Hangar 6

The RAF in an Age of Uncertainty 1980 – Today

For the last forty years the Royal Air Force has been in constant deployment, whether assisting our allies abroad or providing humanitarian aid across the globe. In this exhibition, we examine the RAF’s recent history from the Falklands Conflict to the modern day, and look at how technological change during this time has enabled the RAF to be agile, adaptable and responsive to the challenges that it has met during this period. Explore personal stories through film, audio, images and text.

Opportunities to get hands-on include:

• Tactile models of aircraft
• Test your knowledge of the 80s, 90s,00s and today with pop culture quizzes
• Leave your comments on our timeline wall.

Large print guides are available in Hangar 6. Electronic versions can be found below:

• The RAF in an Age of Uncertainty
• RAF Home Deployment Duty Object label booklet
• The Royal Air Force and Kuwait part 1 and part 2

This exhibition is supported by:

With further support from:

Please note: Hangar 6 will be closed to the public on 21 September 2021 while we update the exhibition. We would like to apologise in advance for any disappointment that this news may cause our visitors on this date.

Historic Hendon

Our transformed site offers a broad range of activities and spaces to explore.

• Enjoy Claude’s, our new restaurant, in the unique setting of a 1931 heritage building from RAF Hendon
• Let off steam in our new themed playground for under-11s
• Picnic and play in the new open, grassed landscape recalling the airfield heritage of our site
• Explore stories of the site’s 100-year heritage through benches, storytelling tannoys, table-top collages, themed picnic rugs and outdoor bean bags

Wearing of Facemasks

Please note:

We strongly recommend that all visitors wear a face covering when visiting our galleries, shop and restaurant^* unless they were previously exempt from doing so. You will not need to wear one when outside in our green spaces, unless it makes you more comfortable to do so. We would also ask that when in our buildings that our visitors be aware of others around them and where possible maintain a social distance of 1 metre. 

^*Except when seated.