An aerial view of the museum and airfield at Duxford. © IWM Duxford

The Airborne Forces Museum (ABFM) collection, currently residing at Aldershot Military Museum is to be relocated to a new dedicated facility at the Imperial War Museum (IWM) Duxford.

The first stage of Airborne Assault Duxford, which is due to open in autumn 2008, was launched on November 12 2007 at Duxford’s state-of-the-art Airspace building. At its core will be ParaData, a new digital archive, accessible through terminals.

An interactive history British Airborne Forces will include people, units, campaigns and decorations and an online illustrated A to Z of operations from 1940 to the present day.

An artist's sketch for the new museum. © IWM

Veteran’s experiences and memories will also be captured on film and audio and preserved as part of the multimedia display.

General Sir Mike Jackson, President of the Airborne Assault Duxford Appeal said: “This is much more than a museum. Airborne Forces were to the fore at Normandy, Arnhem, the Falklands, Kosovo and Iraq, and now in Afghanistan. Airborne Assault celebrates the past, records history as it happens through modern media technology, and will point to the future.”

Funding is also being sought for a stage two of the development – a unique stand-alone History of Military Parachuting centre with an Activity Zone, which will be built around parachute training programmes open to all ages and abilities. This facility will be used for team building exercises and community programmes.

The new museum will be housed in Duxford's new state of the art Airspace Gallery. ©: IWM

“Our vision is that the spirit of Airborne Forces - leadership, courage, discipline, fitness and teamwork - will be brought alive at this world-class venue,” added General Jackson.

The partnership agreement to relocate the Airborne Forces Museum from Aldershot to IWM Duxford was first made after an exhaustive review of 17 UK sites. The original vision was to go beyond the conventional regimental military museum and meet the varied demands of a wider public in a single building.

Feasibility and development work by the partnership of ABFM and IWM has worked to create a series of facilities that will achieve this goal in a prudent, affordable and sustainable manner.

A new website, featuring many of the interactive elements of the new museum, will launch shortly at www.airborneassault-duxford.com.