V2ROCKET.COM - A-4/V-2 Display - RAF Museum at Hendon, London, England

A-4/V-2 Display - RAF Museum at Hendon, London, England
Special thanks: Ed Straten, Darlo Rich

The RAF Museum at Hendon, London, Britain's National Museum of Aviation, celebrates the story of aviation from before the Wright Brothers to the RAF of the 21st Century with one of the world's finest collections of legendary aircraft and associated exhibits such as the A-4/V-2. Opened in 1972 by Her Majesty the Queen, and situated on the historic site of Hendon's London Aerodrome in Colindale, this North London Museum is London’s only attraction to house over 100 aircraft from around the world including some very early aircraft designs through to the latest modern day jets and military aircraft.

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ABOVE: V-2 ROCKET IN STORAGE — RECENT PHOTO, RAF MUSEUM RESERVE, STAFFORD
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   The Hendon V-2, a British-prepared rocket from Operation Backfire (1945), features cut-away sections revealing its internal components and is painted an inaccurate green. The rocket was on display in Colindale for many decades, but in 2017, the museum underwent a massive, multi-million-pound redevelopment project in the years leading up to the RAF's centenary in 2018.

   To refresh the museum experience, the facility was forced to temporarily close certain halls and move many aircraft and exhibits to storage or to the RAF Cosford site to facilitate the construction and renovation work. Unfortunately, the V-2 was put into storage at RAF Stafford (in the West Midlands) in February 2017. The move of the rocket to RAF Stafford was part of this major logistical effort.

   When the museum reopened to the public in June 2018 the V-2 was not returned to the museum. It remained in storage at the RAF Museum Reserve Collection at Stafford.

BELOW: HENDON V-2 ROCKET SEEN DURING AIRSHOW AT RAF BIGGIN HILL IN 1961

As of 2025, the RAF Museum Reserve Collection at MoD Stafford includes a vast, storage facility housing over 50,000 objects from the history of the Royal Air Force. The collection, which includes aircraft engines, ejector seats, uniforms, and missiles, is currently being moved to a new collections hub at the RAF Museum Midlands at Cosford, where it will be accessible to the public for the first time in 2027.

PHOTOS: 1999—2015