The French Museum of Aviation and Space, located in the former Le Bourget airport terminal in the suburbs of Paris, is considered the oldest aviation museum in the world and one of the largest in the field of aerospace. It was founded after World War I to commemorate the feats of French pilots. In the early 20th century, France led in the production of civil and military aircraft, which predetermined the creation of a world-class museum.

In 1919, Albert Caquot, head of the aviation technical service, proposed to the Minister of Defense to create a museum of aviation and aeronautics. After approval, he began to collect the first exhibits, and the museum opened in Issy-les-Moulineaux under the name "Conservatoire de l’Aéronautique." In 1921, the museum moved to Chalet Medon and was renamed "Musée de l’Air."

With the opening of Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1974, the museum occupied the premises of the former Le Bourget airport. In the following years, the exhibition expanded: in 1987, a hall dedicated to the pre-World War I period was opened; in 1995, an exhibition of balloons and airships; in 1996, a hangar for the Concorde; and in 2003, a Boeing 747 available for viewing. In 2006, a hangar with World War II aircraft was established; in 2007, a hall with helicopters; and in 2015, the "Normandie-Niemen" hangar.

Founded in 1919, the museum has a collection of over 400 aircraft, including Soviet planes I-153 "Chaika" and Yak-3. Its space exhibition features items related to the history of the USSR, such as the capsule of the "Soyuz T-6" spacecraft, used in the Soviet-French flight of 1982.