Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB

The Air Force Armament Museum is located at Eglin Air Force Base and is a major national repository of historic Air Force planes. It is free and open to the public, and near the Fort Walton Beach and Destin area in the Florida Panhandle.

Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida (staff photo)

The facility features a series of indoor exhibits and displays, and an outdoor airpark of 25 restored, historic airplanes, rockets, missiles, and related equipment.

It was conceived 1974, and in 1976 an old Enlisted Club facility became available and the Armament Museum opened.

By mid-1985, $1.2 million in private and corporate donations had been raised and construction of a new permanent 28,000 square foot building was underway. The new facility was deeded to the United States Air Force and opened to the public in 1985.

It is one of nearly twenty official field units of the Museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio.

To help fund and perpetuate the facility, the Air Force Armament Museum Foundation (AFAMF), a philanthropic non-profit organization, was established.

Airplanes on Display at the Eglin AFB Armament Airpark

Many famous, and rare, aircraft are located in an outdoor airpark surrounding the main building, with other planes located inside.

Nearly 13,000 Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were produced as part of the massive World War II military build-up. It became one of the most famous, and successful, airplanes ever built. Today, a total of only 38 surviving B-17 airplanes are located in the U.S., including the B-17 at Eglin AFB aircraft gallery.

Among the aircraft on display are the following:

B-17 Flying Fortress
B-25 Mitchell

U.S. Air Force jet fighters at Eglin AFB

Lineup of historic U.S. Air Force military jet fighters at Eglin AFB
(Airplanes Online photo)

B-47 Stratojet

B-52 Stratofortress
B-57 Canberra
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-51 Mustang
F-80 Thunderjet
F-84F Thunderstreak
F-96 Sabre
F-89 Scorpion
F-100 Super Sabre
F-101 Voodoo
F-104 Starfighter
F-105 Thunderchief
F-111 Aardvark
F-4 Phantom II
F-15 Eagle
F-16 Fighting Falcon
AC-47
AC-130 Spectre
A-10 Thunderbolt II
Lockheed SR-71A Blackbird
T-33 Shooting Star
UH-1
missiles, guns and other related equipment

Location, Access, Visitor Tips

The official address is 100 Museum Drive, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida 32542.

Interior view of part of the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida (staff photo)

It is located on Highway 85 South, 7 miles north of Fort Walton Beach, near the West Gate of Eglin AFB. It is situated in a triangle of land bordered by Eglin Parkway, Lewis Turner Boulevard and Highway 85 (see map below).

Travel time from U.S. 98 traveling north on Highway 85 from Fort Walton Beach is about 10 minutes, and from Interstate 10 at Crestview, about 20 minutes.

The facility is easily accessible from various parts of the Florida Panhandle, and is located near Fort Walton Beach and Destin. You do not need a pass to enter, as it is located outside the gates of the air base.

It is open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Central Time, and closed on Sundays and on federal holidays.

Admission is free. Tours are self-guided. Photography is permitted and encouraged.

A 32-minute film on the history of Eglin Air Force Base and its role in the development of armament is shown continuously throughout the day.

While several restored airplanes are located inside the building, most planes are located outdoors around the building. It has created an "adopt an aircraft" program in which various groups assume responsibility for maintenance of the plane.

For more information, phone 850.651.1808.