Lockheed XF-90

The XF-90 was developed to meet a USAF requirement for a long-range penetration fighter. Two prototype aircraft were built. The first was powered by two Westinghouse J34 turbojets without afterburners, but these proved inadequate. The second aircraft was adapted for afterburning J34s and had better, but not great, performance. The outbreak of the Korean War prompted to USAF to seek increased production of currently available aircraft, and the XF-90 never entered production. This aircraft is on display in the Cold War Gallery.

This exhibit covers nuclear weapons creation and testing from the beginning of the Cold War to the 1990s. It explains the advent of super-powerful thermonuclear or “H-bombs” after the period of early atomic bombs, explains fission vs. fusion, and traces US testing in the Pacific and in Nevada. It introduces a group known as “Nuclear Veterans,” military members who participated in tests. An exhibit highlight is the wrecked remains of the XF-90 jet fighter, which was subjected to nuclear test explosions.