New Exhibition: Falklands Conflict to today

Our RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme will transform the way we share the RAF story.

An innovative, nationally-relevant exhibition will focus on the critical role of the Royal Air Force over the past 40 years, inviting visitors to discover its mission today and to imagine how the service will need to adapt in the future.

The exhibition will embrace digital technology and include artefacts ranging from aircraft to films that will support our storytelling and reflect our local communities. Our ‘RAF Stories’ and ‘Collections Online’ digital platforms will enable us to share content across the globe as well as in the new displays.

The Story

As we start to recover from the global pandemic, our world feels increasingly unstable – and the RAF is playing an ever-more essential role. However, our recent research has shown that many of our family visitors have limited understanding of the critical role the Royal Air Force plays in contemporary society, although they want to know more. Many of our visitors are now from generations with no living knowledge of the time periods we currently present in our exhibitions.

This is the catalyst for a new permanent exhibition which will focus on a key period of world history from 1982, the diverse roles the Royal Air Force has played over the past 40 years, the service’s crucial roles today and how they are looking forwards to ensure the RAF is fit for the future – whatever that may bring. The exhibition will explore headline themes through individual campaigns and humanitarian missions using personal stories, carefully selected objects, immersive environments and interactive elements through which all our visitors can find a reflection of their own experiences. We will encourage visitors to debate the content, understand the impact on their own lives and the roles that they could play in shaping the future.

Our storytelling at Cosford currently focusses on the early chapters of RAF history. Carrying out this project will enable us to bring the story up to date and look to the future, helping deliver our Vision - sharing the stories of current RAF personnel and the impact the RAF has on all our lives today.

The RAF Museum Midlands Development Programme is being made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are able to progress our plans for this project.Made possible with the National Lottery Heritage Fund