainer. These aircraft were primarily used for counter-insurgency operations. The F-5E Tiger is a light supersonic fighter-attack aircraft. Both aircraft were delivered by the Americans to the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) and bear the markings of that now non-existent country. After the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, they were captured by the communists from the north and sent to Poland for technical evaluation at the Air Force Institute of Technology (Instytut Techniczny Wojsk Lotniczych). The feasibility of fitting them with Soviet-made armament was studied there. In 1992, both aircraft were transferred to the Museum’s collection.
Behind the tail of the Il-14 stands one of the most fascinating exhibits in the Museum’s collection – the American supersonic Republic F-105 Thunderchief strike aircraft. It was developed in the late 1950s primarily for the delivery of tactical nuclear weapons, although it could also carry a large conventional weapons payload. It is the largest single-engine, single-seat combat aircraft ever built. In the early 1960s, these aircraft were stationed, apart from the United States, at American bases in West Germany – at Bitburg and Spangdahlem – as well as on Okinawa and in Japan, from where they were to carry out nuclear strikes on targets in Eastern Europe, the USSR, and China in the event of war. After the outbreak of the Vietnam War, most of these aircraft were redeployed to Korat and Takhli bases in Thailand, from where they carried out bombing raids on targets in North Vietnam and Laos. F-105 aircraft flew 75% of all bombing missions over North Vietnam, suffering heavy losses from the very strong Vietnamese air defences. The most famous and successful combat action by Thunderchiefs was the bombing of the Paul Doumer Bridge in Hanoi on 11 August 1967, which carried the strategic railway line used to transport supplies for the North Vietnamese army from the port of Haiphong into the interior. F-105 pilots also managed to shoot down 27 Vietnamese fighters.
The specimen on display, serial number 59-1822, belonged to the 44th Tactical Fighter Squadron, part of the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, stationed at Takhli. In 1970, it was flown by an American pilot of Polish descent, Major Donald Kutyna, who later became commander of NORAD – North American Aerospace Defense Command. To emphasise his Polish roots, he named it “Polish Glider.”
Against the wall of the main hangar stand three light aircraft. Two of them – the single-engine high-wing Aero L-60 Brigadyr and the twin-engine Aero 145, both of Czechoslovak manufacture – were used in Poland for many years 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 aircraft also served in the air ambulance service and are still used as air taxis and for training future airline pilots.
Along the road leading to the main building stand aircraft used for military pilot training. The first is the PZL-130 Orlik TC-1 turboprop, manufactured at the PZL Okecie factory. These aircraft, upgraded to TC-II standard with a more modern engine and electronic equipment, are used for pilot training before transition to jet aircraft and also fly with the Orlik aerobatic team. Next to it stands the twin-engine PZL M93 Iryda – an aircraft that was intended to succeed the Iskra, developed over more than 20 years but never put into service. The next aircraft is the Czechoslovak Aero L-29 Delfin, which won the competition against the Iskra for the standard trainer of the Warsaw Pact. Delfins were operated by all communist states, including the USSR, and many Third World countries.
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. It features a distinctive V-tail (butterfly tail), an invention of the Polish engineer Jerzy Rudlicki from the early 1930s. Apart from France, these aircraft were produced under licence in West Germany, Finland, and Israel. They were used in many countries for training and also as light attack aircraft, including during the Congo Crisis in 1961 and the Six-Day War in 1967. They also flew with the French Air Force aerobatic team “Patrouille de France.” Opposite the Fouga Magister stand two MiG-21 aircraft. The first is a two-seat MiG-21UM combat trainer in “snow panther” livery. The second is a MiG-21MF fighter of the commander of the 10th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Lask, Major Dariusz Pacek, in a commemorative gold livery.
On both sides of the path in front of the main building stand three helicopters. On the left is an Mi-8 in VIP salon configuration. It was operated by the 36th Special Transport Aviation Regiment and was used to carry the most important state officials. On two occasions, in 1983 and 1997, Pope John Paul II travelled in it during his pilgrimages to Poland. Its interior is open to visitors.
Opposite the “Papal Mi-8” stands an almost identical specimen with registration SN-40XP, initially operated by the 103rd Aviation Regiment of the Vistula Military Units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and subsequently by the Police aviation. Right next to it stands a Police PZL Kania helicopter. This is a Polish design, developed in the late 1970s based on the Mi-2 helicopter, featuring American engines and avionics, intended for export to Western countries. In Poland, these helicopters were operated by the Police aviation and continue to be used by the Border Guard aviation. Our specimen initially served with the Police aviation section in Poznan, then in Krakow, and was therefore stationed on the Museum’s grounds. After being withdrawn from service, it became an exhibit.
