Hosted by the 2nd Bomb Wing, it maintains a large collection of military aircraft and historical artifacts that illuminate the early days of United States military aviation, the Barksdale base, and the formations of the 2nd Bomb Wing and the 8th Air Force.

[2][3] Work was started to return a B-17 on permanent loan from the United States Air Force Museum to flight.

[6] In 1980, two airmen rabbit hunting found the remains of a Keystone B-6A bomber in the woods near the airbase.

[7] In 1982, an Avro Vulcan was donated to the museum and later that year plans for recreating a World War II 8th Air Force base were announced.

[12][13] The museum completed a three year long renovation in 2015, during which all the rooms were rebuilt and many of the airplanes repainted.