DAYTON, Ohio – The Air Force Museum Foundation has received a $50,000 pledge from Alenia North America to support the construction of the new 224,000-square-foot building addition at the National Museum of the United States Air Force Museum. The building will house the museum’s Space Gallery, Global Reach Gallery, and Presidential Aircraft Gallery. In addition, the facility will offer new educational opportunities for history, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-based (STEM) programs.
Charles Faruki, chairman of the Air Force Museum Foundation Board of Managers, expressed his gratitude on behalf of the foundation. “We are grateful to Alenia North America for its gift of $50,000 in support of the construction of a fourth building at the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The building will significantly enhance the museum’s ability to tell the Air Force story.”
The building is estimated to cost $47 million. To date, the foundation has secured over $37 million toward this goal, officials note. Current plans call for the construction to be completed and the building opened to the public in 2014.
“We have a long history of working with the Air Force, and we are pleased that we can support the Air Force Museum Foundation and the National Museum of the US Air Force with this gift,” said John H. Young, Jr., Chief Executive Officer, Alenia North America.
Alenia North America, a subsidiary of Alenia Aeronautica and part of the Finmeccanica Group, has been involved in almost every major aircraft developed in the U.S. in the last 40 years. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The Air Force Museum Foundation was established in 1960 as a philanthropic, non-profit organization to assist the Air Force in the development and expansion of the facilities of the National Museum of the United States Air Force and to undertake and advance programs and activities supporting the museum.
The National Museum of the United States Air Force, located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio, is the service’s national institution for preserving and presenting the Air Force story. Each year, more than 1.25 million visitors come to the museum to learn about the mission, history, and evolving capabilities of America’s Air Force.
