Tag: airplane

Military Collections in Sweden – Third Chapter

CarloRLeave a comment

The rich military tradition of Sweden can be retraced by means of many interesting dedicated collections. Many of them are scattered in the nice southernmost country regions of the Scandinavian peninsula, and make for an interesting detour from the most popular touristic destinations.

As reported in the previous two chapters on the topic (see here and here), the neutrality of Sweden in the major confrontations taking place during the 20th century allowed this northern Country to operate in a unique and original way, especially in terms of military procurement. Besides picking what was actually deemed suitable for their internal needs especially from the West, Sweden managed develop a strong domestic design and manufacturing capability, such to fulfill its own self-defense role in a cost-effective and credible way.

The defense of neutrality was carried out in the air by a strong Air Force, often updated over the years. With the end of communism in Eastern Europe and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the major threat in the Baltic area came to an end as well, resulting in a major scale-down of this defense force and the disbandment of many military organizations. Correspondingly, memorial museums can be found often close to former airbases. One of them, dedicated to the ‘Scania’ wing F10, in operation since WWII to the early 2000s, is covered in this chapter.

A rather complete collection of aircraft from the entire span of the Cold War can be found in the unusual frame of a private museum, established in the 1960s from the will of the founder to display primarily his own collection of cars. The mix is particularly interesting, witnessing also the close link between Sweden and the vehicle industry of the US, possibly the tightest among all Countries in Europe.

Of course, in the theater of WWII Sweden was politically and geographically in an interesting position as well as later in the Cold War. Its relative proximity to the Third Reich meant it was often overflown by bombers on their way back from missions over mainland Germany. Dogfights and bomber chase missions reached the airspace of Sweden, sometimes ending with either German or Allied aircraft crashing on Swedish territory. An interesting museum covered in this chapter is fully dedicated to the topic.

Photographs in this chapter were taken in the summer of 2024.

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Sights

Ängelholms Flight Museum, Ängelholm

This nice collection of military aviation can be found on the former premises of the air base of Barkåkra (today Helsingborg airport), which has been the home of the 10th Wing ‘Scania’ (aka. F10 or ‘Ängelholm Wing’) between 1945 until the disbandment of the latter in 2002. Established during WWII, the illustrious history of the F10 wing spanned the entire Cold War, reaching into the 21st century. Correspondingly, the Scania Wing was supplied over the years with a rich inventory of aircraft models, ranging from classic fighters of WWII to the more recent SAAB Viggen and Gripen.

The structure of the exhibition, rather compact in size, is composed of two major areas.

In the first, the history of F10 is retraced especially by means of interesting photographs and memorabilia items. Among the pictures, some portray American bomber crews as well as German fighters landed on Swedish territory, which remained neutral during WWII.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

In this area are also a few dioramas and reconstructions of typical military scenes, including a medical room, from the earlier days of operation of the Scania Wing. Everyday items, as well as military training and illustrative material, is presented in display cases.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

The second major area is where most hardware of the collection can be found – aircraft, engines, vehicles, and much gear from the days of operation of the F10 wing. Among the earliest models acquired by F10 back in the WWII years was – rather interestingly – an Italian fighter, the Reggiane Re-2000 Falco, a batch of which was obtained from Italy in a supply shortage scenario, where especially the US had halted material export to non-allied countries. Pressed into service with the Air Force of Sweden (and specifically also with the F10 wing) as an interceptor with the locally attributed code of J20, this generally adequate machine was powered by a Piaggio P.XI 14-cylinders radial engine (which according to Roman numbering then often employed in Italy translates into P.11), a 1.040 hp model license-made in Italy, and originally a French design by Gnome-Rhone. A Re-2000 is not on display, but a Piaggio P.XI is! This engine has been quite popular in those years in Sweden, ending up also as an interim power plant for the Swedish own SAAB B17C single-engine light bomber/diver (not to be confounded with the homonym American Flying Fortress).

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Close by the P.XI is the oldest aircraft on display belonging to the F10, in the form of a FFVS J22. The company FFVS was actually a Swedish state-managed entity, borne in the years of WWII to cope with the wartime supply requirements on one side and the overbooking of the SAAB plants on the other. Introduced during WWII, this rugged fighter was powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-1830, the ubiquitous Twin Wasp, license-built in Sweden by Svenska Flygmotor. The Scania Wing received the J22 model only in 1945, the last propeller-driven aircraft in its inventory. The exemplar on display looks under maintenance, and is possibly in airworthy conditions.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Next on display is a SAAB J29 Tunnan, with its distinctive barrel-shaped fuselage enshrouding the single, centrifugal flow jet engine. The F10 wing transitioned to jets in 1946 with the early SAAB J21R and the British-supplied DeHavilland DH100 Vampire (named J28R in Sweden). The Tunnan was provided to the F10 wing in 1953, and there it remained until 1963, while more advanced models were becoming available. The engine of the J29 was a DeHavilland Ghost, manufactured under licence in Sweden by Svenska Flygmotor under the name RM2B – an example is on display.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Close to the tail cone of the Tunnan is also a DeHavilland Goblin engine, originally employed on the Vampire.

The longest-lasting workhorse in F10 service has been the SAAB J35 Draken. An exemplar of the J version, the most updated and last (with the actual modification taking place in the late 1980s), is on display. The distinctive bulge for the IR seeker under the fuselage, appearing from the modern F version on, can be checked out from very close.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Interestingly, the Draken is presented with an exemplar of the Rb-28 missile hanging from an underwing pylon. This is a SAAB-modified version of the US-designed Hughes AIM-4D Falcon, an air-to-air missile conceived as an anti-bomber weapon, but hastily pressed into service against Vietnamese MiGs during the Vietnam war, under the wings of the Phantom, and proving very ineffective in the dogfighting role. For the Soviet bomber interdiction role of the Draken, this missile platform was deemed more effective, and it was retained for service for decades in Sweden.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Other missiles, rockets and guns (including a dismounted Aden 30 mm cannon) pertaining to the warload of the Draken are on display as well, together with an interesting console for missile signal testing.

Ahead of the Draken is a memorial wall, and ahead of it is a Rolls-Royce Avon jet engine, displayed as an instructional cutaway – including both the turbomachinery and the afterburning component. License-built in Sweden by Svenska Flygmotor as RM6C, this was the engine of the Draken.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

The F10 wing received the SAAB J37 Viggen only after the collapse of the USSR in 1993, marking the beginning of the last, post-Cold War chapter in the history of the unit. Quite elusive due to its adoption only by Sweden, albeit rather successful in its intended roles, an exemplar of this machine can be found in this collection. Specifically, this is a photo reconnaissance version named SF37. Lacking a radar, this model typically operated on reconnaissance missions in a flight of two, together with a radar-supplied SH37 variant.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

The Viggen can be neared and checked out entirely with ease, thanks to its positioning on a pedestal. The photo-reconnaissance payload is on display. Under the left wing is a SAAB Rb-04 anti-ship missile. This Swedish own design was conceived for countering invasion starting from the sea. With a radius of 25 km and active radar homing, its warhead was sufficient for knocking out an enemy cruiser with a single hit.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

The collection of the Scania Wing also includes the SAAB SK60 trainer, a successful trainer employed for decades, and inducted into the F10 inventory during the 1990s, when the wing took over the basic training role from the F5 wing. Similarly, an ubiquitous Bell 204 (Hkp 3B according to Swedish naming) can be found on display, as it was employed within the F10 for rescue and logistics/transport duties.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Close to the Viggen are further interesting exhibits. One is on the wartime bases (krigsflygbaser, see this post), with models and original signs from one of them.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Another is about weather forecasting within F10. It includes electronic hardware, an entire room with original consoles, and weather balloons, still today employed to carry atmospheric sounds.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

A display is dedicated to pilot’s protection helmets, survival kits and ejection seats. Not only in Sweden, the latter have been in the focus of a major technological development over the years of the Cold War. Ejecting from a fast jet in the 1950s was reportedly a highly-risky business, since even when the maneuver was technically successful – i.e. such to take the pilot out of the aircraft alive – the ejection-induced acceleration alone was more than enough to cause serious injury, usually to the spine. Over the years, multi-stage ejection was implemented, allowing for a more gradual maneuver, which albeit remaining lightning-fast, does not inflict so harsh a treatment to the pilot’s body as in the past.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

A top exhibit on display is an original cockpit from a SAAB J35 Draken, employed for training purposes. The cockpit is very well preserved, thoroughly described by explanatory panels nearby, and it can be boarded to give you a feeling of the functionality of the onboard systems, as well as of the ergonomics of the cockpit.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Two more training aircraft are included in the exhibition, a SK61 and SK50, both single-propeller machines employed for basic training.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Additionally, the last type in service with the F10 has been the SAAB JAS39 Gripen (from 1999 until disbandment), which is here represented by means of the first serial production machine of the first version (‘A’). This exemplar was actually never pressed in air force service, but it was employed as a test bed for multiple operations, including test firing of missile ordnance in the early 2000s.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Additional dioramas in this compact but rich collection include op-rooms from various ages.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

An interesting exhibit is a relatively well-preserved Rolls-Royce Merlin piston enigine, originally powering a British Avro Lancaster bomber which sank south of Trelleborg in the Baltic Sea, presumably early in 1945 after a bombing run over Germany.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden
Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Finally, on the outside it is possible to find a British Bristol Bloodhound Mk II missile. This SAM supplied a squadron of F10 wing, complementing the air defense role in proximity to the airbase.

Ängelholms Flight Museum – F10 Wing Scania – Helsingborg, Sweden

Getting there and visiting

The name of the museum in the local language is Ängelholms Flygmuseum, which translates into Ängelholm Flight Museum. It is located on the southwestern border of the former airbase of Ängelholm, easily reachable at the address Drakenvägen 5, 26274 Ängelholm. This town is 15 mi north of Helsingborg along the E6 highway.

Large parking ahead of the entrance. Nice shop with books, toys and gadgets by the ticket office. The museum facility is rather compact, yet a visit may easily take 1.5 hours for an interested subject, when carefully checking out all items on display and taking pictures. Descriptions are in double language, Swedish/English, allowing for an informative visit even if you are from abroad.

Professional website with full information here.

Museum of Forced Landings, Morup

The Museum of Forced Landings (in Swedish language the museum is named in a rather different way, ‘Morups Samtidsmuseum’) is a one-of-a-kind collection of remains and traces from air crashes or forced landings taking place during WWII in Sweden. Run by a lively group of dedicated enthusiasts, the display is extremely well-crafted, offering not just an array of many and diverse relics from aircraft wrecks, but for each of them a complete synopsis of the story behind that specific flight – and the crewmen who were on board.

Furthermore, in my case I was accompanied by a very knowledgeable English-speaking gentleman for the entire duration of my visit, making the experience even more engaging.

The exhibition starts with a display of general maps of the crash or forced landing sites. A sharp increase towards the end of the war is evident, due to the increase in the number of bombing raids over the center of the Third Reich. The crashed aircraft are mostly from the US and Britain. When hit over Germany but still airworthy, Allied crews attempted an escape to neutral Sweden, to avoid capture by the Germans.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

Of course, Sweden was a neutral country, hence all grounded crews, irrespective of their nationality, were interned, albeit in more than decent conditions, especially compared to German or Soviet prison camps.

A map of the internment location in Sweden is presented as well. Clearly, also German aircraft crash-landed in Sweden. Crews of opposing nationalities were interned in totally different locations. Rare photographs from these sites are on display.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

Then, one by one, the display cases describe each a notable forced landing, retracing its timeline, and showing some relics from the wreckage, as well as personal items belonging to the crew. Nice detailed scaled models and dioramas of the accident complete the reconstruction.

Among them are a German Messerschmitt Bf110 attack aircraft, with a fragment of the canopy as well as other parts on display, Norwegian training aircraft, a German Junkers Ju-52 transport, with an entire control column put as an exhibit.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

The bombsight, radio and other instrument goggles belong to a German Heinkel He-111 bomber landed on ice.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

One of the plots documented in the deepest detail is that involving Lt Edward E. Phillips, of USAAF 354th fighter group, which flew escort missions over Germany from Baxton, England, with North American P-51 Mustang fighters. On the 15th of April 1944, on return from a mostly failed bombing mission over Germany in bad weather, Lt. Phillips aircraft was chased north by a Bf109. He was hit over southern Sweden, bailed out but the parachute failed to deploy. He was killed instantly, and his aircraft impacted soft terrain and sank so deeply due to its own energy that it almost disappeared into the ground – and there it remained for 40 years. In the 1990s an excavation attempt was carried out by the future crew of the museum, uncovering substantial remains of the aircraft, including many parts, cockpit gauges, machine guns, an entire landing gear leg, and more.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

A link was established by the local crew with the former wife of the man in the US, and the story hit the news. A memorial was inaugurated on the location of the crash.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

Another American aircraft with a story to tell is a Consolidated B-24 Liberator. This time the aircraft managed to crash land under control, and the entire crew of 10 was saved and interned. Sgt Robert C. Birmingham, part of the crew, visited the locations of his adventure in Sweden more than once with his family.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

More accidents described in the display involve British and German aircraft.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

In an adjoining room, an impressive collection of quality scale models reconstruct many of the aircraft in service within the Air Force in Sweden, including details such as different celebration markings and camo coats. Among the artifacts and memorabilia items on display in this part is an autographed photo of WWII German ace Günther Rall.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

In another small hangar is an interesting addition to the collection, mostly centered on aircraft engines. Engines from crash-landed aircraft, significantly damaged but undergoing a display-oriented cleaning and refurbishment, make for an unusual and interesting sight.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

Outside is also a small collection of classic cars in pristine conditions.

Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden
Museum of Forced Landings – Morup – WWII Aircraft Relics – Sweden

Getting there and visiting

The museum is called ‘Morups Samtidsmuseum’ in Swedish language. It can be found right along the road N.768 about 6 miles north of the coastal town of Falkenberg, 0.25 miles north of the small town of Morup. The exact address is X9MP+84 Morup.

A visit may take about 1 hour, more when stimulating further telling by the very enthusiastic crew of the association running the museum.

Please note that no credit cards are accepted, only cash is – unless you are entitled to employ electronic payment methods allowed for citizens or residents of Sweden.

The website, partially under construction as of spring 2025, can be found here.

Credit for directing me to this hidden gem goes to Martin Steffen, from Sweden.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum, Ugglarp

This unusual exhibition originates from the own collection of Lennart Svedfelt, a prominent Swedish stage and TV entertainer borne in 1924 and known as ‘Svedino’. The man started purchasing cars and planes for the purpose of collecting them, in an era when a similar activity was hardly heard of. In 1961 he opened his collection as a permanent display, the first museum dedicated to cars in Sweden. Over the years, and even following his passing, the museum continued to grow, reaching more than 100 cars and 40 aircraft on display today!

Even though this is not an eminently military museum, despite the cars being beautiful civilian cars, most aircraft on display are military machines, including some remarkable items – therefore, Svedino’s perfectly fits within this chapter!

The cars on display make for a really unique collection, in and out of Sweden. A remarkable feature is especially the number and uniqueness of US-made cars from the inter-war period between WWI and WWII. In a first building, these include models by Chevrolet, Buick, Dodge, Nash, Oldsmobile, and more!

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Also some classic models from European manufacturers, like Opel, are on display. A special rarity is an Adler Trumpf from 1934. Adler, a German company from the 19th century active in the manufacture of petrol engines, operated in the car market for a relatively short time, roughly coincident with the Third Reich period. They made cars in the intermediate price segment, with good success. The company changed business following WWII, making Adler cars interesting collectible items representing car-making from a specific era.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

As expected from a Swedish museum, a full array of classic Volvo is on display! These include small trucks and saloons, and interesting models like the PV36 from the inter-war period. Similar to the PV830 and the iconic PV444 from the immediate post-WWII years, an influence of the contemporary American designs is undeniable in all these models.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Also on display are more modern vehicles employed as state cars. An interesting item is a very old Gräf & Stift, an Austrian luxury sedan from before WWI, salvaged from the bottom of a Swedish lake after spending there more than 40 years, and acquired by the museum.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Two interesting cars on display are personal designs from the early 1950s. In Sweden it was possible at that time to introduce privately-built cars, provided they could sustain a compliance check. An example of a fantasy car, with a rather aggressive design and physically assembled from parts of other cars, is on display. It was never completed nor allowed on the road. Another example, designed and made by the son of the industrialist Wennberg, reportedly roamed around all over the 1950s! This unique exemplar is on display with ‘factory markings’ HW.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

In a second adjoining building, a really valuable collection of even older cars, dating from earlier than 1930, is on display. Also here most items in the collection are from the US, a really rare sight on this side of the ocean! Looking at the elaborated labels of these oldies, made by Ford, Anderson, Seneca, and thinking of the craftsmen who personally assembled them back in the America of the early 1900s is really thought-provoking!

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Among the most unique cars on display is a Pierce-Arrow from 1918, sitting alongside a Haynes from the same year.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Moving on to another adjoining hall, here cars are on display alongside a few classic planes from the first half of the 20th century. A DeHavilland Moth, a Götaverken GV-38 seaplane (a licence-built Rearwin Sportster, a US design), as well as a German Klemm Kl-35 and a Focke-Wulf FW-44 designs, are on the list together with more light airplanes and a few engines.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

The latter include an original Rolls-Royce Goblin and Avon, respectively from a DeHavilland Vampire and a SAAB Draken, both in service with the Air Force of Sweden during the Cold War.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

A focus of the exhibition is on the memory of a pioneer of Swedish aviation industry, Enoch Tulin, who is the author of many ‘firsts’ in the aeronautical history of this Country – the largest aviation workshop to date before WWI (with 900 employees), the first air mail service, the first air rescue mission, and more. A graduated engineer, flight instructor and early aerobatic pilot, Tulin died in an airplane crash in 1919, after gaining unquestioned prominence in many fields of aeronautical industry and operation in his era.

A final adjoining hall concludes the oldest part of the exhibition premises. Here the spotlight is on a few fighters from the Cold War era, namely a SAAB J29 Tunnan, two DeHavilland Vampire, and even a SAAB J35 Draken.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

The latter is really a unique exemplar. As can be guessed by the monstrous red and white spine on the nose cone, typical to experimental aircraft and not a feature of the production machine, the one on display is actually the first prototype!

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Another curious item is a Soviet-made Kamov Ka-26 helicopter. Alongside the helicopter is a vintage advertisement from 1975, written in Swedish, and made by Aviaexport, a Soviet agency for the commercialization of Soviet aeronautical products abroad. Borne as an import-export, Aviaexport acted also as a recipient of foreign certification rules, spreading the growing body of western aeronautical regulation within the Soviet design bureaus, to the aim of keeping the quality standard to a level sufficient for commercialization in foreign countries. Actually, thanks to Aviaexport the Kamov Ka-26 received a type certification in Sweden, which allowed its commercialization and regular employment there. Aviaexport is still existent in today’s Russia.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Interspersed between closely-packed aircraft are more cars, including a beautiful Jaguar Mk V and an East-German Trabant, as well as aircraft engines.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

A massive Wright Cyclone R-3350 is among them – the power plant of the Lockheed Constellation and Douglas DC-7, often considered the pinnacle and swansong of American piston power, this massive 1.2 tons, 18 cylinders engine produced 3.700 hp of shaft power!

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Svedino’s aircraft collection is mostly hosted in a modern hall added more recently beside the original museum’s building. The first item on display is an original Junkers Ju-52! This aircraft is among those license-built in Spain. It operated for some time as far as in California in the 1970s, being later transferred to Ireland, and finally here. The camouflage and markings reenact those of a Third Reich’s Luftwaffe machine force-landed in Sweden during WWII. The cockpit of the Ju-52 has been reproduced separately, to allow checking it without boarding this precious aircraft.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

As expected for a Swedish aircraft collection, the most prominent models which have served in the local Air Force are represented. These include a SAAB J32B Lansen, a Cold War attack aircraft from the 1950s, a SAAB SK60 trainer, and a SAAB J35 Draken – a production machine, not a prototype like in the previous hall.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

These aircraft are presented alongside their engines. The Swedish licence-built version of the Rolls-Royce Avon, named RM6A, powered the Lansen and later the Draken.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

The latest addition to the SAAB heritage on display is the J37 Viggen, here presented in the nice and distinctive camo coat of the Air Force of Sweden. This is presented alongside its mighty engine, the RM8A, a modified version of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbofan.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Additionally, a display of an open nose cone allows to see the arrangement of the radar antenna of the Viggen.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

An interesting display case hosts the instrument panels, radar and reconnaissance gear of the Lansen, Draken and Viggen, as well as a collection of flight helmets and pilot’s gear, showing the evolution of this technical material over time.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

But the collection of Svedino’s is not limited to aircraft in service in Sweden. A Lockheed F-104 Starfighter from the Air Force of Denmark is on display, next to a Gloster Meteor early twin jet. The blue exemplar on display is a former factory demonstrator originally employed by Gloster, and later sold to Sweden for target towing (in a batch of seven aircraft).

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

A rarity to be found close by is a Percival P.66 Pembroke, a twin-engined multi-purpose transport from the early 1950s, employed for training and passenger transport within the Air Force. Manufactured in Britain in just 128 exemplars, this type was mostly sold abroad to Western-European Countries and in Africa. Sweden originally got a batch of 16.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Another British type on display is a Hawker Hunter, which was actually employed by Sweden as a stop-gap model in the late 1950s, waiting for the completion of the design and the entrance into service of the J35 Draken.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Another Soviet addition to the collection is a MiG-21. A Cold War veteran, this exemplar is Soviet-built, and served in Hungary until 1982 and later in the Latvian SSR.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

A recent addition to the exhibition is a Douglas Skyraider! Possibly overshadowed by the illustrious career the type enjoyed in the US Armed Forces, a part of the history of this massive attack aircraft is about Sweden. Some 13 exemplars were actually purchased by Sweden for target towing in the mid 1960 from Britain, which had got a larger batch from the US. The exemplar on display is an AD-4W, the early warning version of the Skyraider. It is currently (2024) being refurbished.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Among the biggest additions to the aircraft collection is actually an English Electric Canberra. As typical to this type, employed by the British for the first, high risk overflights of the Countries of the Soviet bloc before the high-performing Skunk Works aircraft became available, the Canberra (including its modified Martin version in the US) was employed for quintessentially Cold War signal intelligence missions opposite the Soviet Union. Two exemplars were employed also in Sweden from the early 1960s until the mid-1970s, and one of them is that on display.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

A curious item also on display is a one-off design which won a competitive call of the Aviation Engineering Association in Stockholm in 1988, and which was later actually built by its designers. Unfortunately, it was eventually never tested due to one of the owners need to quit for health issues when the aircraft was undergoing a certification test for obtaining airworthiness. The name of the prototype is LLS-1.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Scattered among the aircraft are more engines, radars, consoles, simulators, and more aircraft than described, making for an overall very rich and interesting visit.

Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden
Svedino’s Automobile and Aviation Museum – Ugglarp – Sweden

Getting there and visiting

Svedinos Bil & Flygmuseum – this is the name of the museum in the local language – can be found in a nice countryside 15 miles north of the port town of Halmstad. The exact address is SE-311 69 Ugglarp.

The premises are rather compact, with a large parking ahead of the entrance. Fresh cookies, homemade sandwiches and cakes are available for a light lunch in the exotic lobby, matching in style with this unusual collection.

A visit may take 2 hours for an interested subject. Most items are described with modern panels in double language Swedish/English, making the visit very informative. The website with logistical information is here.

Military Collections in Sweden – First Chapter

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When visiting the countries of northern Europe as a foreigner today, you may be easily captured by the beautiful landscapes and elegant architectures, as well as the great food options and the generally exceptional hospitality. Actually, a visit to Scandinavia will hardly disappoint, either in the summer or in the cold season. Everywhere looks like an ideal place for having a good time off.

However, digging in the military history of Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, you might be surprised. Actually, since medieval times peaceful mutual relations have been built very slowly over the years in the area, going through centuries of unrest and struggle often culminating in open wars. In the global conflicts brought about starting with Napoleon until the end of the Cold War roughly 190 years later, the Countries around the Baltic sea have been in the center of a theater of operations of their own.

World War II and the Cold War

Looking at WWII and the Cold War era, the roles of Northern-European countries have been significantly different. Denmark, geographically untenable in front of the German enemy, was taken by Hitler’s Third Reich forces almost overnight, with Norway following shortly after. This gave birth to fierce resistance actions, trying to jeopardize the activities of the enemy. Norway was in the focus of much attention by the Western Allies, who tried to land in Narvik, sank battleship Bismarck, bombed the heavy water plant in Vemork, and transited in its arctic seas to feed Stalin’s Soviet Union with much needed supply (see this chapter). Conversely, Finland fought a fierce war against the USSR, ending up as an ally of Germany after the start of Operation Barbarossa, and finally turning against the Wehrmacht on agreement with the USSR, and managing to leave the conflict in 1944 (see this chapter).

Finally, Sweden did not take part to offensive military actions in WWII, managing to keep a neutral role through delicate diplomatic actions. For this neutrality to be credible however, the Country had to be defended, and its border – both on land and along the shoreline – actively guarded. This meant the construction of many forts all along the Baltic coast, to the west, south and east, as well as ground installations along the border with Finland. Similarly, the military tradition of Sweden, that in modern times date at least from the 17th century, when in the Thirty Years War Sweden managed to take a primary role in the balance of powers in Europe, was not discontinued at all. Despite neutrality, traditional manufacturers of fine firearms and shipbuilders were flanked over time by companies making excellent heavy-duty vehicles, armored tanks and aircraft.

In the Cold War period following the end of WWII, Scandinavia got a possibly even more central status, due to its proximity with the USSR and the control it could exercise on the sea accesses of the Soviet Union to the Northern Atlantic. Where Denmark and Norway joined NATO (see this chapter for Norway, this for Denmark), Finland and Sweden kept a neutral role. Once again, Sweden, not entangled in a complicated post-WWII deal with the USSR unlike Finland, could develop the credibility of its neutrality, preparing for defending against the Soviet threat with a build-up of its armed forces, and the development of original and high-tech military solutions, tailored to its territorial and climatic needs, carried out mostly in-house.

Traces in Sweden

The facts of WWII and especially of the Cold War in Sweden have left relevant traces, which are proudly preserved for the public either in world-class exhibitions, sometimes prepared on the very site of former military installations, or in smaller, well-crafted and much detailed collections, often run by groups of exceptionally passionate enthusiasts.

This and the following chapters cover some of them, offering a cut-out of what a visitor interested in military technology and history can find in beautiful Sweden. Photographs were taken in 2024.

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Sights

Aeroseum – former Säve Air Force Base – Göteborg

Besides making for a testimony to the originality and commitment of Sweden military planners, the air force base of Säve, located about 4 miles north of the major town of Göteborg in South-Western Sweden, is truly a one-of-a-kind example of a Cold War installation. Conceived for anti-blast protection in the early years of the nuclear age, the base was designed to carry out all operations, except take-off and landing, underground. This included aircraft storage and servicing, but also refueling, loading, towing, and lighting the engines in corridors carved down to 100 feet underground in the hard Scandinavian rock!

The project had an anticipation during WWII, when some special aircraft shelters had been obtained on site by drilling the hillside. However, the actual digging of this incredible Cold War underground base was started in 1950, to be inaugurated by the king Gustav VI Adolf in 1955 (even if not totally complete at the time). The base was sized for a crew of 40 men staying underground with 15 aircraft, of the then new type Saab J29 Tunnan (which translates into ‘barrel’).

The plan of the underground facility features multiple accesses from ground level, on the sides of local hills. Entrances are all misaligned, to reduce the potential damage from a hit by a single attacker. The actual access to the descending tunnel driving down is through a colossal concrete sliding door, 2.3 ft thick and weighing 70 tonnes, with a front area such to allow a fully mounted aircraft to transit with sufficient clearance from the walls and ceiling!

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Interestingly, the concrete door is preceded outside by a curtain, which together with traffic lights, switch cabinets and cables can still be seen today. This was installed for further protection to prevent the effects of fallout and contamination, in case of a nuclear attack on the base premises. The heavy curtain could be effective in stopping debris and lower-energy contaminated particles from even touching the doors. Soaked in water for cleansing, it could be then potentially re-employed multiple times, in case of a nuclear war scenario with waves of nuclear strikes.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

This feature of the base, already pretty unusual, is the first to welcome – and strike! – the visitor. Then the tour takes you inside, for a full exploration of the underground facility beyond the massive concrete doors.

The feeling when accessing the tunnel is really of something huge. A description of the history of the base is offered as a first item through pictures, schemes and original crests. Then the roomy environment of the access tunnel, descending in a bend to the bottom part of the base, is stuffed with a rich collection of aircraft and helicopters in service with the Swedish Air Force, their engines and technical accessories.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The base of Säve was fully completed by 1963, including the fuel supply system which had posed some safety issues in its original design (fuel went down in case of accidental spilling, thus remaining trapped in the deep-end of the base). However, the F9 squadron of the Air Force, home-based in Säve, was disbanded just a few years later, in 1969. This meant that the underground airbase saw active service with the J29 and later the J34, the latter being the Swedish designation of the British Hawker Hunter. After 1969, Säve was home base to the 2nd Helicopter Squadron, and the underground part, hardly of use for rotorcraft, was then employed as a safe storage for non-active aircraft, notably the illustrious Saab J35 Draken, of which 70 (!) were long-term stored inside, with wings dismounted. The base finally ended its military service in 1998. The underground bunker was re-opened later as the Aeroseum museum, where most of the former airbase was turned into a civilian airport, still working today.

Among the aircraft on display in this first descending tunnel are a Saab J29 Tunnan, alongside its De Havilland Ghost jet engine (license-built under the designation RM2 by Svenska Flygmotor, later Volvo Aero, in Sweden). In service between 1948 and 1976 with the Swedish Air Force, the somewhat elusive J29, little known in the West, was a massively produced swept-wing fighter and fighter-bomber, with 661 exemplars manufactured! Austria, another non-NATO country lying on the border with the Soviet bloc, was the only foreign customer for this machine, which in the 1950s formed the backbone of Sweden’s defense force. A modern fighter in many respects, in the same class of the North American F-86 Sabre and of the MiG-15, the J29 was not easy to master for novel pilots, and unfortunately caused many accidental losses, at a time when Sweden was the fourth air force in the world in strength. It was actively employed in the Congo, where Sweden took part within the United Nations contingent in the 1960s.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

On display are also the towing truck and generator employed for engine spool up. In a scramble, the aircraft could be towed up by this Volvo truck, directed on an open air apron, from where it could complete its taxi run alone and finally take-off.

Next in line is a Saab J35 Draken (meaning ‘dragon’), an iconic and successful supersonic fighter/interceptor from Sweden, first flown in 1955 and entering service in 1960, manufactured in 615 exemplars and not less than 10 variants. Besides the Swedish Air Force it was adopted by the foreign Air Forces of Denmark, Finland, and again Austria, the last to withdraw it from service in 2005! This Mach 2 capable machine, with a double-delta wing planform, was propelled by a slightly modified Rolls-Royce Avon engine (manufactured by Svenska Flygmotor as RM6). An original design from the Swedish school, among the features making it so versatile were provision for a two-seats airframe, as well as a general plant simplicity and undercarriage sturdiness, which together with a stopping parachute allowed its deployment from the wartime landing strips.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The latter were obtained in Sweden from the quick conversion of short sections of straight roads in the highway system, creating a network of so-called krigsflygbaser (‘war air bases’), in a defense plan called Bas 60 and later Bas 90. A solution to be found also in the Federal Republic of Germany in the Cold War years, this could greatly enhance the chance of survival of the air force following enemy strike on major air bases, through force dispersal. Yet not all aircraft can safely operate from similar airstrips. Swedish aircraft take this ability into account from the design phase, yielding dependable aircraft, capable of operations in far-from-ideal conditions.

Despite featuring a double, fixed-geometry and comparatively small air intake, the aircraft is single-engined. Underneath the fuselage, this aircraft features a ram air turbine (RAT), for powering the aircraft systems through kinetic energy in the airflow, in case of an engine shut-off in flight.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

To the back of this exemplar of the Draken model is a Saab J37 Viggen (which is the name of a local species of duck). Another great example of an original design from Sweden, the J37 is an attack aircraft built in a canard configuration, and like its predecessor capable of short take-off and landing from road runways. Made in mode than 300 exemplars and employed uniquely by Sweden, it was in service between 1971 and 2007. Quite difficult to see out of Sweden, at the time of its introduction it was arguably the most advanced aircraft design to date, in terms of aerodynamic study, avionic suite and attack potential.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Developed in a number of variants for several roles, the exemplar on display features a number of payloads, to be attached to the underwing pylons or under the fuselage, also thanks to the good clearance from ground offered by the tall undercarriage (not to be found on the Draken). Differently from its Saab predecessors, the J37 was powered by a Volvo RM8, based on the American Pratt & Whitney JT8D turbojet, instead of a British engine.

Close to the Viggen, on display is a Saab car employed for friction test on the runway. This was rather widespread in airport facilities in Sweden. Vehicles with similar function can still be found everywhere in the world, especially in countries where runways are subject to icing.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Next in the line is the Saab JAS 39 Gripen, the most current evolution of the Saab dynasty of attack aircraft. Currently manufactured in more than 300 exemplars and exported to several countries, this machine is another original design from Sweden which is also a post-Cold War commercial success. A canard design like the Viggen, this model was introduced in the late 1980s, and it has been updated over the years as an air superiority platform, with a good mix of performance and efficacy, dependability and economical efficiency. Based on the Volvo RM12, derived from the American General Electric F404, it is currently in service. The aircraft on display is the oldest surviving.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Before reaching to the bottom, in one of the recesses along the corridor, photos from the construction phase of the bunker base, its inauguration and the years of operation can be checked out.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Also mentioned in the exhibition is the peculiar chapter of the Swedish nuclear program. The latter was envisioned in the early nuclear age following WWII, and it took shape especially in the 1950s and early 1960s. Besides facilities for the making of what was needed for fueling and managing a nuclear deterrent, on the aviation side Saab was tasked with dedicated projects for a delivery aircraft for nuclear ordnance, to flank the Saab J32 Lansen intended as an interim platform in that role. Project A 36, for an aircraft featuring a Viggen-like fuselage but no canard, and with an unusual overhead layout of the engine similar to the North American F-107, was in the pipeline when the government started to face increasing contrast from the public opinion concerning the entire national nuclear program, which was eventually cancelled in 1968.

Looking at the structure of the tunnel, left mostly untouched from the days of operation, the original wiring and piping for various systems – electrical, ventilation, etc. – can still be seen. The tunnel is also interspersed with frames, where light fire-proof doors could be lowered in case of an accidental fire. They could seal segments of the tunnel, which could then be flooded with fire-suppressing foam.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Approaching the bottom of the descending tunnel, it is possible to find a group of helicopters, in service in Sweden mostly for rescue operations, like an ubiquitous US-made Piasecki H-21 (the ‘Flying banana’), a Sud Aviation Allouette 2, an Agusta-Bell 402 and a Bell 206, the latter employed in polar missions from icebreaker Ymen. An Eurocopter Super Puma and a MBB Bo 105 come from the Swedish military, the latter reportedly having been prepared in a special anti-tank version, but never pressed into service.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Once on the bottom level, you can explore the halls, which are all interconnected, forming a network with a plant similar to a double ‘H’. On the crossing of two halls, you can spot the big round turntables, employed to turn the aircraft when towing them from storage to the base of the ramps going up. There are actually two of these ramps, one is that employed for access by visitors, the other is currently only visible from the bottom level, and off limits (employed for museum service). Its access can be found to the opposite side of the bottom level upon entering.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

You can find several aircraft and exhibits on this level, including some pay-per-use professional flight simulators. An interesting exhibition tells about the organization of the STRIL, an acronym for stridsledning och luftbevakning, forming the backbone of the air defense system of Sweden from the early years of the Cold War on. Among the most unique facilities managed by the system are the krigsflygbaser mentioned above. Some original pictures and scale models tell about the detailed scheme of such bases, which could be activated when conditions required.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

It is possible to board examples of both the Draken and Viggen models. The latter is presented with the engine dismounted from the airframe, and with many examples of war load either hanging from the wing pylons, or lying underneath. The number of options is really big, witnessing the versatility of the Viggen as an airborne platform.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The cockpit of the Viggen has evolved over time. The one you can see is fully analog. Close by is also the RM8 jet engine of the Viggen, with the afterburner pipe installed – a pretty long assembly! Also a trailer for storing and transporting jet engines is on display.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

One of the Saab Draken exemplars is displayed alongside its engine as well. Interestingly, the afterburner pipe has been separated from the engine core in this case, allowing to check their respective size.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Another interesting item on display in this area, alongside a Bell 47 helicopter with its distinctive bubble canopy, is a Saab J32 Lansen. Primarily built as a fighter and entering service in the 1950s, the career of the Lansen stretched to the 1990s, and saw it employed in several roles, including as a trainer. Interestingly, the study for a dedicated engine – the STAL Dovern – was started alongside with that for the airframe, as typical to other military programs especially in the US. The engine, which reached the flight testing phase, is displayed alongside the aircraft. It represents one of the few projects of the Swedish company STAL for aviation. The company has been for long a primary manufacturer of turbines for electric power plants, started in the early 20th century on the remarkable Ljungström design (the homonym brothers actually founded STAL). In the end, the Lansen employed the British Rolls-Royce Avon.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

A well-stuffed display is that of on-board radar equipment employed on the SAAB aircraft in service with the Swedish Air Force.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Among the many design and procurement programs of the Swedish military, special attention was given to missiles. The Robot 08 A, an anti-ship cruise missile employed on destroyers and from coastal batteries in Sweden, was the result of a collaborative program with the French. After a boost phase employing rockets, the efficient small jet engine employed for thrust in cruise (a Turbomeca Marbore) allowed the missile to travel at transonic speed, delivering a warhead up to 100 nautical miles away from the launch site. Navigation was through radio control, and homing on target was radar-assisted.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

A real work-horse both in the US and abroad (see this post), a Cessna 337 Skymaster in service with the Coast Guard of Sweden can be found in apparently pristine conditions.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

A wing of the museum is dedicated to the collection of the Aviation Veteran Society of Göteborg. Among their many interesting projects is the restoration of classic models, often times unique exemplars from an age prior to the introduction of jets. Each of the aircraft on display in their collection, which is always evolving, has a story to tell. For example, one of them, a British De Havilland Gipsy Moth, was employed by his owner (the Swede Gösta Fraenkel) in the 1930s for an experimental treatment of whooping cough, an infectious disease typically developing in children. The pilot took infected people on board the open-cockpit biplane, allowing cold, dry and clean air to ram into their respiratory channels and lungs for some minutes while flying at a sufficient altitude. Apparently, this treatment accelerated recovery in a percentage of cases. Another aircraft in this area is a SAAB 91A Safir. The ‘A’ version is the original and oldest of this light basic trainer and multipurpose aircraft, dating back to the 1940s, and a good commercial success for Sweden.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Another rich collection is based on an impressive archive of Cold War files documenting many Soviet activities in the territory of the German Democratic Republic. This exhibition (a topic often touched on this website, see for instance here and here) is especially interesting for its completeness and for the level of detail – most files show photographs and numerical data.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

A nice array of models, often portraying in dioramas scenes from the real aviation history of Sweden or the region of the Baltic sea, is aligned along a wall. Among them, you can see the first ever defection of a MiG to the West on the Danish island of Bornholm (see this post), as well as the grounding of a Douglas DC-3 in Swedish markings by a MiG-15 which had taken off from Estonia (at that time within the borders of the Soviet Union). That DC-3 has been savaged from the bottom of the Baltic Sea years later, and it is now on display at the museum of the Swedish Air Force in Linköping.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Even if you don’t need it, you should take a detour to the toilet, to access an original corridor and have a look to two full-scale reconstructions of STRIL command centers.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Back outside, you can climb uphill to check out a few additional military vehicles on display, including an exemplar of the highly-succesful line of bi-modular track vehicles called Bandvagn, made by the Swedish company Hägglunds in tons of variants and for different roles. Basically unstoppable on any terrain (and actually working in shallow waters as well), this highly versatile machine is here displayed in a Swedish Army camo paint. Also on display is a rather rare moving lounge, a vehicle for easing boarding operation on larger aircraft. Made by Chrysler in the US (and reportedly employed at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., back then), this exemplar was in use at Göteborg Landsvetter airport, before the terminal was re-designed for a better management of passenger traffic.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

From the hilltop, you may get a vantage view of the airfield, now the general aviation airport of Säve.

Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Aeroseum Air Force Bunker Base Air Museum – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Getting there and visiting

The exact address of Aeroseum is Nya Bergets Väg 50, 41746 Göteborg, Sweden. The location is easily reachable along Hisingsleden, taking north from Göteborg, and connecting some of the premises of the huge Volvo factory quartered north of town. From the crossing with Flygflottilijens Väg (where a bus stop is), it is a .4 miles stretch to the museum’s gate. Huge parking on site. Visiting for technically-minded people with an interest for aviation can easily take 3 hours (4 in my case), checking out all the nice exhibits. There is a self-service restaurant at the bottom of the bunker, as well as a nice shop. Entertaining activities for the kids are on the menu as well.

Together with the Air Force Museum in Linköping, this is possibly one of the top air museums in Sweden, well worth a dedicated trip also for the special construction where it is located. Website with full information (also in English) here.

Maritiman – Göteborg

Located in downtown Göteborg, this museum has on display a handful of vessels, originally employed in Sweden in either civilian or military roles. The most sizable of them, the destroyer Småland (J19), is also an illustrious witness of the Cold War, and a lone survivor of the Royal Swedish Navy of that era. She was built by Eriksbergs shipbuilding company in Göteborg, a now defunct primary player in the Swedish naval history, and it saw service between 1956 and 1979 together with the only sister ship Halland, which gave name to the class.

The neutrality of Sweden for the Navy meant that the fleet of the kingdom was developed with self-defense in mind. At the end of WWII, two cruisers were laid down, Tre Kronor and Göta Lejon, which were the largest vessels ever to see service in Sweden. In the 1950s the shipbuilding effort saw the completion of the new destroyers Halland and Småland, which went operating alongside many more destroyer units over the 1950s and 1960s. All these four ships however were the pinnacle of shipbuilding in Sweden in terms tonnage. By the end of the 1950s the last four destroyers of the Östergötland class (lighter than Halland class) had been put into service, and manufacture of either cruisers or destroyers ceased altogether. By the end of the 1960s, the two cruisers were stricken off, and over the 1970s and 1980s many of the destroyers followed. In the high-tech late era of the Cold War, Sweden opted for a larger number of lighter surface ships, in particular corvettes and torpedo boats. The former are represented today by the highly effective Visby class, which constitutes the backbone of the Royal Swedish Navy today.

Of the historical cruiser and destroyer fleet of the Swedish Navy, the Småland is the only surviving unit. In the Maritiman museum, it is possible to board and thoroughly explore this vessel. Among the distinctive construction features, the castle structure runs all along the ship, allowing the crew to operate while keeping inside, so as to avoid exposition to fallout radiation in a nuclear war scenario. Provision for cleaning the outer decks was made with a pressurized water system, running around the castle. Furthermore, material was steel and iron, instead of aluminum, sometimes employed in shipbuilding for saving weight, but more prone to fire damage than heavier steel. The crew was of 250-290 men. The ship went through three modernization programs, and included three fire direction facilities in the castle.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The heavier gun armament of the destroyer is composed of two turrets (one at bow, one at stern) with two 120 mm guns each, and a bow turret with two 57 mm cannon. Additionally, six 40 mm single-barrel anti-aircraft cannons on revolving turrets are placed along the sides of the ship. All guns were made by Bofors in Sweden.

A single 120 mm gun turret was manned by seven men, and could fire 42 rounds per minute, with a range of roughly 12 nautical miles. It could be employed for targeting other ships, aircraft or land installations.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

On the side of the 120 mm turrets you can see flare rockets with super intense illuminating power, which were employed for fire direction at night. Fire direction systems evolved over the years, but the task was mainly performed in the castle structure.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The 57 mm gun turret was designed for anti-aircraft operations, with a range of up to 4,000 m, which was roughly 25-30% more than the standard 40 mm anti-aircraft guns. Fire direction was from the castle deck or locally by the designated gunner.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

For anti-submarine war operations, Småland has revolving torpedo tubes on the deck, for the Torped 61 torpedo series, a highly-successful design from Sweden, employed also by foreign customers (see this post).

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Additionally, to the bow are two racks of launchers for four anti-submarine rockets each. An example of the body of a Bofors 375 mm anti-submarine rocket is on display beside the rocket launchers. It took 40 seconds to reload one launcher. Fire direction and timing was performed from inside the sonar room, or from a control station beneath the launchers.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The ship could carry out mine laying operations. To the stern of the ship some sea mines are on display on the rail employed for launching them outboard.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The Småland could manage helicopter landings on its deck, and it had the ability to launch anti-shipping cruise missiles. This rather innovative solution for the time was based on the Robot 08 platform (see also the Aeroseum exhibition here in this chapter). Two of them could be carried on the launching pad, where further missiles were stored under deck, and a special incline was employed to take them to the outer deck level for launch. Launch was managed with a dedicated fire control computer.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The Småland could operate as a flotilla capital ship, thus navigation and communication systems were particularly modern and capable on this ship, for the time. Digital computers, with pre-defined communications which could be issued at quick pace, are part of the scenery on the top decks of the castle structure.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The crew compartments, even those for higher-ranking staff, and many technical rooms are as cramped as usual on military ships, not so far from their WWII predecessors.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

On top of the castle, the command deck can be found, and from here you can get also a nice view of the town of Göteborg.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Among the most interesting parts, is the engine and power supply area. The Småland was pushed by two independent boiler/turbine systems, which gave power to two propellers. Top speed was 37 knots, and at that speed the ship employed 420 liters of fuel per minute!

The engines required 16 men for operations initially, working close to the hot ducts and parts of the engine at extreme noise level. At a later stage, control rooms were installed in the engine compartments, allowing to reduce the workload and increase comfort to a reasonable level. Filtering and shielding was installed on the air intake system, to reduce the effect of nuclear fallout ingestion by the combustion system.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

This area can be toured extensively, unveiling many narrow passages and showing the complex structure of the energy plant, producing power for motion and for all the other onboard systems.

Another highlight of the Maritiman is the Draken class submarine Nordkaparen (Nor, in the registry). The six ships of this class were manufactured in the early 1960s, Nordkaparen (laid down by Kockums at Malmö) entering service in 1962, to be stricken off in 1988. The Royal Swedish Navy has always invested much in its submarine fleet, especially along the entire span of the Cold War, with more than 20 units manufactured post-WWII and before 1989. New models have been introduced after the end of the Soviet Union and the Cold War, and currently four modern units are in service.

The Draken class, propelled by Diesel-electric propulsion, was introduced as an improvement of the older Hajen class, with a single slow rotating propeller instead of two, and a modified stern part and control surfaces. With an operative depth of 150 m and manned by 36 men, it was capable of a top speed of 22 knots submerged.

At the Maritiman it is possible to board the Nordkaparen from the stern hatch, and have a complete tour of its well preserved interiors, coming out from the hatch to the bow.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The rear compartment with the electric motors and a sleeping area for the crew is relatively roomy. Conversely, the center section of the submarine allows only a narrow passage between the Diesel engines, with round tight doors which require some body flexibility to go through!

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The navigation deck and the cockpit are again somewhat roomier than their WWII counterparts, similar to the forward compartment, with a reasonable area for the crew.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

A unique feature of this design is the revolving rack for storing the torpedoes. Torpedo tubes are four, and all placed to the bow of the ship. The revolving rack, resembling that of a giant revolver, hosts eight torpedoes. It is itself loaded from the back, and it can pivot around its axis pushed by a motor, putting a torpedo in the revolver at the level of the firing tube to be reloaded, thus allowing a faster recharging of any firing tube.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Another military boat from the Cold War years on display is the patrol boat Hugin (P151). A fleet of many, lighter vessels was preferred by military planners in Sweden to one of heavier and more expensive ships with greater firepower, especially towards the last decades of the Cold War. Hugin was the first of her class, and it was manufactured in Norway (Bergen Mekaniske Verksted). Sixteen units of this class were in service in the 1980s with the Royal Swedish Navy.

The boat features a steel hull, and is pushed by two 20-cylinders MB518D Diesel engines made by MTU, delivering a power of 3,500 hp each, and giving this boat a top speed of 39 knots. The crew of twenty men could operate for more days in a row on board the ship. This versatile fast boat was armed with inertial-guided and IR-homed anti-shipping missiles (type Robot 12 Mk 2, made in Sweden), depth charges and ASW-600 Elma grenades (made by SAAB in Sweden) for anti-submarine warfare, and sea mines for mine laying missions.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

Additionally, the boat has a single Bofors 57 mm cannon for anti-aircraft gunnery. One of the versions of the Arte fire control system made by Philips was installed on the ship, allowing to engage more targets simultaneously.

Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden
Maritiman Museum Swedish Navy Småland Nordkaparen Hugin – Göteborg Gothenburg – Sweden

The Maritiman has on display a number of other boats, covering a range of uses and a big part of the storyline of shipbuilding in Sweden. Among them are fire-fighting vessels, tugboats, as well passenger commuters.

Getting there and visiting

A top attraction of Göteborg, the Maritiman museum can be reached with a nice walk from the historical city center, simply reaching the water bank from it. The museum will be very entertaining for children, but it has even more to tell to technically minded people. Many detailed descriptions in multiple languages all along the visiting path allow to get much from your visit. Furthermore, the majority of the compartments are open or visible on the Småland ship, all on the Nordkaparen, allowing to fully explore these vessels or look into the many technical rooms. A thorough visit may take about 2-3 hours or more, depending on your level of interest.

The exact address is Packhusplatsen 12, 411 13 Göteborg. Parking options nearby (public at a fee). Website with full access information (also in English) here.

Aircraft Collections in Norway

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The ‘Norwegian chapter’ in the book of aviation history is a peculiar and interesting one. Similarly to virtually every Country in the western world, in the early age of aviation small manufacturing companies appeared also in Norway. Despite meeting with little success in the long run, they contributed in creating momentum around those ‘novel flying machines’. Norway, with a sinuous coastline stretching for some thousands miles from the latitude of England up north to where the European continent ends, and with a land largely covered in snow for many months per year, has been an ideal place for the development of a local air network since the early days of aviation. This created an alternative link between smaller communities and industry centers. As a matter of fact, similarly to Greece, Norway is among the top employers of smaller aircraft for commercial routes in Europe still today.

To the same early era belong the now almost mythological arctic expeditions, carried out also by air – by plane or airship – and almost invariably departing from Norway. The well-known Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen was an advocate of air explorations, and his primary contributions to geographical explorations have constituted in some cases milestones in aviation history.

Despite a significant down-scaling of its Armed Forces in the post-Cold War scenario causing a strong reduction of the military presence in the Country, Norway has been in the focus of massive military operations since the 1930s.

In particular, both its geographical position and natural resources met the appetite of the Third Reich, which successfully invaded Norway in a blitzkrieg campaign in late spring 1940. Through an action based strongly on airlift capacity, German cargo planes relocated personnel and material very effectively to Norway. The crown and government were forced into exile in Britain, and with it also the military chain of command. Actually, the air force academy was moved to Toronto area, Ontario, where the military facilities of Norway got the name of ‘Little Norway’. New Norwegian pilots were relentlessly trained there, preparing them to repel the enemy from their Scandinavian motherland.

The Third Reich managed to keep a grip on southern Norway until its collapse and the end of WWII in Europe. Having witnessed the failure of neutrality as a foreign policy, in the rapidly deteriorating post-WWII scenario and the beginning of the Cold War between the Soviet-led eastern bloc and the free democracies of the western world, Norway joined NATO as a founding member.

Since then and for more than four decades, Norway was on one of the ‘hot’ fronts of the war, with a border-crossing point with the USSR, and a privileged position to patrol the skies over the shipping routes leading from the highly-militarized Kola peninsula into the Atlantic Ocean (see this post). Keeping a constant watch on the air, surface and submarine movements of the USSR was a task brilliantly covered by the Norwegian Air Force and Navy for the entire duration of the Cold War.

Today, western world issues like climate-related hysteria and hardly shareable, deeply ideological so-called ‘carbon neutrality’ policies promise to definitively clip the wings to sport, private and commercial aviation especially in this Country, through an unprecedented technological leap back. Similarly, the (today, so evidently) short-sighted post-Cold War dismantlement of military power in Europe has impacted military forces also in Norway.

However, the memory of the glorious years when this proud Scandinavian Nation has been on the forefront of aviation technology and in the focus of military action are duly relived in two wonderful aviation collections, celebrating what can be achieved through technical skill, courage and good national ideals.

One of these collections is the Norwegian Aviation Museum, located east of the airport of Bodø, a coastal town on the Norwegian Sea, not far north of the Polar Circle. The other is the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection, located just west of Oslo-Gardermoen Airport, in the south of the Country and close to the capital city. Both museums host world-class collections, really worth a detour for aviation-minded people from whatever continent, and for the general public as well, as can be possibly perceived from the pictures in this post.

Photographs in this post were taken during a visit to both destinations in August 2022.

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Sights

Norwegian Aviation Museum – Bodø

The Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø is located on the northeastern corner of the airport, dominating this coastal town north of the Polar Circle. The airport was founded back in the 1920s, strongly potentiated by the Germans in WWII, and extensively used over the Cold War decades for mixed military and civil use. Today, it is mainly a commercial airport, with some residual military activity. However, the Air Station at Bodø shows evident traces of a military past – aircraft shelters, bunkers and large antenna arrays point the hilly panorama south of the runway.

The museum covers many aspects of the history of aeronautics in Norway. Both civil and military aviation are well represented, the respective collections being hosted in two adjoining large halls, merging into the central atrium – featuring a Northrop F-5 in the colors of the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF). This type has been the backbone of the RNoAF in the latter decades of the Cold War years.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Civil aviation hall

The proposed path in the civil aviation hall follows a chronological order, and starts with a display of memorabilia from the early aviation years and from the age of the adventurous polar explorations. The items on display include flags, historical pictures, personal belongings taken by explorers on polar exploration trips and many interesting explanatory panels.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

Aircraft on display include rare early seaplanes, employed to establish transport services. These are put side by side with more modern aircraft of the company Widerøe, which today is responsible for most of the short-range high-frequency services linking the scattered settlements in the northern part of Norway – up to North Cape.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

Nice advertisement posters are displayed to retrace the history of some classic airlines, including the all-private Braathens, once a major airline from Norway, and telling about the foundation of SAS – which incorporated also Braathens at the turn of the century – which stands for ‘Scandinavian Airlines System’. It is still today a big carrier linking Northern Europe and the world. These companies were among the world first massively flying polar routes, thanks to on-board instrumentation specifically made to tackle the navigation issues showing up when flying close to the poles.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

A turning point in the history of Braathens has been the introduction of jets, in the form of the Fokker F.28, for which this airline has been a launch customer. An exemplar of the F.28 is partly preserved in the museum, allowing to check out the fully analog cockpit.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

Helicopters, including one with a special pod hosting an entire berth for SAR operations, are also well represented. The Police is clearly using the latest models of rotary wing technology.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

A rare aircraft on display is a British-made Britten-Norman Islander, once operating in the colors of the local company Norving. Very evocative pictures show the unusual scenarios often faced by airlines operating in near-polar regions!

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

Another peculiar mission covered by aircraft in Norway has been that of territory imaging and survey, including for archaeology in the search for ancient viking remains, typically hard to see from ground level. A Cessna 337 Skymaster push-pull originally tasked with this mission is on display. This type is pretty hard to see in Europe, but has enjoyed even a significant military career in the US (see this post).

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

A big bird on display is a beautiful original Junkers Ju-52 three-props seaplane. This is one of four originally in the fleet of the Norwegian flag carrier ‘Det Norske Luftfartselskap’, established in the 1930s, and operating with a mixed fleet of British, German and American models.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

The cockpit of the Junkers has been put in a display case to be admired more easily.

Among the many other items on display in the civil aviation hall, you can find an original wind tunnel model of the Concorde, aircraft remains from an accident, and some unusual or one-off aircraft models.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Civil aviation gallery

Military aviation hall

The hall dedicated to military aviation starts again following the timeline of aviation history. The early-age manufacturers appearing in Norway when aircraft were still a totally new technological novelty are represented with dioramas of technical shops, scale models and historical pictures. Some aircraft dating to the pre-WWII years are also on display.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

However, a major subject covered in the display is that of WWII. Norway was conquered by the invading German forces in a short and aggressive campaign in Spring 1940. Well planned from a strategic viewpoint, this operation included the capture of the airport of Oslo – the old field of Oslo-Fornebu – on the 9th of April, which was then used as a major base for landing transport aircraft, unloading military staff and material in the most populated area of the Country.

The landslide Third Reich invasion forced the government and the military chain of command to withdraw to Britain. An agreement was then settled to establish a military flight academy near Toronto, Ontario, to supply the Norwegian armed forces with new pilots, to carry out offensive operations from Britain.

The collection features many interesting items from WWII period. From a balcony you are offered a view of the collection, and a vantage view on the relic of a Luftwaffe Junkers Ju-88, transported to the museum after recovery.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

The air operations in the invasion of Spring 1940 are documented with interesting scale models and dioramas, as well as much technical material retrieved from the days of German occupation. This includes cameras for photo reconnaissance, Third Reich military maps of the region, flags, aircraft engines, and many historical pictures.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

From the same era, the cockpit of a Soviet Ilyushin Il-2 Sturmovik, documents of the air actions against the Third Reich occupants, and others concerning the history of ‘Little Norway’ – the Norwegian military training facilities in Canada – are also on display.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Aircraft displayed in this area include restored or partly reconstructed examples of a De Havilland Mosquito, a Supermarine Spitfire, as well as a Focke-Wulf FW190 and a Messerschmitt BF-109 on the German side.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

All these birds together make for a really unusual and evocative sight today! Especially the German fighters are really rare to find, and their condition and presentation is really eye-catching.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Further aircraft from the time include a North American Harvard trainer, and a big Consolidated PBY Catalina seaplane used for patrol. The latter looks really massive hosted indoor, compared to smaller fighter aircraft!

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Anti-aircraft guns and a pretty unusual radio emitter/transmission station, employed as beacons for helping instrumental navigation in the war years, are also part of this interesting display.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Next to the WWII area is the Cold War section of the display. Following the bad WWII experience with a policy of international neutrality, resulting in an invasion by a powerful enemy force, following the escalating divergence between the western Allies and the USSR, Norway opted for joining NATO as a founding member.

The alliance with the US and Britain, similar to other NATO Countries, meant a substantial supply of American and (at least in the beginning) British military supply. A North American F-86 Sabre and a Republic F-84 Thunderjet are two beautiful representatives from the early Cold War era. Similarly, a De Havilland Vampire is hanging from the ceiling.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

A slightly more modern item is a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. Not much employed in the US, it covered the interceptor role along the border with the Eastern Bloc in Norway, Federal Germany and Italy for many years.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Historical pictures tell – among many interesting subjects – about other aircraft, like the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star, as well as the F-104 and the F-5 involved in interception and escort flights, shadowing Tupolev Tu-95, Antonov An-12 and other USSR machines flying over international waters or scraping the border of Scandinavian airspaces – quintessential Cold War memories!

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Possibly a reason for Bodø having grown to further fame in the aviation community of Western Countries is the presence here of a real Lockheed U-2 spy plane. This aircraft can be found in Europe only at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, Britain, and here. Actually, a curious fact about Bodø is that it was a designated destination or an alternate (emergency) airfield for the perilous overflights of the USSR, carried out with the Lockheed U-2, and later with the Mach 3+ Lockheed SR-71. Actually, the latter landed here in one occasion, whereas the ill-fated mission of Francis Gary Powers, downed by Soviet SAMs while en-route north of Kazakhstan from Peshawar, Pakistan, had Bodø as a destination (see this post for pictures of the relic in Moscow).

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

The U-2 is displayed so that it is possible to both appreciate its slim shape and large wing span, and also get near to its cockpit. However, its installation and lighting inside the hall – and the fact that it is black… – make it a rather difficult target for photographs. Next to the aircraft, historical pictures and schemes tell about the mission of Francis Gary Powers. Interesting tables for the interpretation of photo intelligence are also on display.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Still in the Cold War part of the museum, a very unusual and interesting section is centered on the facilities and technical gear for the detection and monitoring of airspace intrusion, for early warning and for alerting the air defenses of the National airspace.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

This secretive and little publicized branch of the military kept its ears and eyes constantly pointed on the moves of the colossal Soviet neighbor, recording every single movement – look for the super-interesting registry of USSR aircraft movements! – and constantly updating the situation, in order to be ready to counter a sudden ‘turn for the worst’, in case of an actual attack.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Interestingly, much of the electronics here is US made, as can be seen looking at the product tags.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

The arsenal that could be employed to counter an air attack included the Nike-Ajax and later Nike-Hercules surface to air missiles, deployed along the border with the Eastern Bloc also in Denmark, Germany and Italy (see here and here).

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Just to complete this incredible Cold War exhibition, an interesting and pretty unique air-dropped WE-177 nuclear bomb case is on display!

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

More modern addition to the aircraft collection include a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon and some helicopters.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

A latter interesting part of the military exhibition showcases an array of aircraft-mounted cannons from various ages, showing their precision and their effect on the same target. You can appreciate the effects of the technical evolution of these weapons.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Examples of air-launched missiles and sonobuoys, and a fine array of flight suits showing the evolution of their design, conclude this exceptional museum.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

As a plus, the old control tower of the military air station has been turned into a panorama point, where you can watch air operation on the actual airport, and also listen to air traffic frequencies!

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

The gate guardians include a Bell helicopter and an old glorious Hawker Hurricane from WWII.

Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War
Norwegian Aviation Museum Bodø – Norsk Luftfartsmuseum – Military aviation gallery – WWII and Cold War

Visiting

The museum is located at Bodø airport, and can be spotted pretty easily when entering the town. Bodø can be included – or considered as a starting point – in many tours of Northern Norway. The museum offers a large and convenient parking. It can be toured in not less than 2 hours for aviation-minded people. The website is here.

Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection – Oslo-Gardermoen

Coherently with its name, this wonderful collection is focused on military aviation in Norway. Most aircraft having served in the RNoAF at some point in history are represented, as well as some from WWII – not only from the Allied side, but most notably some rare exemplars from the Third Reich.

A great feature of this museum is also the architecture of the display. Put in a U-shaped building to the southwest of Oslo-Gardermoen airport, the aircraft are in most cases sufficiently far from one another to allow moving around freely, getting an unobstructed view from different angles. Furthermore, the natural lighting from the top windows is ideal for pictures (similar to the solution adopted in the Estonian Aviation Museum, see here).

Late 20th century

The display starts with the Northrop F-5, which is represented by three exemplars, interspersed with a single example of a General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon – currently in use with the RNoAF, to be replaced by the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II. The Freedom Fighter has been the backbone of the RNoAF for the latter years of the Cold War, being flanked and substituted by the Fighting Falcon, and now by the Lightning II.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The aircraft on display are two F-5 Freedom Fighter, i.e. the light fighter version – one in a distinctive tiger painting – and one RF-5 Tigereye, which has been developed from the original design into a capable photo reconnaissance aircraft.

Walking beneath the F-5 reveals many details, for instance the landing gear mechanism, the missile pylons and anchoring system, and JATO bottles for reducing the take-off distance.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

A J85 jet engine – there were two for each F-5 – is on display, with the afterburner pipe mounted past the turbine exhaust. A choice of missiles and pods can be seen close to the ‘tiger painted’ exemplar. The latter can be boarded. The fully analog cockpit shows much standard instrumentation for flight control, navigation and engine management, but also an armament panel with weapons selection and activation switches. Also interesting are the parachute deployment lever, for the arresting parachute, or the underwing load jettison system.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The RF-4 reconnaissance aircraft features a nose camera, with a prominent lens which can be easily checked out. Similarly, the hatch of the port 20-mm cannon has been left open, showing the cannon body, barrel and the very neat ammo supply system.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Next to these aircraft are a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter in a two-seats trainer configuration, and the front section of another exemplar with the original cockpit, which can be boarded. The J79 engine of the Starfighter, apparently originally from Canada judging from the Orenda labels on some components, has been taken out of the fuselage and can be appreciated in all its length (with the afterburner pipe to the back).

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The cockpit of the Starfighter is cramped, with little legroom and a very limited front visibility. It is fully analog, similar to the F-5.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

In a corner of the hall, an original simulator – apparently for an F-16 – has found a new collocation, possibly from a military aviation academy.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Early Cold War

The next part of the display offers the sight of a full array of fascinating, well-preserved aircraft from the early Cold War period. The first is a North American F-86 Sabre, with an attractive golden front intake decoration. Walking around and looking closely, many particular features can be spotted, including the leading edge slats. A ‘used’ Martin Baker ejection seat shows the little damage resulting from actual employment in case of emergency.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Next is an improved version of the Sabre (F-86K), which features a very different intake, such to accommodate in the bulbous nose a powerful radar antenna. The latter could work in conjunction with a computer, and offered a substantial help in increasing the offensive capability of this fighter, which could also be operated in all weather conditions.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

A nice gem of the collection is an original portable cabinet for testing the General Electric J47 engine. This cabinet looks like a suitcase, but it could be positioned standing on its legs, linked with connectors to the on-board systems, and could show the working condition of the engine in a mounted configuration. The monitoring instrumentation is fully analog. It would make for a great item for collectors of Cold War technical gear!

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Then follows an Republic F-84 Thunderjet early jet fighter, with its neat lines, wing tip tanks, and an under-fuselage spoiler in a deflected position.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Nearby, the rather different – despite the similar code – Republic RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance aircraft prominently displays its big-diameter optics in the nose.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The really elegant design of a Lockheed T-33 can be appreciated next. The air intakes are really works of art, and the bare metal color just adds to the vintage line of this early design.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Similarly graceful is the iconic De Havilland Vampire, the only British addition to this US-dominated aircraft display from the Cold War era. With its distinctive twin-boom tail, the typical De Havilland vertical fins dating back to the pre-WWII propeller-driven examples, the shrouded jet engine totally disappearing in the body of the aircraft, with small, fenced intakes on the leading edges of the wing, this aircraft looks like a really good balance between engineering-driven design choices and pure elegance.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

WWII aircraft

A central section of the exhibition is centered on WWII-era aircraft, starting with two Supermarine Spitfire, one hanging from the ceiling, and one sitting on its wheels, in a greenish color and RNoAF emblems.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

What follows is a pretty unique US-made aircraft, a Northrop N-3PB seaplane, ordered as a sea patrolling aircraft by Norway, but not reaching Scandinavia in time before the German invasion. It was then employed as a sea patrol from Iceland by the Norwegian forces in exile. Possibly looking not so conspicuous in pictures, it is a rather massive bird. It shows an interesting floatplane design, where floats are anchored to the wings through aerodynamically profiled struts, so as to reduce drag as much as possible.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Walking around it, you can notice the relatively light weaponry hanging from the fuselage bottom, the down-firing back cannon for defense, and the detachable wheels to pull the aircraft ashore.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Then a very rare bird follows – a German Heinkel He-111 bomber from WWII! Restored in a mint-looking condition, this aircraft makes for a unique sight in the panorama of aviation collections.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

This iconic aircraft from the Third Reich, much known to aviation-minded people especially in connection with the early landslide campaigns of the Third Reich in Europe and for the Battle of Britain, can be examined from very close and beneath, unveiling some interesting peculiar features. For example, the bomb bay features vertical square-section separated ‘blisters’, a totally different solution with respect to larger US bombers from the age.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The underbelly shooting pod allowed the cannon operator to ‘rest’ in a laid down position. The front cannon is clearly asymmetrically placed with respect to the aircraft centerline, following a side curvature of the nose cone such to increase pilot’s visibility.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Close by is another incredibly well-preserved addition from the Third Reich’s Luftwaffe, a Junkers Ju-52 transport in fashionable military colors.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The Ju-52 and He-111 were the main characters involved in the blitzkrieg attack to Oslo-Fornebu, the now bygone airport of central Oslo, which was the stage of a massive air-launched German attack in April 1940, a substantial contribution and a prelude to the complete invasion of Norway. Both aircraft are surrounded by a set of accessories from the time, including searchlights, fuel tanks, spare parts, anti-aircraft guns and even service trolleys with skis to be used on snowy aprons! The ensemble is really quite a sight.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

From roughly the same age is also a perfectly preserved Douglas C-47 Skytrain – a true war veteran! Preserved in the colors of the RNoAF, it was originally incorporated in the USAAF and employed in action in Europe since mid-1944. It flew during the Berlin Airlift, operating in and out West Berlin transporting goods during Stalin’s blockade of the town in 1948-49 (see this chapter). It later joined the RNoAF and was employed for radar tuning and for transport until the mid-1970s.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The color scheme of the RNoAF looks great on this C-47, and the presentation among some airport service vehicles from the time adds to the display.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Further recent aircraft

Approaching the extremity of the U-shaped building, you can find a De Havilland Twin Otter with skis, some classic helicopters, some aircraft undergoing restoration – including substantial remains of a Junkers Ju-88 bomber from the Third Reich! – and a massive Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The latter is possibly the aircraft in the collection having been retired most recently. It has been deprived of its vertical fin, which simply couldn’t fit inside the building, but the rest is almost complete. The engine pods are opened, so that you can see inside. An array of JATO bottles to enhance take-off performance has been anchored to the side of the fuselage.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The aircraft is on display with the back and side doors opened, so that boarding its preserved interior and cockpit is indeed possible.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Inside the cockpit, chance is you meet a living legend, the flight engineer of the RNoAF Mons Nygård, who will explain you the features and operations of his aircraft! The man joined the Armed Forces in the late 1950s until the 1990s, with a military career spanning a big part of the Cold War. He flew extensively the Hercules, as well as other aircraft including the Lockheed P-3 Orion, logging a staggering  more-than-17’000 hours in flight!

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

We could interview him about his career, which unfolded several nice anecdotes and memories from the Cold War years, and a real passion for his super-reliable aircraft and for his job. It’s no wonder the Hercules, being designed in the 1950s, is still in service with many Armed Forces of the world.

Anti-aircraft defense system

Finally, the exhibition includes Nike-Ajax and Nike-Hercules anti-aircraft missiles (SAM). Installed in batteries against an attack from the USSR also in Norway (see for instance this preserved battery in Italy, this in Denmark, or this ghost one in former Federal Germany), these nuclear-capable massive missiles were in service typically between the 1950s and the early 1980s, becoming by then obsolete.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Of great interest for technically-minded people are some of the inside components of these missiles, including components of the guidance system and some electronics, which can be seen in display cases, as well as technical vehicles for launch control, radar operation etc.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Other lighter anti-aircraft weapons from the Cold War era are displayed nearby, thus covering also this interesting subject in good detail.

Balcony

The visit may be concluded with a walk along the inside balcony, from which a good view of all the aircraft just mentioned is obtained.

On the same balcony, you can find also many trainers once used for teaching young pilots the basics of flight. Some are classic models belonging to the era of Little Norway and WWII, when training for freshly recruited pilots was carried out in Ontario, Canada.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

The gate guardians for this beautiful collection are an F-5 and an F-104, the latter in the greenish colorway seen also in the collection in Bodø.

The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen
The Norwegian Armed Forces Collection – Flysamlingen Forsvaret Museer – Military aviation collection, Oslo-Gardermoen

Visiting

This fantastic collection can be found in the southwestern corner of the premises of Oslo-Gardermoen airport, the main airport serving the Norwegian capital city.

The museum is administrated by the Armed Forces.

Visiting for the aircraft enthusiast may be very rewarding and may take more than 2 hours, since the exceptional state of preservation of the artifacts and the many details you can explore through a walk around very close to the aircraft invite to spend time inside. You have also chance to speak with former military crew, which adds much to the experience. Very good photo opportunities for an indoor collection.

Large free parking ahead of the entrance, with picnic facilities. Nice model shop by the ticket office.

The museum is normally open on weekends, but further visits may be scheduled out of these opening slot. Please check the info on their website here.

Former Soviet and East German Military Bases in the GDR – Pictures from Above

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The BEST pictures from Soviet bases in the GDR
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At the end of WWII, the territory of conquered Germany was split in four sectors by the then-Allies – the US, Great Britain, France and the USSR. A substantial part to the north-east of the country fell in Stalin’s hands. A few years later, following a re-organization of all territories occupied by the Red Army during WWII, the Soviet part of Germany was turned into a communist-led state known as German Democratic Republic (‘GDR’, or ‘DDR’ in German language).

Especially from a military standpoint, similar to Poland, and later Hungary and Czechoslovakia, this produced a kind of cohabitation. As a matter of fact, besides clearly backing the communist dictatorship in occupied countries, the Soviets did not quit at all from newly acquired western territories. On the contrary, thanks to the position on a potential war front had the Cold War turned hot, the westernmost Soviet-controlled countries – with the GDR on top – were stuffed with Soviet military bases, and hundreds of thousands troops. These shared the map with the national military, which in the GDR were known as NVA (an acronym standing for the German equivalent of ‘National People’s Army’).

The national and Soviet forces often took control of separated military facilities, and while operating in a coordinated fashion, they were substantially different entities. As said, this was typical to many Soviet-controlled countries. Yet especially on the relatively small East German territory, of high strategic value thanks to the shared border with the West, the total number of tank bases, training academies, air bases, missile bases, nuclear depots, shooting ranges, etc., reached an unrivaled world’s peak, when compared to the population or the size of the country.

Following the crisis leading to the end of the GDR in 1989, and the collapse of the USSR roughly two years later, all these military assets turned surplus. The German reunification, and the disappearance of a significant military opponent in the close vicinity of the border, triggered a rationalization of military resources in Germany. Most of the NVA bases were closed. The Soviet-controlled installations were evacuated more slowly – it took until 1994 to bring back to their Russian homeland the thousands of troops and tonnes of material stationed in Germany. Once returned to Germany, also most of these bases were deactivated and closed.

Since then, the fate of these former military facilities in Germany has been in the hands of local governments or national initiatives. As a matter of fact, following a few decades spent as ghost bases – a real paradise for urbex explorers! – most air bases have been converted into solar power plants. Some of them have retained an airport status, either with a very reduced runway, or in some cases being turned into full-scale commercial airports. There are exceptions too, as some are still at least partly abandoned, and while invaded by vegetation, they are still totally recognizable especially from above. Other bases, like tank bases or nuclear depots, while mostly earmarked for demolition, have been comparatively better ‘preserved’ – at least, they have been attacked by the state more slowly, so there is still much to see there.

You can find on this website several reports about quite a few of these military bases in the former GDR – especially airbases – from a ‘ground perspective’. Sometimes, it is difficult to appreciate the size, shape, as well as their concentration over the former GDR territory. In order to better show these aspects, now here you have a portrait of many of these bases from the air!

The photographs in the present post are from a single, two-hours flight on a Cessna 172 single-prop aircraft. The flight took place in July 2019. As you can see from the locations pinpointed on the map below, on our route we met not less than 15 former (or still active) military items. And this is just a short trip mostly in southern Brandenburg – i.e. the region immediately south of Berlin.

This report is a complement to other chapters on this site, yet it is especially interesting on its own, as a comprehensive bundle of aerial pics on this subject is not easy to find!

Sights

Points of interest are listed following the flight plan, which was flown roughly as on the map, in a counter-clockwise direction, starting from Reinsdorf Airfield.

Soviet Nuclear Bunker Stolzenhain

This one-of-a-kind facility – there were actually two such depots, but one is today demolished and inaccessible – used to be a major storage for nuclear weapons for the Soviet Western Group of Forces, which included all Soviet troops stationed in the GDR.

The bunker is today closed, but it apparently lies on private land, hence sparing it from being turned into something else (or simply flattened) by the local government. You can see a dedicated report in this chapter.

Vegetation has grown wild in the area, but from above you can clearly spot the rectangular perimeter of the external concrete wall. From north to south, an internal road crossed the rectangle in the middle.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The bunkers are half-interred, hence from above you can barely spot the entrances. These are aligned along a service road arranged in a hexagonal shape.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

To the south of the bunker area, you can spot a former group of barracks and an access road heading west. Construction and demolition works are taking place in this area.

Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Abandoned Soviet Nuclear Bunker Depot Stolzenhain Objekt 4000 – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Control and Reporting Center Schönewalde

This is an active military installation, and actually quite an advanced one. It is tasked with monitoring the air operations over a large part of the airspace over Germany.

The origin of this half-interred technical installation can be traced to the 1970s, when the site was activated under responsibility of the NVA. Following the end of communist rule and after German reunification, unlike many others this site was not demolished, but instead it was developed further, and pressed into the defense chain of NATO since the mid-1990s.

Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

You can see many half-interred warehouses, garages for trucks, a smaller radar antenna to the west of the complex, close to a helipad.

Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

There is also a larger antenna to the northeastern corner of the CRC.

Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Control and Reporting CRC Point Schönewalde NATO German Air Force Bundeswehr – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Holzdorf Air Base

This large airport used to be an airbase of the NVA. It is one of the few airports from the Cold War in the GDR which were turned into a full-scale modern airport. Today it is a base of the Bundeswehr, i.e. the German military.

As we approached from north, you can spot first typical large communist buildings, forming a citadel which is likely still today hosting troops and their families. There is also reportedly a flight academy for helicopters in this complex, north of the airport.

Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The airport features large hangars for military helicopters to the northwest of the runway.

Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

A rather old-styled control tower can be seen to the south of the runway.

Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Holzdorf Air Base former NVA East Germany (DDR) Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Falkenberg Air Base

We reached the southernmost point on our flight with the former Soviet base in Falkenberg. This old base dating to the 1930s went on to be developed into a Soviet base home to fighter aircraft, MiG-23 and later MiG-29. Close to the airfield, there used to be a SAM missile battery (to the west of the runway).

Approaching from the north-west, you can notice a small ghost town and a large technical area, with what appear to be big unreinforced maintenance hangars, today used for something else by local companies.

Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The airport is today dedicated to light aviation activities. The runway has been shortened, and sadly large portions of the original airfield have been covered with solar cells.

Most interestingly, in the trees to the northwest of the runway, you can spot four unfinished aircraft shelters – possibly of the type AU-16, which could host both the MiG-23 and MiG-29. They look like short concrete tunnels. They should have been covered with land, but works were interrupted in 1990.

Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

More aircraft shelters – completed – can be found to the east of the field, today used for storage, as it is often the case.

Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Falkenberg Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Finsterwalde Air Base

This installation was operative since WWII, when the large hangars and control tower still in place to the south of the apron were built. The base went on serving as a Soviet base, hosting fighters and fighter-bombers of many kinds along its illustrious history. A visit to this site, with its nuclear depot, can be found in this chapter.

Approaching from the southwest, we flew over the nuclear storage bunker, made for nuclear warheads to supply aircraft operating from here. The columns once holding the crane to lift the warheads can be clearly spotted.

Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

There is also a group of Soviet-style houses for the families of the troops. Apparently somebody is still living there!

Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The base was enlarged with reinforced shelters to the north and southwest of the runway. The large hangars to the south are still in use with local companies, some of course connected with flight operations – this airport is still active for general aviation operations.

Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Finsterwalde Abandoned Soviet Base East Germany (DDR) Nuclear Bunker – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Enroute to the next waypoint, we flew over a natural preserve, which offered some quite spectacular sights.

Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Naturpark Lausitz – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Alteno-Luckwalde Air Base

This airfield north of Finsterwalde was a reserve airport of the East German NVA. While never developed to the extent of primary airfields, it was among the few reserve air bases to receive an asphalt runway.

Today, the view is rather desolating – the airfield has been totally covered with solar cells.

Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Alteno Fliegerhorst Luckau Abandoned NVA East Germany (DDR) Air Force Base – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Brand-Briesen Air Base

This WWII base was selected for quick and substantial improvement since the early Cold War years, and went on to be one of the most developed Soviet air bases in the former GDR. In the beginning it hosted Ilyushin Il-28 bombers, but in the jet age it was home to a number of different squadrons and aircraft types. You can find the results of the exploration of a part of this base in this chapter.

Approaching from the south, you first spot an immense hangar, conceived at the turning of the century for commercial airships, and later turned into a water park – Tropical Island.

 

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

But more interestingly, to the south of the airfield – unusually far from it, actually – you can find a depot for nuclear weapons, to supply the aircraft operating from the base. Similar to Finsterwalde, the pillars once holding the crane for lifting the warheads can be clearly seen.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Still to the south of the airfield, the local citadel for the troops is today an interesting ghost town.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

As you may notice, the airfield is today closed, and has been largely converted into a recreation park. Incredibly, they decided to build an array of small houses on the former premises of the airport, and in close proximity to the monster airship hangar.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Yet some relics from the past function of the air base are to be found scattered around. These include aircraft shelters, and more rare engine testing facilities – V-shaped concrete walls emerging from the grass nearby some of the shelters.

Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Brand Abandoned Soviet Air Base Nuclear Bunker East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Kleinköris Air Base

This airbase was activated in the late 1960s as a reserve airfield for the East German NVA. It was used for exercises, and as a home base for helicopters of the Volkspolizei, i.e. the police of the GDR. After deactivation, it was used as a military storage for a while, and finally closed.

Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The appearance, perfectly evident from the air, is rather unusual – it features a long grassy runway, with concrete taxiways at the ends. To the reports from the time, this is the original configuration of the airbase. Luckily, it is basically still intact.

Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kleinköris Löpten Abandoned NVA Air Base East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Wünsdorf

The name of this small town will be forever linked to the two military high commands which were headquartered on its premises – Hitler’s OKW first, and the command of the Soviet Western Group of Forces for the full span of the Cold War. You can find a dedicated chapter here.

From above, you can get a nice view of the extension and shape of this military town, as well as good portraits of some of the highlights in it. Approaching from the southeast, you first meet the most famous building in Wünsdorf, the officers’ house. This majestic building dates from the early 20th century. It knew an extensive renovation during the Cold War years, as an officers’ club for the Soviet Red Army.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

This huge building features a statue of Lenin on one side. In the wings to the back, you can find a swimming pool and a theater. The round building with a mural is a late Soviet addition, and once hosted a circular panorama painting.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The high command occupied the buildings north of the officers’ club, today converted into something else.

Another highlight of Wünsdorf are the many bunkers. These include the Maybach bunkers from Hitler’s era, once hosting the OKW. These were designed for deception as living houses, but could withstand aerial bombardment. They were blown by the Soviet, with only partial success. The Zeppelin bunkers, like cusped concrete towers, were designed to resist bombardment, by deviating air-dropped bombs falling from above along the sidewalls and down to the ground nearby.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Soviet bunkers were located very close to the array of Maybach bunkers. They are largely interred, and from above you can see some concrete tunnels in the trees.

The railway line and station is an historical track from the time. The Wünsdorf-Moscow line operated in both ways on a daily basis. The service was suspended only in 1994, at the very end of the withdrawal of the last occupation troops to Russia – for many, the symbolic end of Soviet occupation.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The buildings for those stationed in Wünsdorf and their families were really many. Today this town, having lost its original core business, is largely uninhabited.

Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Wünsdorf Soviet Nazi Military Headquarters Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Sperenberg Air Base

Not far from Wünsdorf, you can find the former Soviet air base of Sperenberg. This immense transport base used to be a major logistic base for the Soviets, which operated from here with their monster cargo planes. More on this base can be found in this chapter.

Approaching from the east, you first meet the buildings for the troops, to the east of the airport and close to the village.

Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

An aerial view allows to clearly capture the shape of the base, with two large parallel taxiways with a huge array of parking bays for transport aircraft, and a long runway – still basically intact! – to the south.

Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

A large hangar with an inscription in Russian can be found to the east, whereas a small terminal building can be spotted ahead of a large apron to the west.

Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Sperenberg Soviet Airlift Air Force Base Transport Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Today the airport is closed, but rumors have surfaced more than once concerning its evaluation as a third airport for Berlin. This may justify its missed conversion into another desolating field of solar cells.

Kummersdorf Military Laboratory

A bit of an outsider here, Kummersdorf holds a very relevant place in the history of war technique thanks to pre-Soviet activity. In the late 1920s the Germans established here an experimental laboratory especially dedicated to novel weapons. It can be said that western rocketry was born here, since the group of Walther Dornberger, later joined by Wernher von Braun, started operations on liquid-propelled rockets in this lab.

Activities later moved to somewhere else, and finally landed in Peenemünde – see this dedicated chapter.

The laboratory in Kummersdorf was used also during WWII to test captured material, especially enemy tanks. Following the end of WWII, the Soviets took over the facility, but turned it into a more standard military base.

Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Kummersdorf Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

The red barracks in typical German style can be clearly seen from above. Most of the post-WWII depots are falling apart, but the area is really huge.

Forst Zinna Military Base

This base is located to the northeast of Jüterbog-Altes Lager, a huge Imperial, Nazi and later Soviet military complex, including two shooting ranges, a few airfields, an academy and many barracks.

Forst Zinna base was operative in the years of the Third Reich, named after Adolf Hitler himself. It went on to become a large base for the artillery groups training in the nearby shooting ranges. A dedicated chapter can be found here.

Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Forst Zinna Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

From above, it is clear that demolition works are slowly wiping out the base. Yet there is much housing left to visit. Typical German buildings share the area with shabby Soviet ‘socialist housing’. A bridge passing over a major road and railway track going to Berlin links the base to the shooting range north of it.

Altes Lager Shooting Range and Barracks

The shooting range north of Forst Zinna is pointed with concrete control towers. The area is very extensive, and quite more convenient to explore from above!

Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Closer to Altes Lager, many barracks can be seen aligned along a major road. From the style, these appear to be from an older time than the Soviet occupation years.

Jüterbog-Altes Lager Training Academy

This pretty unique piece of architecture dates from the years of the Führer, and used to be an academy for air force technicians. It was later turned into a military academy for Soviet staff, and a KGB office was reportedly active here too. A report can be found in this chapter.

From above you can better capture the plant of the complex. The half-circle to the north hosted a big theater in the basement.

Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Most strikingly, in the western part of the complex you can see sporting facilities which have been completely refurbished, and are actually in use. These include a football field and some tennis courts. There is also a pool, but this has not been refurbished.

Jüterbog-Niedergörsdorf Air Base

This large air base was jointly operated by the NVA and Soviet air force. You can find a report in this chapter.

Approaching from the northwest you can see aircraft shelters, whereas to the northeast you find an array of large maintenance hangars. These have been turned into something else, including a test driving facility, which chopped part of the original apron.

Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

To the south of the runway, the base used to feature a large number of parking bays for helicopters. The runway has not been physically cut, albeit a central section of the original concrete has been taken away. Air operations today are apparently limited to ultralights and trikes.

Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

A menacing army of solar cells is attacking the perimeter of the base from the east! An unmissable sight next to this base (to the east) is a former aircraft shelter turned into a private collection of Soviet memorabilia – Shelter Albrecht (covered in this post).

Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Niedergörsdorf Soviet NVA Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Enroute to the next waypoint, you can clearly spot from the air a military hospital complex (see this chapter) – rather famous among urbex fanatics… – and other service buildings.

Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog/Altes Lager Soviet Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Jüterbog-Damm Air Base

This base dates to the years of the German Empire. It was forcibly demilitarized after WWI, but strongly developed in the years of the Third Reich, with the construction of large concrete hangars and service facilities, and a grassy airstrip good for fighter planes of the era.

Following conquer by Soviet forces, the airbase was partly dismantled, but at some point a SAM battery appeared on this site.

Today you can appreciate the size and special shape of the concrete hangars, a true engineering masterpiece from pre-WWII years.

Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) - Aerial View Picture Luftbild
Juterbog-Damm WWI-WWII Luftwaffe Air Force Base Abandoned East Germany (DDR) – Aerial View Picture Luftbild

Landing in Reinsdorf

Finally, you can see here a vid of the perfect approach and landing into the touristic airfield of Reinsdorf, about two hours after take-off!

Practical Notes

This flight was carried out from Reinsdorf Airfield (ICAO: EDOD), located about 10 miles southeast of Jüterbog, the most sizable town in the neighborhood. The airfield is roughly 1 hour driving south of downtown Berlin, very easy to reach with a car.

The flight would have not been possible without the help of a fantastic couple, Mrs. Kolditz and her husband, who own a nice French-built Cessna 172 from the mid-1960s, D-EBLD, portrayed here.

Cessna 172 D-EBLD Flugplatz Reinsdorf East Germany - Scenic Flight
Cessna 172 D-EBLD Flugplatz Reinsdorf East Germany – Scenic Flight

There are some features making this very aircraft ideal for aerial pictures. Besides the high-wing configuration, this exemplar features a side window which can be completely opened, allowing for an unobstructed view of the scenery below.

The man is a former NVA pilot, something that must have played a part in him accepting to set up this very unusual flight plan! His great ability as a pilot helped much in having the aircraft in the right position to take the desired aerial pictures.

Thanks to the availability of the Kolditz family, setting up the flight was an easy task, even operating from abroad and through much Google-translation!

Another key-element in this adventure was Federico, a friend of mine sharing my passion for flying, who lives in Berlin, and played an essential part in co-financing the flight and translating between me and the pilot, as – perhaps incredibly, considering the content of this website… – I don’t speak German.

If you are interested in sightseeing flights south of Berlin, I suggest inquiring with the folks at Reinsdorf, a very active airfield with many facilities for touristic and pleasure flights. Website here.

Base Tuono – Cold War Surface-To-Air Missiles in Italy

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Just like West Germany, post-WWII Italy found itself on the border with a communist dictatorship, Marshal Tito’s Yugoslavia. Even though Tito and the government of the USSR were never close friends, from the viewpoint of the western alliances Yugoslavia represented a potential threat.

This mistrust was also a result of the aggressive policy Yugoslavia had adopted against Italy after WWII, imposing the cession of a piece of traditionally Italian territory in the northeast part of the country as a war compensation. This had triggered a significant migration of the local population, who was trying to escape from communism to mainland Italy and abroad. This added to the bitterness of the Italian-Yugoslavian relationship, to the point that the new border was not formally settled until the 1970s.

Italy was among the founding members of anti-communist NATO in 1949. This meant the chance to take part in a coordinated defense effort against the eastern bloc. Among the tangible results of this cooperation was the adoption of American war material, including aircraft and, as soon as they became a reliable war asset, missiles.

Considering air defense, besides a number of manned aircraft, the airspace of western Europe was protected by two defensive lines of surface-to-air missiles (SAM) extending roughly from the North Sea to the area around Venice on the Mediterranean. This was studied especially to counteract bombing raids carried out by a great number of enemy bombers simultaneously attacking from the east. This huge defense system was based on the US-designed Nike and Hawk missile platforms, and deployment started in the late 1950s.

SAM installations in Italy comprised the low to intermediate altitude Hawks, with a quick reaction capacity against low-level intruders. These were managed by the local Army. High altitude Nike-Ajax and later Nike-Hercules missiles were operated by the Italian Air Force against high-altitude targets, typically bombers. New dedicated groups were established since 1959, trained in the US to work with the new missile platform. At its height, the Nike force in Italy counted on 16 such groups, apparently corresponding to as many launch bases.

Concerning the effectiveness of the Nike defense line, it soon became obsolete, in the sense that a significant part of the strategic deterrent was transferred to ICBMs by both the NATO countries and the USSR. As a result, SAM defensive lines conceived against aircraft intrusion and low-level attacks would turn out more useful than the high-altitude and high-yield Nike-Hercules. As a matter of fact, all Nike platforms were deactivated in Italy and everywhere in Europe by the early 1980s, well before the end of communism in Europe.

Following deactivation, most bases, stripped of all hardware of any value, were simply locked up and abandoned. In Germany very few traces of this extensive system remain to this day (see this post). Together with the US, Italy is possibly the only country where this fragment of military history is documented through the active preservation of one of the former SAM launch bases.

The Nike-Hercules base preserved in Italy is called ‘Base Tuono’ – ‘tuono’ meaning ‘thunder’ in Italian language – and was operated between 1966 and 1977. It is in a gorgeous mountainous setting in the northeastern Alps, about an hour from the little town of Trento. After years of disrepair, a part of it has been refurbished with original material and opened as a beautiful, partly open-air museum, where you can get a lively impression of how the base would have looked like in the years of operations.

The following photographs are from a visit to ‘Base Tuono’ in Autumn 2018.

Sights

Nike batteries were composed of two connected but geographically separated areas, an integrated fire control area (IFC) and a launch control area (LCA). In the first resided the electronic aiming part, comprising all the antennas and electronic gear necessary to collimate the target, compute the expected kill point of the missile, and to track and guide the missile to that point. The launch area was composed of an array of three flat concrete pads, each supplied with a hangar for storing the missiles, gantries for putting typically three missiles at a time (per pad) in launch position, and a concrete shelter to oversee and trigger the launch sequence. An extensive description of the Nike SAM system can be found on this excellent dedicated resource website.

Due to the features of the radar guidance system, the IFC had to stay in line of sight from the LCA, and at a higher – but not excessively higher – elevation. At ‘Base Tuono’, due to the mountainous setting, the two areas are not far, yet they are not easily accessible from one another. Furthermore, what remains today of the former base is all concentrated in the launch area. One of the three original pads – ‘Alpha’ – has been preserved, where the other two – ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’ – and other ancillary buildings as well, have been completely demolished, and a water basin can be found in their place. All installations and housing in the former control area on top of a local peak – Mount Toraro – have been wiped out, but you can get an impression of the original plan of this part of the base walking around on your own.

Launch Control Area

The launch pad ‘Alpha’ is the focus of the museum. Approaching from the parking, which is located close to the site of the former barracks and canteen, you can spot from the distance three Nike-Hercules missiles aligned in vertical launch position. A water basin covers a large part of the former base, as you can see from historical pictures. Launch pads ‘Bravo’ and ‘Charlie’ are totally gone, similarly to the original outer fence delimiting the large perimeter of the installation.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

Getting closer to the launch pad ‘Alpha’ you can notice an array of radar antennas, which were originally in the IFC area on top of Mount Toraro. The area of the launch pad features a reconstructed inner fence, which was in place around each pad in the original base.

The pad is basically rectangular in shape, with a hangar on one side, a protection rim and the launch control bunker on two opposing sides and a free side where today you can find the ticket office.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

Three missiles are placed on top of their launch gantries. The gantries are part of a sophisticated rail system, designed to allow an easy side motion of the missiles from inside the hangar to their respective launch positions outside. The missiles were stored horizontally in the hangar to the far top of the rail on trolleys. When being readied for launch, the trolleys were pushed along the rail to the launch position, where the trolley was joined to the gantry. The missiles were raised to a vertical attitude together with the trolley with the help of a lift, which was a movable part of the gantry.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

While the pavement is covered in asphalt, you can see the gantries and the rail system are staying on hard concrete foundations. These are among the few remains you see in the German Nike site covered in this post.

Inside the hangar you can spot a Nike Hercules missile, with lateral cutouts to expose the inner structure. These reveal the four-canister solid-propellant booster stage, which was ignited first and was separated from the bullet-shaped second stage when exhausted. The latter features the warhead, the electromechanical rigs of the guidance system, and a single solid-propellant sustainer rocket engine. The rocket had a range of about 25 miles, and a top speed over Mach 3, making it a really remarkable piece of technology especially compared to the soviet counterparts of the time.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

All around the missile in the hangar you can see inner parts of the missile itself and of the ground fire control system as well. There are also panels with the history of the base, and original warning signs and instructions painted on the inner walls of the hangar – and similarly on other walls of the base. These writings are in double language, both in Italian and English. While the base was managed by the Italian Air Force, such installations were integrated in the NATO defense line, so many procedures of the Italian Air Force were in English. Furthermore, US military staff was required on site ‘by design’ in case of operations with nuclear warheads, which the Hercules could optionally carry. Nuclear warheads were never deployed to this base though.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

Further items on display around the three missiles on the open apron include an old Nike-Ajax missile, a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter – the Italian Air Force was the last in the world to retire this model from service, as late as 2004 – and two trailers aligned in a row. The trailers are the battery control trailer, or BCT, and the radar control trailer, or RCT. Both trailers were originally in the IFC area of the base, and were operated by the staff responsible for offensive operations. In the days of operation, there was always somebody on duty in the trailers.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

The BCT is, roughly speaking, where targets were designated, the kill point computed and the launch sequence triggered. The most notable feature are the two computerized plotting boards used to identify the target and to define the flight trajectory of the missile. The LOPAR detection radar and the identification friend-or-foe (IFF) radar reported information to this trailer, which coordinated the attack.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

In the RCT stood the operators of the TTR and TRR radars, which were responsible for keeping trace of the target and for monitoring the missile during the flight towards the designated kill point.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

To the back of the two trailers, it is possible to spot the rectangular shapes of the LOPAR radar and of the smaller IFF radar. The two round-shaped antennas are the TTR and TRR radars. In many pictures they are portrayed inside a bulbous cover, conferring them a distinctive spherical shape.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

The concrete bunker to the opposite side of the launch pad with respect to the trailers is a protected room for the launch section panel, which is a kind of control panel for triggering the launch sequence of the missiles. The bunker served as a shelter for the operators of the launch section, for remaining on the outside in the vicinity of the missiles during launch operations was extremely dangerous.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

During the guided visit, you are given a demonstration of the launch sequence from inside the control room, which is insulated from the outside with double tight doors. The firing procedure was quite complicated. Actually, it was a direct signal traveling along a cable connection from the battery trailer that gave the go to the missiles. Yet there were redundancies for increased safety, and it was possible to trigger the entire launch sequence from within the firing section, in case communication with the BCT was lost. During normal operations, the OK from the operator of the control panel in the bunker had the function of a further go/no go safety layer for the launch.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

A trailer with a panel similar to that in the bunker can be found outside. This likely represented a further redundancy, or like the F-104 it is a piece coming from somewhere else.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

To the back of the bunker with the fire section panel you can find an original watchtower from a US base in northern Italy, similar to the towers originally in place around the missile base. Close by, there is a nice example of the canisters used to the transport the stages of the Nike-Hercules, as well as the crane used to assemble it. There is also a further example of the second stage of the missile.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

Getting there and moving around

The ‘Alpha’ battery of the launch control area is open as a museum, called ‘Base Tuono’. It is located on the road SP143, which departs from Folgaria, a small town about 12 miles south of the regional capital town Trento. You can find clear roadsigns leading to the site from Folgaria.

The museum has opening times, visiting is generally possible on a self-guided basis. Access to the bunker and the trailers is possible only on guided tours. All information on their website (in English). Large free parking about 0.2 miles away from the entrance.

There is much to see for technically minded subjects, but the visit will be surely appealing for children too. I would recommend to allocate at least 45 minutes for the visit, and up to 2 hours if you want to take a guided tour and take all the pictures on your own. The scenery around is gorgeous, so it will be easy to combine this destination with a nature trail or with other tourist destination in the area.

Integrated Fire Control Area

This is where the radars and trailers used to stay, together with barracks and service buildings. It can be found about 2 miles south east direct line of sight from the launch pad, on top of Mount Toraro. Differently from the launch control area, this area has been demolished and sanitized. No buildings remain in place, yet some of the former foundations and platforms to anchor the trailers can still be seen.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

Reaching to the top of the peak is interesting to appreciate the view of the launch site from here. Unfortunately, at the time of my visit low clouds obstructed the sight.

Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy
Base Tuono Nike Hercules Italy

Getting there and moving around

Even though the wide original road to reach this part of the base still exists, for some reason access to the top of the mountain is not allowed by car. In order to get to the trailhead from the museum, you can take your car and keep going southeast along the SP143 for about 1.5 miles. As you go ahead, the road will change the name to SP92 on your nav. Soon after the road starts descending, you will find the trailhead to your right, with a horizontal obstacle and a prohibition sign for cars. You may park there. It is likely the trail to the top of Mount Toraro will be on your nav too, for it is basically a normal road. The distance to walk to the top is about 1 mile, along the former service road to the base – covered in asphalt, gently ascending, no risk of any kind.

Soviet Aircraft in Minsk and Kiev

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Since during WWII, and even more during the early Cold War period, the Soviet Union invested much in the creation of a world-class aviation industry, capable of competing against those in the US and Britain. The confrontation between the two sides of the Iron Curtain, lasting until the early Nineties, resulted in an unprecedented boost in aviation technology, which grew very quickly to a level of sophistication which could be hardly imagined just a few years earlier.

Both military and civil transportation benefited from this development, with a tangible result – a wide multiplicity of aircraft models, with different shapes, missions and performance. A such diversity is not any more typical to these days, when new aircraft designs are very rare and, at least at a glance, extremely similar in shape.

The Soviet Union based much of its propaganda actions on the show of technological achievements and military might. As aviation has been for long – and maybe still is – an immediate expression of a Nation’s technology and power, large aviation-themed exhibits flourished over the territory of the USSR (see also this and this post).

This post provides an insight into two such collections, found in the capital cities of two former Socialist Republics within the borders of the Soviet Union – Minsk, Belarus and Kiev, Ukraine. Photographs were taken in April 2018.

Navigate this post – click on links to scroll

Museum of Aviation Technology – Main Branch – Minsk, Belarus

This classic Soviet collection showcases all the major models in service with the Air Force of the Soviet Red Army. Today Belarus, albeit enjoying a strong economical relationship with Russia, is an independent country, with a size and a geographical location making an immense air power not necessary, nor economically viable. Hence the non negligible size of this museum can be explained with the past (Soviet) history of Belarus, which used to be a key territory between Communist Russia and the European satellites of the USSR.

The first aircraft you are likely to meet are the earliest of the collection – a propeller-driven Yakovlev Yak-18 and Yak-52. Close by a small building is devoted to space explorations, and hosts memorabilia and a Soyuz reentry capsule.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yak
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Space Hall
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Let L-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Let L-29

The MiG design bureau, traditionally associated to high-performance fighter and attack aircraft, is well represented in this collection. Close to one another are a MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-27 and MiG-29, basically covering the major production items of this firm over the full span of the Cold War.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-15
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-29
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-19
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-19
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-23
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-21

The MiG family is completed by a MiG-25 twin jet interceptor, capable of a Mach 2.8 speed. This is present in the collection in two exemplars, including a pretty rare training version – MiG-25PU -, with a distinctive ‘double cockpit’ similar to those of the training version of the Lockheed U-2.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-25 Trainer
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum MiG-25 Trainer
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum MiG-25

Another well-represented manufacturer in the collection is the Sukhoi bureau, with a Su-7, Su-17, Su-24 and Su-25. The Su-24 is sitting besides the MiG-25, making for a fair size comparison – search for the cover of my wide lens in the pic of the main wheel of the MiG-25! These two aircraft are really massive compared to the earlier Su-7 and Su-17, and of course to the nearby Su-25 – an insidious and heavily armed aircraft, despite the clumsy appearance, as the many underwing pylons suggest!

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-17
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Sukhoi Su-7

A more recent Sukhoi design on site is the Su-27, put close to the MiG-29 and clearly outsizing it.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Sukhoi Su-27

Yakovlev products, besides the already cited oldtimers, include a Yak-28 and a rare Yak-25, a pretty old-looking twin jet.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-25
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-28

Among the few Soviet design in use today, the helicopters of the Mil and Kamov design bureaus are represented in the collection by a Mi-1, Mi-2, Mi-8, Mi-24 and Ka-26 placed side by side. Furthermore, there was some Mil helicopter activity over the airfield nearby when I visited.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-1
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-1
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-4
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-4
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-6
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-6
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil

The impressive Mi-24, a very aggressive-looking and highly successful attack helicopter with a peculiar rear compartments, was totally accessible when I visited. The mainly analog cockpit with a number of levers, gauges, switches and controls, suggests a conspicuous workload by the pilot! An interesting item on the cockpit is what appears to be an analog navigation system or tactical display, composed of a a paper map and a cruciform sight surfing over it, showing the current position of the helicopter.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit

The fat-looking rubber ventilation fan and the bulbous windscreen remember you this is a Soviet product – in case the labels in Cyrillic were not enough!

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cockpit

The back compartment may accommodate several troops, albeit not in a stand up position, or cargo/additional fuel. It is not totally separated from the cockpit.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Mil Mi-24 Cabin

Besides military aircraft, there is also a group of military/civil transports. These include an older yet still widespread Antonov An-2 single prop. A similarly old Ilyushin Il-14 twin props is on display nearby.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-14

More recent aircraft include and Antonov An-26, not a rare sight in the former Communist countries of the world, and Il-18 and a larger An-12 four-props, and some jets – two Yak-40 including one formerly operated for state flights, and an ubiquitous Tupolev Tu-134 formerly of Aeroflot. A true icon of the Cold War, the equivalent of the MD-80 for the USSR, this fuel thirsty aircraft is likely to be retired by its last operator in Russia later this year.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ilyushin Il-18
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ilyushin Il-18
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ejection seat
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Ejection seat
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Antonov An-12
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24

Properly put among other transport aircraft, a huge Mi-26 transport helicopter is sitting between the An-12 and Tu-134. This is the heaviest single helicopter of traditional configuration ever built. By a rough comparison, the length of the fuselage is greater than that of the two transport aircraft! It is really hard to think this machine can be pushed into the sky… yet the immense, eight-bladed main rotor apparently can carry out the task! The Mi-26 is still today in service with several Countries, mostly in private hands.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Belarus Air Museum Mil Mi.26

Finally, an unusual circular box-wing experimental aircraft completes the collection. Not easy to design well, nor very nice to see in this case, the box-wing concept has surfaced more than once in history as an advantageous alternative to increase lift while reducing drag.

Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Prototype
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum
Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum

All in all, a very nice collection worth a quick detour from downtown Minsk.

Getting there

The place is open as a regular museum. The official website, all in the local idiom, is here. There is a nice resource site covering the history of all aircraft in the museum in detail – and much more about aircraft displays in Belarus – here. Some Google-translating will be necessary, but basic info like opening times and how to reach can be easily found this way.

The location is by the small local Borovaya Airfield, which is still active today with light GA traffic. Less than one mile from the junction between Minsk Beltway and the M3 going north. I would recommend a car for getting there, parking is available right in front of the ticket booth.

Visiting may take from 1.5 to 3 hours depending on your level of interest in Soviet aviation, and the number of pictures you want to take!

Museum of Aviation Technology – Airport Branch – Minsk Airport, Belarus

This open-air and unfenced collection is located right besides the passenger terminal of Minsk Airport. Here you can find a series of transport aircraft of Soviet make, conveniently parked side by side and easy to capture with a camera.

Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-154

The two largest are a Tupolev Tu-154 three-engined commercial airliner, still in service in some countries of the world, and an Ilyushin Il-76 four-engined cargo. This is likely one of the most successful designs from the Soviet era, and is still a rather widespread aircraft today.

Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Ilyushin Il-76

Smaller aircraft on display are a Tupolev Tu-134, an Antonov An-26, a Yakovlev Yak-40 and a colorful Antonov An-2.

Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Yakovlev Yak-40
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-24
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Antonov An-2
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134
Minsk Airport Museum of Aviation Technology Minsk Air Museum Tupolev Tu-134

Getting there

The display is located to the north of the passenger terminal of the airport of Minsk. Missing it is basically impossible when leaving or accessing the terminal from the front. There is a small parking area to the back of the aircraft, accessible from a road taking north from the main access road going to the terminal, immediately out of the airport toll booths.

Visiting is free and always possible, for the area is unfenced. You can’t board the aircraft, which are in a relatively good shape and lighted at night. A nice stop before leaving the country by air, the sight may be visited in 45 minutes, including time for all pictures.

Ukraine State Aviation Museum – Kiev, Ukraine

Among the air museum of former Soviet countries this is probably one of the richest and most interesting. The collection boasts some pretty rare aircraft from the military and commercial fields as well, all purely and distinctively Soviet. Plus there is a local depot carrying out some preservation projects, acquiring aircraft and restoring them to a good, non-flying condition.

With an immense territory, a numerous population and a strategically relevant position – including an access to the Black Sea – Ukraine enjoyed a primary role in the realm of the USSR. It was also the home base of many aircraft – especially heavy bombers – in the strategic Air Force of the Red Army. Many of them were actually ‘trapped’ in Ukraine when this nation left the Union, in the years of turmoil leading to its final collapse. Many Tupolev Tu-160s, still today forming the backbone of the Russian strategic air force, were purchased back from Russia in a later time. Since then, the national interest to maintain an air force comparable in size to that of the Soviet era has dropped, and most Cold War era assets have been retired from active duty, eventually feeding air collections like the one in Kiev.

Furthermore, besides more recent military designs the collection features some transport aircraft otherwise hard to see these days.

[Note: on the day of my visit the museum grounds hosted a fancy classic-car-themed festival. I discovered this when on site. As you will easily notice, the pictures below are often very far from optimal, due to the need to exclude some unwanted item, like hot-dog booths, dinner tables and historical buses from the composition. However, I hope the pics give an idea of the size and quality of the exhibition.]

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-14
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-14
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-18

Transport aircraft from early Soviet times include an Ilyushin Il-14 twin prop, an Il-18 four-props, and a very rare and nicely restored Tupolev Tu-104 twin jet. This particular design was later used as a starting point for the highly successful Tu-134, which features a very similar fuselage and cabin layout. The engines partially engulfed in the wing are really elegant – a typical feature of the 1950s, they witness the age of the design.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-104

The Tupolev bureau is represented also by the Tu-154 three-engined jet, and multiple exemplars of the ubiquitous Tu-134.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-154
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-154

Even bigger aircraft from the commercial field include an Ilyushin Il-62, with a distinctive four-tail-engines configuration, similar to the Vickers VC-10 – this time, a typical 1960s feature! You can walk under the bigger aircraft of the collection, and to the back of the Il-62 you can notice the unusual support wheel added for increased stability during loading/unloading operations to avoid tipping. This was retracted before taxiing. Ukraine makes use of Il-62s to this day for state flights.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-62

A rare Soviet four-engined long-hauler from the Eighties is the Ilyushin Il-86. This is still flying in scant numbers in the Russian Air Force and with a few commercial operators. Looking mostly like an early Airbus from the 1970s, the cockpit arrangement, the multi-purpose big access door and some details in the aerodynamic design add a Soviet twist.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-86

Transport aircraft include a heavy Ilyushin Il-76 and plenty of lighter Antonovs, including An-24s, An-26s and an An-30 twin props, plus two single-engined An-2s.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Ilyushin Il-76
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-30
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-2

A pretty unique sight you get in this museum is the An-71. This AWACS from the 1980s never entered production, and the one on display is the third and last prototype. The interesting solution with a radome on top of the tail promised to reduce overall drag, saving on a dedicated radome pylon. On the other hand the radome placed so far from the centerline clearly created some controllability issues and raised stress on the vertical tail. Antonov was an Ukrainian firm active till recently, so the only other An-71 still in existence is also in Ukraine.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov An-71

Smaller transports include two executive Yakovlev Yak-40.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-40

Going to the military part of the exhibition, lighter aircraft include a number from the MiG family, including MiG-15, MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-27 and MiG-29.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-23
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-19
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev MiG-21

Two Let trainers are on display, close by a rich array of Sukhois, which include Su-7, Su-15, Su-17, Su-20, Su-24 and Su-25.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-7
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-7
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-15
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-17
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-20
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-25
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Sukhoi Su-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yakovlev Yak-28
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Let L-29
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Let L-29

Two very rare examples of Beriev seaplanes are on display, namely the Be-6 and Be-12.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-12
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-12
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Beriev Be-6

Close by, there is a rich collection of Mil and Kamov helicopters. These include an older version of Mi-24, featured in the third chapter of the John Rambo series, and lacking the bulbous canopy typical to more recent upgrades. The monster size Mi-6 and Mi-26 are also on display.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-8
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-24
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Kamov Ka-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Kamov Ka-27
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-6
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Mil Mi-26

Finally, there is a row of really rare and unmissable Tupolev bombers. These include a Tu-142, possibly one of the most iconic aircraft of the Cold War, and a real workhorse flying from the early 1970s well into this millennium – still firmly in service in Russia and until 2017 also in India. A very big bird, with a menacing and evoking appearance – really a Soviet ghost!

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-142

Then follow three different versions of the Tupolev Tu-22M, a supersonic strategic bomber still active today in Russia, India and even purchased in post-Soviet times by China. The three exemplars are different, the oldest belongs to the pre-series evaluation batch, whereas the other two are from two production batches resulting from substantial improvements. In particular, the final version from the 1980s features different – F-15-like – engine inlets, more powerful engines, and correspondingly a much better performance.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M0
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M2
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-22M3

Also of great interest is the rare Tu-134UBL, a modified version of the airliner with a cone similar to that of the Tu-22M, manufactured for training the crews of the Tu-22M.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Tupolev Tu-134UBL

The museum is complemented by an aircraft shelter, some experimental aircraft and older propeller-driven trainers.

State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Shelter
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yak
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Yak
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Yakovlev Yak-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Yakovlev Yak-18
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype
State Aviation Museum Ukraine Kiev Antonov Izdelie 181 Prototype

Getting there

The museum is located in Kiev, on the premises of the city airport ‘Igor Sikorsky’ – one of the founders of US helicopter industry was from Ukraine! Kiev is a very large town for European standards, with a population of 5.5 millions and a totally crazy and chaotic traffic. I would not advise driving on your own in this town even if you – like me – enjoy driving, so reaching the museum is definitely easier (and wiser) with a taxi. Taxi cabs are very cheap and easy to find anywhere in town.

Reaching from downtown Kiev by taxi may easily take 30 minutes, mainly due to the nightmarish traffic jams affecting the town.

Please note that the museum is not by the airport terminal, but from there it is about 0.8 miles along an unpleasant road. So you’d better instruct your driver to go to the museum and not to the terminal when going there. If you can’t see a taxi when leaving, you may walk to the terminal where you have chance to find one. That was my plan, but a taxi finally showed up in front of the museum after a five minutes hopeful wait also when I was leaving.

The museum has a very complete and modern website with a full English translation, making organization much easier.

Due to the size and features of the collection, visiting may easily take 2 to 3 hours or more for an interested person, especially when taking pictures.

Special feature – Kiev Boryspil Airport

The main commercial airport in Kiev – Boryspil – is likely where you will enter or leave the Country. The traffic there is almost monopolized by the local Ukrainian Airlines, with international flights also by other majors from western Europe and neighbor Countries. At the moment there is just one busy terminal between two parallel runways. From inside the terminal looking east over the eastern runway it is possible to spot a military area, with a fleet of former Soviet transports and helicopters in various colors, including ‘UN’ markings, Ukrainian Air Force and Aeroflot – which acted also a military transport service in the Soviet era.

Among these aircraft are An-24s, An-26s and An-30s, plus Il-76s, Tu-134s and An-12s. Most aircraft look derelict and some partly cannibalized.

Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-12
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-12
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Ilyushin Il-76
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Boeing 737
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Boeing 737
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-30
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-30
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Tupolev Tu-134
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Tupolev Tu-134
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Yakovlev Yak-40
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24
Kiev Boryspil Airport Military Apron Antonov An-24