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Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum

Coordinates: 41°01′05″N 96°19′12″W / 41.018°N 96.320°W / 41.018; -96.320
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum
Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird on display
Map
Former name
  • Strategic Aerospace Museum
  • Strategic Air Command Museum
  • Strategic Air & Space Museum
Established1959 (1959)
LocationOffutt AFB (1959–1998)
Ashland, Nebraska (1998-present)
Coordinates41°01′05″N 96°19′14″W / 41.018026052429384°N 96.32047825278951°W / 41.018026052429384; -96.32047825278951
TypeAviation museum
FounderCol. A. A. Arnhym[1]
CEOMichelle Chartrand
Websitewww.sacmuseum.org

The Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum is a museum focusing on aircraft and nuclear missiles of the United States Air Force during the Cold War. It is located near Ashland, Nebraska, along Interstate 80 southwest of Omaha. The objective of the museum is to preserve and display historic aircraft, missiles, and space vehicles, and provide educational resources.[2] The museum was established in 1959 and was originally located on the Offutt Air Force Base.

History

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The Strategic Air Command and Aerospace Museum was a vision of Colonel A. A. Arnhym, who commonly spoke about the importance of such museum. Thomas Power, former commander-in-chief of Strategic Air Command, requested that Colonel Arnhym ask for permission to start the museum. Arnhym's request was accepted and the museum was founded in 1959 as the Strategic Air Command Museum.[3]

It was originally located on the Offutt Air Force Base near Bellevue, which was the headquarters of the Strategic Air Command from 1948 to 1992. It began operations with a single airplane as the Strategic Aerospace Museum. In 1970, ownership of the museum was transferred from the Air Force to the State of Nebraska.[1]

By 1995, the United States Air Force Museum determined that the aircraft had deteriorated and was considering moving them to other locations. Three individuals, Robert Daugherty, Walter Scott Jr. and Lee Seemann, contributed $4 million each as part of a capital campaign for a new museum. Other contributions eventually raised the total to $32 million.[4]

On 16 May 1998, the museum moved indoors to a new facility in Ashland, that allowed the aircraft to be protected from the elements to which they had previously been exposed to.[5] The museum is made up of two buildings containing a total size of 300,000-square-foot (28,000 m2).[2]

In 2001, museum officially became the Strategic Air & Space Museum as part of an increased focus on space, but the name change was unpopular with veterans.[4] On 25 June 2015, the museum announced another name change to the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum.[6]

Collection

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Strategic Air Command shield
on exterior of museum
Lockheed U-2C on display

Aircraft

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The collection includes the Apollo Block 1 command module from the Apollo program's uncrewed February, 1966, AS-201 mission

Rockets and missiles

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Spacecraft

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References

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  1. ^ a b Mezzy, Dick (9 January 1970). "State Takes Control of Air Museum". Lincoln Star. p. 3. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ a b Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum official website
  3. ^ "SAC Museum Now 'Historical Park'". The Plattsmouth Journal. 12 January 1970. p. 1. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b Glissmann, Bob (17 March 2023). "The SAC museum is struggling. Can a famed astronaut save it?". Flatwater Free Press. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  5. ^ "SAC Museum, an Exciting Getaway". Gretna Guide and News. 29 April 1998. p. 7. Retrieved 1 September 2025.
  6. ^ "A New Name for the Museum". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. 25 June 2015. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  7. ^ "Avro Hawker Vulcan". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  8. ^ "B-17G "Flying Fortress"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  9. ^ "B-47E "Stratojet"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  10. ^ "EC-135 "Looking Glass"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  11. ^ "AIRCRAFT ON LOAN (by Location)" (PDF). National Museum of the United States Air Force. April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  12. ^ Curtin, Eugene (14 February 2018). "SAC Museum's restoration of Looking Glass aircraft runs into headwinds". Omaha World-Herald. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  13. ^ "KC-97G "Stratofreighter"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  14. ^ "B-52 Stratofortress". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  15. ^ "B-29TB "Superfortress"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  16. ^ "B-36J "Peacemaker"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  17. ^ "B-58A "Hustler"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  18. ^ "F-102A "Delta Dagger"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  19. ^ "T-29A "Flying Classroom"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  20. ^ "A-26B "Invader"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  21. ^ "C-47A "Skytrain"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  22. ^ "C-54D "Skymaster"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  23. ^ "C-119G "Flying Boxcar"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  24. ^ "MQ-1C Gray Eagle". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
  25. ^ "FB-111A "Aardvark"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  26. ^ "HU-16B "Albatross"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  27. ^ "F-117A "Nighthawk"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  28. ^ "T-33A "T-Bird"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  29. ^ "U-2C "Dragon Lady"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  30. ^ "SR-71A "Blackbird"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  31. ^ "B-57E "Intruder"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  32. ^ "XF-85 "Goblin"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  33. ^ "F-101B "Voodoo"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  34. ^ "RF-4C "Phantom II"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  35. ^ "MIG-21F "Fishbed-C"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  36. ^ "Airframe Dossier - Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-21F-13 Fishbed-C (NATO), c/n 742105". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  37. ^ "B-25N "Mitchell"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  38. ^ "Airframe Dossier - North American TB-25N Mitchell, s/n 44-28738 USAF, c/n 108-32013, c/r N3441G". Aerial Visuals. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  39. ^ "F-86H "Sabre"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  40. ^ "RB-45C "Tornado"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  41. ^ "T-39A "Sabreliner"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  42. ^ "CH-21B "Work Horse"". Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  43. ^ "F-84F "Thunderstreak"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  44. ^ "F-105 "Thunderchief"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  45. ^ "B-1A "Lancer"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  46. ^ "H-19B "Whirlwind"". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  47. ^ a b c d e f g "Missiles & Rockets". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  48. ^ "Apollo Command Space Module (CSM 009)". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
  49. ^ "Apollo Boilerplate". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  50. ^ "X-38 Crew Return Vehicle". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  51. ^ "Project Vela Satellite". Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Strategic Air and Space Museum.

41°01′05″N 96°19′12″W / 41.018°N 96.320°W / 41.018; -96.320

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