The Air Force Museum Foundation has announced a new temporary exhibit at the National Museum of the United States Air Force that will feature two life-size spacecraft models inspired by a well-known science fiction film franchise. The exhibit, titled Iconic Starfighters: Rival Spacecraft of the Silver Screen, is expected to open ahead of the May 22 release of the latest film in the series. It will be displayed in the museum’s fourth building special exhibit area and is scheduled to remain in Dayton through the rest of 2026. The Air Force Museum Foundation, established in 1960, has provided nearly $100 million in support to the museum over the years, including funding tied to much of the current museum campus. According to the foundation, the two spacecraft were created by Firewatch Design Studios and are intended to recreate the appearance and scale of the fictional starfighters seen on screen. Visitors will be able to walk around the models within the exhibit space, which has been arranged to allow full viewing from multiple angles.
Museum officials also pointed to the influence real-world wartime aviation had on the spacecraft designs featured in the exhibit. The display space sits near the museum’s WWII Gallery, where visitors can also see aircraft and archival material tied to the period that inspired many of the visual ideas used in the original films. The two full-scale spacecraft are fan-built models on loan from COSI (Center of Science and Industry). While the exhibit is inspired by the Star Wars universe, the museum noted that it is not officially affiliated with Disney or Lucasfilm. According to the Foundation, the display is being presented as an educational exhibit rather than an official franchise installation. For more information and to support the Air Force Museum Foundation, click on this link: airforcemuseumfoundation.org.
