Returned Lend-Lease P-63 Kingcobra Fighter Inspected at Great Falls Air Base, 1945
October 15, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes
P-63 Kingcobra fighter returned from the USSR and inspected by U.S. technicians at Great Falls Air Base after WWII, 1945.
This World War II photograph captures a P-63 “Kingcobra” fighter aircraft being inspected by American technicians at Great Falls Air Base, Montana, in 1945. The aircraft had previously served in the Soviet Air Force, delivered under the Lend-Lease program, and was among those returned to the United States after the end of the war in Europe.
The Bell P-63 Kingcobra, developed as an improvement over the earlier P-39 Airacobra, was equipped with a more powerful engine and a 37 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub. While the U.S. Army Air Forces saw limited use for it, the Soviet Union received more than 2,400 aircraft — where it was actively used for air defense, training, and ground attack missions during the final stages of the war.
After Germany’s surrender, surviving aircraft were returned as part of postwar accounting procedures. The Kingcobra seen in this image shows visible wear from operational use, a testament to its active service on the Eastern Front.
The Great Falls Air Base (later renamed Malmstrom Air Force Base) served as one of the main transfer points for Lend-Lease aircraft under the ALSIB route (Alaska–Siberia), which connected U.S. factories with Soviet airfields through Alaska and Siberia.
This image reflects the closing chapter of a remarkable logistical and political alliance — the exchange of technology and trust between two wartime allies divided by ideology but united in the struggle against Nazi Germany.
Technical photo data:
📍 Location: Great Falls Air Base, Montana, USA
📅 Date: 1945
📝 Event: Inspection of P-63 Kingcobra returned from USSR under Lend-Lease
📷 Author: U.S. Army Air Forces photographer (unknown)
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