Watch online: Duxford in Depth

In this episode of Duxford in Depth, IWM Curator Emily Charles looks at the development, design, and service history of the F-111 Aardvark. She looks at the service history of this F-111 which flew in the Gulf War as part of the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing before arriving at IWM Duxford in 1993.

The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird is the fastest and highest-flying jet aircraft in history and Duxford’s SR-71 Blackbird has flown higher than any other when it set the world record for sustained altitude flight in 1976, flying at 85,000 feet. We talk to curator Emily Charles and hear from two pilots who flew the Blackbird to learn all about this space-age icon.

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress dropped more bombs than any other US aircraft in the Second World War. A lot of these aircraft flew out of bases in England, as part of the USAAF’s daylight strategic bombing campaign. In this video, we take a close look at the B-17, take a look inside the fuselage and cockpit, and hear from two veteran B-17 crew.

The P-47 Thunderbolt is one of the most recognisable US fighter planes from the Second World War. After the United States joined the war, pilots from the US Army Air Force were sent to Britain to aid in the war effort, along with their trusty Thunderbolts. In this video, our expert Graham Rodgers walks us through the history and technical aspects of this iconic aircraft.

In 1958, McDonald Aircraft Corporation delivered a prototype, twin engine, supersonic, all-weather, long range fighter -  a design the US Navy could not ignore.

It would go on to become the most produced American jet fighter in history and an icon of the Cold War. 

At the start of 1939, the United States Army Air Corps wanted more of its favourite aircraft, the B-17 Flying Fortress. Consolidated took one look at the B-17 and decided they could do better. They responded with a proposal for a new aircraft which could fly faster, further, higher, and carry more bombs.

In this video, Emily Charles walks us through the history and technical aspects of the iconic B-24 Liberator.

The F-15 Eagle first flew in 1972 and has dominated the skies ever since. Built partly as a response to the development of the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat, nearly half a century later, the US Air Force is still flying F-15 Eagles in Europe. We join curator Hattie Hearn at the American Air Museum at IWM Duxford to find out more about this formidable aircraft that has operated in every major conflict over the last forty years. 

The P-51 could fly and fight with British and American bombers all the way to Berlin and back again. Its range was so large that it even began to replace British Spitfires towards the end of the war. On their way back from escort duty Mustangs would also take out targets of opportunity like enemy trucks, barges, and trains. By 1944 the Allies had air superiority over Western Europe, thanks in part to the Mustang.

The B-29 Superfortress is arguably the most important and controversial aircraft in human history. With the dubious honour of being history’s deadliest bomber and the only aircraft to drop a nuclear weapon in combat, its story is one of ground-breaking innovation, unimaginable destruction and decisions that would dictate the course of the twentieth century. 

For nearly 70 years, the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress has been the backbone of the United States’ strategic bomber force. It has flown in more conflicts than any other aircraft. We join IWM curator Hattie Hearn at the American Air Museum at IWM Duxford to find out more about this formidable aircraft and why the legendary B-52 has outlasted the bombers designed to replace it. 

The Supermarine Spitfire is one of the most iconic aircraft of all time. Between 1932 and 1947 over 20,000 of them were built and in those 7 years, Spitfire's changed dramatically from the Mk 1 to the Mk 24. Graham Rodgers looks at how the Spitfire evolved by taking us through just a few of Duxford's collections.

The story of the Spitfire's armament development is complicated and can even be considered controversial to this day. Join IWM's Liam Shaw and Jonathan Ferguson of Royal Armouries to take an in-depth look at the main weapons of the Spitfire.

In this video, our expert shows us how much we can learn from looking closely this Battle of Britain icon. Take a look in the cockpit and hear from the pilots who flew the Bf 109 during the Second World War.

The Gloster Meteor was the RAF’s first jet fighter, bringing Britain into the Jet Age. At the same time, engineers of the German Luftwaffe had been working on developing their own operational jet fighter, and the Messerschmitt Me 262 entered service a few months before the Meteor. In this video, our expert Liam Shaw takes us around the details of the Gloster Meteor and its pioneering history. 

The 100th Bomb Group is one of the most famous of the Second World War - earning the nickname 'The Bloody Hundredth'. Their heroic experiences feature in the upcoming war drama Masters Of The Air.  But where did their legend come from? In this video, IWM Curator Dr Hattie Hearn examines the real history of 'The Bloody Hundredth'.

In the years before the Second World War, the Lockheed Electra 12 would have gone relatively unnoticed in the skies of Europe. It may not be apparent on first inspection of this civilian aircraft that this was one of Britain's first spy planes. 

In the later stages of the Second World War in the Pacific, Japan was desperate. They turned to a new tactic - kamikaze. The kamikaze campaign trained attack squadrons specifically for this purpose, and brought into combat a new aircraft - the Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka - the only jet-powered suicide aircraft.

They first saw action at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, where extensive damage was done to the Allied fleet. But overall, how effective were these aircraft and this campaign?

De Havilland Mosquitoes were the among the first multi-role combat aircraft: they could be turned to anything and excelled at everything. In this video, our Duxford expert tells us how this little wooden bomber came into action and became one of the most versatile and popular aircraft of the Second World War.

In this video, events and experiences coordinator Liam Shaw takes us through the extraordinary history and technological achievements of the Avro Vulcan. We go into the cockpit and hear first-hand from the people who flew this unique machine throughout its long and remarkable history.

In this video, our expert tells us why the Lancaster Bomber played such a crucial role in WW2. We go inside the fuselage of Duxford’s Lancaster KB889 and take a look at the enormous bomb load of this Second World War icon, which enabled the famous attack on the Ruhr valley, the Dambusters Raid.

Mal Craghill was the youngest Tornado Navigator of the Gulf War, and dropped the last RAF bomb of the war. He tells us about his experiences flying the Tornado GR-1 on cross-border combat missions into Iraq. Targeting airfields, these missions played a key role in crippling the Iraqi Air Force during Desert Storm.

In this video, curator Emily Charles explains why the A-10 has been in service for 50 years and is still popular with pilots. We hear from one of the developers of the A-10 and pilot Kim Campbell, famous for landing her A-10 in manual mode after taking anti-aircraft fire in Iraq.

In this episode of Duxford in Depth, events and experiences coordinator Liam Shaw takes us through the distinguished history of the Tornado from our GR1 'Foxy Killer' which flew more missions than any other RAF Tornado during Operation Granby in 1991, to our GR4 which served in Operation Ellamy in 2011 enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya. We take a look at the technology that made the Tornado one of the most advanced ground attack aircraft of its time and hear first-hand from the people that designed and flew it.

In the early 1950s, the RAF had a big problem. Having brought the first generation of jet fighters like the Gloster Meteor into service, they suddenly found them outclassed. They decided to rush a brand new second-generation fighter into production. That aircraft would become the Hawker Hunter.

In this video, standing beside IWM’s Harrier GR9, Fighter Pilot Paul Tremelling tells us about the history of the Hawker-Siddeley Harrier. 

Developed to bring the RAF into the supersonic age, the aircraft was able to fly at twice the speed of sound.  In fact, it had such a power to weight ratio that it could stand on its tail and exceed the speed of sound in a vertical climb. In this episode of Duxford in Depth, Liam Shaw takes a detailed look at the Lightning's design, development, armament and service history as well as 'Taffy' Holden's accidental flight.

In 1951, Britain introduced the English Electric Canberra. Designed to operate at high level, it would go onto become the RAF's longest serving machine. It was an incredibly efficient aircraft, but by the late 1950s everything changed.

In this episode of Duxford in Depth, Liam Shaw takes a detailed look at the aircraft that never was, the BAC TSR-2.

IWM Duxford’s Handley Page Victor XH648 underwent a meticulous five-year restoration project which started in 2016. It is on display in the Conservation Hangar in AirSpace. In this video filmed whilst work was still ongoing, IWM's head of conservation Jon White discusses the aircraft and the conservation project in more detail.

Concorde 101 is a pre-production model. In this video, we speak to test engineer John Dunlevy who worked on Concorde 101, and Peter Archer, chairman of the Duxford Aviation Society. We head on board and into the cockpit, and even see the nose droop in action.

The Rolls-Royce Merlin Engine powered some of the most famous aeroplanes of World War II, including the Spitfire, the Hurricane, the Mosquito, the Mustang and the Lancaster. In this video, Graham Rodgers looks at what made the Merlin Engine so vital during the Second World War, and we hear from some pilots and mechanics who worked with the Merlin Engine during the war.

An idea that came from Hitler himself, the Jagdpanther combined the reliable Panther tank chassis with the immense firepower of the PAK 43 88mm gun. Despite its few numbers, the Jagdpanther made a big impression on the Allies in Normandy and the Eastern Front - But why was it so good? In this video, IWM Curator John Delaney shows us the Jagpanther at IWM Duxford, explaining its operational history, what made it so formidable, and why we can't tell when this tank destroyer itself was destroyed.

IWM Stories tackle the big conflict questions that you want answered. From First World War tanks to Churchill's election disaster.

Discover our Film Favourites series in which curators talk about their highlights from IWM's vast film collection. 

Visit Imperial War Museum Duxford for a huge day out. See Spitfires take to the skies from the airfield where they first flew, get up close to gigantic aircraft and walk in the footsteps of the men and women who served here.