List of aircraft at the Royal Air Force Museum London facts for kids
Welcome to the Royal Air Force Museum London! This page tells you all about the amazing planes and engines you can see there. It's like a giant collection of flying machines and their powerful hearts, showing the history of the Royal Air Force (RAF).
Contents
Hangar 1: Your Adventure Begins
An overview of the RAF Stories exhibition, showing the Sea King search and rescue helicopter on the left.
Hangar 1 is where your adventure begins at the museum! You'll find the shop and a café here. Imagine eating your snacks right under the huge wings of a Short Sunderland flying boat – how cool is that? This hangar also features the 'RAF Stories' exhibition, which tells the exciting history of the Royal Air Force.
Here are some of the aircraft you can find in Hangar 1:
| Type | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| de Havilland DH.9A | F1010 | Used in the RAF Stories exhibition. |
| Hawker Siddeley Gnat T.1 | XR977 | Also part of the RAF Stories exhibition. |
| Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter (JSF-1) display mockup |
n/a | A model showing a modern fighter jet. |
| Short Sunderland MR.5 | ML824 | A large flying boat, great for sitting under! |
| Supermarine Spitfire Vb | BL614 | A famous World War II fighter, part of the RAF Stories. |
| Westland Sea King HAR.3 | XZ585 | A search and rescue helicopter, also in the RAF Stories exhibition. |
Hangar 2: The Grahame-White Factory (Early Aviation)
Step back in time in Hangar 2, also known as The Grahame-White Factory! This hangar shows off amazing planes from the early days of flight, especially from World War I. You'll see some hanging from the ceiling, looking like they're still flying!
Here are some of the historic aircraft in Hangar 2:
| Type | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Albatros D.Va Replica |
'D.7343/17' | A copy of a German fighter plane. |
| Avro 504K | E449 | A famous training aircraft. |
| Blériot XXVII | 433 | An early French aircraft. |
| Bristol F.2b Fighter | E2466 | A two-seater fighter from WWI. |
| Caudron G3 | 3066 | An early French reconnaissance plane. |
| Fokker DVII | 8417/18 | A well-known German fighter. |
| Royal Aircraft Factory BE2b Replica |
687 | A copy of a British reconnaissance plane. |
| Royal Aircraft Factory FE2b Replica |
A6526 | A copy of a 'pusher' aircraft with the propeller at the back. |
| Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 Replica |
'A3930' | A copy of a British two-seater biplane. |
| Royal Aircraft Factory SE5A | F938 | A very successful British fighter. |
| Sopwith F1 Camel | F6314 | One of the most famous WWI fighter planes. |
| Sopwith Dolphin 5F1 | C3988 | A British fighter from the end of WWI. |
| Sopwith Triplane | N5912 | A unique British fighter with three wings. |
| Vickers FB5 Replica |
2345 | A copy of an early 'gunbus' aircraft. |
Hangar 3 and 4: Historic Aircraft
These hangars are home to many important aircraft from different eras, including World War II and the Cold War. You'll see famous fighters, bombers, and even helicopters!
Here's a list of some planes in Hangars 3 and 4:
| Type | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Avro Rota | K4232 | An early type of helicopter called an autogyro. |
| BAC Lightning F6 | XS925 | A very fast British jet fighter. |
| BAC Jet Provost T.5A | XW323 | A jet trainer aircraft. |
| Bristol Beaufighter TFX | RD253 | A powerful British multi-role aircraft. |
| Bristol Beaufort VIII | DD931 | A British torpedo bomber. |
| Bristol Bulldog MkIIA | K2227 | A British biplane fighter from the 1930s. |
| Bristol Sycamore HR.14 | XJ918 | An early British helicopter. |
| Curtiss Kittyhawk IV | FX760 | An American fighter used by the RAF. |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk | WP962 | A popular trainer aircraft. |
| de Havilland Vampire F.3 | VT812 | One of the first jet fighters. |
| English Electric Canberra PR.3 | WE139 | A British jet bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. |
| Fiat CR.42 Falco | MM5701 | An Italian biplane fighter. |
| Gloster Gladiator II | N5628 | Only the front part of this biplane fighter is on display. |
| Gloster Meteor F.8 | WH301 | One of Britain's first jet fighters. |
| Hawker Hart II | J9941 | A British biplane bomber. |
| Hawker Hurricane I | P2617 | A famous British fighter from the Battle of Britain. |
| Hawker Hunter FGA.9 | XG154 | A British jet fighter. |
| Hawker Tempest V | NV778 | A powerful British fighter, used for target towing. |
| Hawker Typhoon IB | MN235 | A British fighter-bomber. |
| Lockheed Hudson IIIA | A16-199 | An American light bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. |
| McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR.2 | XV424 | A large and powerful American jet fighter. |
| Messerschmitt Bf 109E-3 | 4101/DG200 | A famous German fighter from WWII. |
| North American Harvard IIB | FE905 | An American trainer aircraft. |
| Panavia Tornado F.3 | ZE887 | A British air defence fighter. |
| Republic Thunderbolt II | KL216 | A large American fighter-bomber. |
| Sikorsky R-4 | KL110 | An early American helicopter. |
| Slingsby T-31B Cadet TX.3 C/N 844 | XA302 | A British training glider. |
| Sopwith Snipe | 'E6655' | A reconstructed British fighter from WWI. |
| Supermarine Southampton | N9899 | A restored wooden fuselage of a flying boat. |
| Supermarine Spitfire I | X4590 | An early version of the iconic Spitfire. |
| Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI | RW393 | Another version of the famous Spitfire. |
| Supermarine Spitfire F.24 | PK724 | A later, more powerful Spitfire model. |
| Supermarine Stranraer | 920 | A large British biplane flying boat. |
| Taylorcraft Auster I | LB264 | A small British observation aircraft. |
| Westland Belvedere HC.1 | XG474 | A large British twin-engine helicopter. |
| Westland Gazelle HT.3 | XW855 | A light helicopter used for training. |
| Westland Wessex HCC.4 | XV732 | A helicopter used for Royal Transport. |
| Westland Whirlwind HAR 10 | XP299 | A British helicopter used for search and rescue. |
The Fiat CR.42 Falco on display in the Battle of Britain exhibition.
Hangar 5: The Bomber Hall
The impressive Avro Lancaster R5868 in the Bomber Hall of the RAF Museum London.
The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive bomber on display in the Bomber Hall, part of the Battle of Britain exhibition.
This hangar is dedicated to powerful bomber aircraft that played a huge role in history, especially during World War II. You'll see some of the biggest and most famous planes here!
Here are some of the aircraft in the Bomber Hall:
| Type | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airspeed Oxford I | MP425 | A twin-engine training aircraft. |
| Avro Anson I | W2068 | A British multi-role aircraft. |
| Avro Lancaster 1 | R5868 | A famous British heavy bomber from WWII. |
| Avro Vulcan B.2 | XL318 | A large, delta-wing Cold War bomber. |
| Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress | 44-8386 | A well-known American heavy bomber. |
| Consolidated B-24L Liberator | KN751 | Another large American bomber. |
| de Havilland Mosquito B35 | TJ138 | A fast, versatile British aircraft made mostly of wood. |
| Fairey Battle | L5343 | A British light bomber from early WWII. |
| Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8/U-1 | 584219 | A German fighter aircraft. |
| Handley Page Halifax II | W1048 | A recovered wreck of a British heavy bomber. |
| Handley Page Victor K2 | XM717 | Only the nose section of this Cold War bomber is on display. |
| Heinkel He 111H-20 | 701152 | A German bomber. |
| Heinkel He 162A-2 | VN679 | A German jet fighter from late WWII. |
| Junkers Ju87G-2 | 494083 | A German dive bomber, famous for its siren. |
| Kawasaki Ki-100 | A Japanese fighter aircraft. | |
| Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4 | 730301 | A German heavy fighter. |
| Messerschmitt Me 163B-1a Komet | 191614 | A unique German rocket-powered interceptor. |
| Mitsubishi Ki-46 ‘Dinah’ | n/a | A Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. |
| North American P-51D Mustang | 413317 | A famous American fighter plane. |
| Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka | n/a | A Japanese rocket-powered suicide aircraft. |
Hangar 6: The Age of Uncertainty (Modern Aircraft)
This hangar showcases more modern aircraft, including jets and helicopters from recent conflicts and operations. It shows how aircraft have continued to evolve.
Here are some of the aircraft in Hangar 6:
| Type | Identity | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BAe Harrier GR.9 | ZG477 | A famous 'jump jet' that can take off and land vertically. |
| Boeing CH-47D Chinook | 83-24104 | Only the front part of this large transport helicopter is on display. |
| Eurofighter Typhoon | ZH588 | A prototype of a modern European fighter jet. |
| General Atomics MQ-1B Predator | 03-3119 | An unmanned drone aircraft. |
| Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer S2B | XW547 | A British naval strike aircraft. |
| Lockheed WC-130E Hercules | 64-0553 | Only the cockpit section of this large transport plane is on display. |
| Panavia Tornado GR1B | ZA457 | A multi-role combat aircraft. |
| SEPECAT Jaguar GR.1 | XX824 | A British-French attack aircraft. |
Engines on Display
Besides whole aircraft, the museum also has a collection of historic aircraft engines. These are the powerful hearts that made these amazing planes fly!
Here are some of the engines you can see:
- Bentley BR2
- Bristol Jupiter
- Bristol Mercury
- Bristol Hercules XVIII
- Curtiss OX-5
- Daimler-Benz DB 605
- Gnome Monosoupape
- Gnome Omega
- Green C.4
- Hispano-Suiza 8
- Lycoming T55
- Junkers Jumo 004
- Liberty L-12
- Napier Dagger
- Napier Gazelle
- Napier Double Scorpion
- Napier Lion VII
- Napier Sabre III
- Power Jets W.2B/500
- Rolls-Royce Avon Mk.203
- Rolls-Royce Derwent V
- Rolls-Royce Derwent 8
- Rolls-Royce Eagle
- Rolls-Royce Hawk
- Rolls-Royce Griffon
- Rolls-Royce Kestrel IB
- Rolls-Royce Merlin III
- Rolls-Royce Merlin XX
- Rolls-Royce Merlin 23
- Rolls-Royce Pegasus
- Rolls-Royce Spey
- Rolls-Royce R
- Sunbeam Arab I
See also
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List of aircraft at the Royal Air Force Museum London Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.