In 1975
JAT, the national
flag carrier, donated of land for the museum and the museum later purchased further . Construction of the present building of the museum began in the mid-1970s. The construction work dragged on, so it was only in late 1988 that the setting of the first permanent exhibition began. The museum's new location was ceremonially opened on 21 May 1989. The museum owns over 200 aircraft previously operated by the Yugoslav Air Force (both
royal and
communist),
Serbian Air Force, and others, as well as aircraft previously flown by several civil airliners and private
flying clubs. It also owns the only known surviving example of the
Fiat G.50. The most valuable collections are housed in
geodesic glass building, with additional aircraft displayed on the surrounding grounds. The museum also displays the wreckage of a downed
USAF F-117 Nighthawk and
F-16 Fighting Falcon, both shot down during the
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. In addition, the collection consists of more than 130 aviation engines, more radars, rockets, various aeronautical equipment, over 20,000 reference books and technical documentation as well as more than 200,000 photographs. ==Collection==