National Cold War Exhibition

A collection which tells the story of a, technologically innovative but sometimes dangerous, period in world history.

The Royal Air Force Museum Cosford houses one of the largest aircraft and aviation memorabilia  collections in the United Kingdom, 70 historic aircraft are displayed in the typical format of an aviation museum. However the  National Cold War Exhibition building, the architecture of which is simply stunning, is a rather different experience. It is this exhibition, opened in 2007, which makes Cosford unique amongst British aviation museums.

This amazing building contains 18 aircraft, plus  military transport, missiles etc. The Cold War Exhibition  reflects the social, cultural and political history of the Cold War era between 1947 and 1989, in a very novel way.   Highlights include the only place in the UK where you can see all three of Britain’s V Bombers: the Vulcan, Victor and Valiant.  The collection also includes  a Dakota and an Avro York (representing the Berlin Airlift), a Canberra (the world’s first  jet bomber), a Meteor (the RAF's first jet fighter), an English Electric Lightning (still the fastest plane ever to enter RAF service , and the museum also has its prototype the English Electric P1) and the, Gloster Javelin from the late 1950s (the  world's first twin jet delta wing fighter). Visitors are able to observe those exhibits that are suspended, as if in flight,  from an elevated viewing gallery high in the roof. This collection tells a story in an innovative way which includes a group of life size Russian dolls. Part of this story is the transition from Britain having its own combat aircraft design and manufacturing capacity, through a period of reliance on American imports for its front line fighter and onto the current position where its fighter aircraft are built as part of a European collaboration. In addition to British built aircraft there are American and Soviet machines and a Canadian built  Sabre which the RAF used to fly.

Outside of the cold war exhibition there is lots of other stuff to see at Cosford but the star of the show must be the oldest surviving Spitfire in the world.