The P-40B Warhawk was one of the planes used by an American Volunteer Group known as the “Flying Tigers”. The group consisted of United States Army Forces, United States Navy and Unites States Marine Corps. Under a secret presidential sanction, the pilots of the said group were recruited by Claire Chennault. They formed a fighter group with three squadrons that were trained in China. The said group defended Burma supply line to China. This happened before the American entered World War II to fight against Japan.The P-40B Warhawk was managed and obtain by Chennault as it was in production for British and Americans. The major difference between the P-40B Warhawk and Tomahawk –IIB is the P-40B had an exterior fuel tank membrane while the Tomahawk had an interior membrane which is more effective for fuel tanks leaks. The P-40B was purchased without gun sights, radios and wing guns. As a result, there was a continual difficulty for the AVG in Burma and China. On the other hand, the good qualities of the Warhawk included the pilot armor, self sealing fuel tanks, sturdy construction, heavy armament and a diving speed that’s faster than most Japanese planes.

In the year 1941, one hundred P40B aircrafts were sent to Burma on third country freighters packed in crates. At Ragoon, the Warhawk was assembled and test flown by a personnel of the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company before they delivered it to the AVG training unit. The P-40B was the first fighter flown in action against the Japanese forces in Burma on March 13, 1941 before the US entered World War II. The Warhawk also played a vital role in the middle stages of World War II.

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The Lockheed F-117A Blackjet is a single-seat, twin-engine stealth ground attack aircraft operated solely by the United States Air Force (USAF). It was the first operational aircraft initially designed around stealth technology. Also known as the Nighthawk, it has a string of other nicknames. Before it was given an official name, engineers and test pilots referred to it as “Cockroach”, a name that is still sometimes used. As it prioritized stealth over aerodynamics, the first model was nicknamed “The Hopeless Diamond”. It was also called “Wobblin’ Goblin” due to its alleged instability at low speeds. Locals in the area around Holloman Air Force Base (AFB) referred to it as simply “Stealth”.

The unique design of the F-117A provides exceptional combat capabilities. The aircraft can employ a variety of weapons and is equipped with sophisticated navigation and attack systems. A digital avionics suite increases mission effectiveness and reduces pilot workload. The first Blackjet was delivered in 1982, and the last delivery was in the summer of 1990.

The F-117A has been used several times in war. It first saw combat in the United States invasion of Panama, during which two Blackjets dropped two bombs on Rio Hato airfield. During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, F-117As flew approximately 1,300 sorties and scored direct hits on 1,600 high value targets in Iraq. Although the F-117As flew through some of the most heavily defended areas in Desert Storm, not one aircraft was shot down or damaged.

Since moving to Holloman AFB in 1992, the F-117A has been deployed to Southwest Asia more than once. On the first trip of the 49th Fighter Wing, Blackjets flew nonstop from Holloman to Kuwait for approximately 18.5 hours – a record for single-seat fighters that stands today. The F-117A has since been used in the Kosovo War in 1999, Operation Enduring Freedom, and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Only one aircraft has been lost in combat, to Serbian forces. On March 27, 1999, during the Kosovo War, an Isayev S-125 Neva-M shot down an F-117A with a Serbian improved Neva-M missile. The pilot survived.

Despite its successes in the Kosovo and Iraq Wars and its high mission-capable rate, the F-117A was nevertheless designed with late 1970s technologies. Program Budget Decision 720, dated December 28, 2005, proposed retiring the entire fleet by October 2008 to make way for more F-22 Raptors. By late 2006, the Air Force had closed the F-117A pilot school, and announced the retirement of the Blackjet. The first six F-117As to be retired made their last flight on March 12, 2007 after a ceremony at Holloman AFB to commemorate the aircraft’s career.

The Convair XF-92 was the first American delta wing aircraft. Originally conceived as a point-defense interceptor, it was later made purely experimental. Its design would lead Convair to use the delta wing on a number of planes including the F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart, and B-58 Hustler. The XF-92 was not the aircraft originally assigned the designation, rather a hybrid, hastily-built machine designed solely to test the delta wing planform.

In August 1945, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) requested for a supersonic interceptor capable of 700 mph speeds and reaching an altitude of 50,000 feet in four minutes. Several companies responded, and in May 1946, Convair won with their proposal for a ramjet-powered aircraft with a 45 degree swept wing. The delta wing’s thin airfoil cross section, low weight and good structural strength made a good combination for a supersonic airplane. Although the XF-92 itself might not have been well liked, the design concept clearly had promise, and the delta wing layout went on to be a standard on Convair designs through the 1950s and 60s.

In April 1948, the XF-92 was shipped to Muroc Dry Lake. Early tests were limited to taxiing, although a short hop was made on June 9, 1948. After company testing, the aircraft was turned over to the USAAF on August 26, 1949, with the testing assigned to Frank Everest and Charles “Chuck” Yeager. Yeager was the first Air Force pilot to fly the XF-92. On his first attempt, he rolled the plane off to the right on landing, with the aircraft coming to rest in a somewhat comical pose, balanced on the nose and the leading edge of the right wing. Damage was minimal and the aircraft was able to resume flight almost immediately.

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Space capsules are often manned spacecraft with a simple shape and without any wings or other features to create lift during atmospheric re-entry. They have been used in most manned space programs to date, including Gemini 4, Apollo 16 and Mercury 7.

Gemini 4 Capsule

Gemini 4 was a manned space flight in NASA’s Gemini program in June 1965, crewed by James McDivitt and Edward White. It was the second manned Gemini flight, the tenth manned American flight and the eighteenth spaceflight of all time. It was the first multi-day space flight by the United States, intended to show that it was possible for humans to remain in space for the length of time required to fly the moon and back. The four-day, 62-orbit mission also aimed to rendezvous and fly in formation with the spent second stage of its Titan II booster rocket. It also saw the first ever American extra-vehicular activity or space walk. Gemini 4 set a record for flight duration and eased fears about the medical consequences of longer missions. The Gemini 4 capsule is currently on display at the National Air and Space Museum, located at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC.

Apollo 16 Capsule

Apollo 16 was the tenth manned mission in the Apollo program and the fifth mission to land on the moon. It was launched on April 16, 1972. The crew members were commander John W. Young, command module pilot Ken Mattingly, and lunar module pilot Charles Duke. On their way to the moon, the astronauts took several photos of Earth. Apollo 16 was only one of the six Apollo landings to target the lunar highlands. The astronauts discovered that what was thought to have been a region of volcanism was actually full of impact-formed rocks, or breccias. A total of 94.7 kg of lunar samples was brought back to Earth, including an 11.7 kg chunk that was the largest single rock. The Apollo 16 astronauts also conducted performance tests with a lunar rover, and even set a lunar speed record of 11 miles per hour. Charles Duke left a plastic-encased photo portrait of his family on the moon.

Mercury 7 Capsule

Mercury 7 was a manned space mission launched on May 24, 1962. The capsule was named Aurora 7 and made three earth orbits with Scott Carpenter as pilot. The focus of the five-hour mission was on science. Equipment included in the spacecraft provided valuable scientific information, notably that regarding liquid behavior in a weightless state, identification of the airglow layer observed during an earlier flight, and photography of terrestrial features and meteorological phenomena. The flight further qualified the Mercury spacecraft systems for manned orbital operations and provided evidence for progressing into missions of extended duration and consequently more demanding systems requirements.

Space fanatics can now avail of high quality replicas of the Gemini 4, Apollo 16 and Mercury 7 capsules. And from mid to late October 2007 only, we are also offering signed versions, personally autographed by an astronaut from each mission. The Gemini 4 capsule will be signed by James McDivitt, the Apollo 16 capsule by Charles Duke, and the Mercury 7 capsule by Scott Carpenter. The signed replicas will include specialized packaging, a museum quality case, a signature plate, a certificate of authenticity and a portfolio about the item. Save $219.90 by getting all three limited edition signed capsules for $1,199.95 instead of $1,419.85!