Aircraft Flight Operations

Photos depict Air Force personnel working on combat aircraft, emphasizing pre-flight checks, maintenance, and operational readiness in aerial missions.

F-16 Falcon KC-10A Extender US Air Force

Six F-35 Lightning II assigned to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, arrive at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, April 1, 2022. The fifth-generation fighter aircraft will integrate with the B-1 Lancer, B-2 Spirit and B-52 Stratofortress as part of Exercise Agile Tiger. This collaboration advances joint warfighter lethality while promoting resilience, innovation, competitiveness and process improvement - all capabilities required to address todays complex challenges.

A view of a search and rescue crew chief as he waits to jump from a C-130 Hercules aircraft during SAREX, a joint U.S. - Canadian exercise taking place in Alaska. Subject Operation/Series: SAREX Country: Unknown

U.S. Air Force pilots assigned to the 14th Airlift Squadron conduct a routine training night-flight in a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft over North Auxiliary Airfield, South Carolina, July 25, 2022. North Auxiliary Airfield directly supports the 437th and 315th Airlift Wing's aircrew and pilot proficiency training.

220628-N-XN177-2094 EAST CHINA SEA (June 28, 2022) - An F-35B Lightning II aircraft assigned to Marine Strike Fighter Squadron (VMFA) 121 taxis on the flight deck of amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7), June 28, 2022. Tripoli is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and maintain stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Staff Sgt. Mateis Maehler, 192nd Airlift Squadron C-130H loadmaster, prepares for a drop of a training cargo load above Amedee Army Airfield, Herlong, California June 24, 2022. The cargo was dropped during a three-ship tactical flight which involved low-level flying and touch and go landings

Crewmen stand beside an E-2C Hawkeye aircraft from Airborne Early Warning Squadron 122 (VAW-122) on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS FORRESTAL (CV-59) during the allied forces exercise Team Work '88. Subject Operation/Series: TEAM WORK '88 Country: North Atlantic Ocean

111207-N-BT887-063 ARABIAN GULF (Dec. 07, 2011) A Sailor signals to raise an aircraft elevator aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

DN-SC-87-02935. Base: Point Mugu State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Timothy Farag, commanding officer of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, prepares for takeoff from the amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7), while underway, May 27, 2022. Marines with VMFA-121, based out of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, are conducting flight operations in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific.

An Airman climbs a rope ladder into an MH-47 Chinook helicopter during helocast alternate insertion and extraction training July 14, 2014, on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Airman with the 22nd Special Tactics Squadrons Red Team teamed up with Soldiers from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment for the training. The daytime training allowed five Airmen to climb a rope ladder and three Airmen to be hoisted back into the MH-47.

U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Christopher Kelly, commanding officer, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 214 (VMFA-214), acknowledges his maintainers hand signals before the squadrons first flight at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, Nov. 7, 2022, after re-designating March 25, 2022 and adopting the F-35B Lightning II. VMFA-214 was previously known as Marine Attack Squadron 214 (VMA-214) and was equipped with AV-8B Harriers; this was their first time officially flying the F-35B Lightning II as an operational squadron.

040624-F-7709A-002. Base: Eglin Land Range State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-ST-89-05877. Base: George Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

US Navy Aviation Ordnanceman First Class Nathaniel Stewart safeties US Navy Aviation Structural Mechanic Third Class David Moron while attaching cargo nets to a CH-46D Sea Knight helicopter during an underway replinishment on the flight deck of USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (CVN 75). Truman is on station in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH Base: USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)

View of the wing of an aircraft, probably a Republic F-84 Thunderjet, being fitted with rockets somewhere in Korea. Six ground crewmen are pictured under and beside the wing attaching the rockets.

Quick Reaction Alert at the Leeuwarden airbase with first lieutenant kite G.H.M.s. Poolker (born 1950) of 323 squadron.ScRamble.The kite is already in the cockpit of the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter and is ready for departure.

Three members of the combat control team, bail out of their aircraft during high-altitude, low opening (HALO) training. Base: Hickam Air Force Base State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

1977 - Mark 84 (GBU-10) laser-guided bomb homes in on its truck target during demonstrations.

U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Zachary Koon, a UH-1Y Venom crew chief with Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron (HMLA) 167, observes the landscape at Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center, Michigan, Aug. 10, 2022. HMLA-167 trained with U.S. Army National Guard and U.S. Air National Guard units during joint exercise Northern Strike 22-2. HMLA-167 is a subordinate unit of 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, the aviation combat element of II Marine Expeditionary Force.

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor assigned to the 94th Fighter Squadron, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, taxis during Checkered Flag 23-1 at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, Nov. 2, 2022. Checkered Flag is a large-force aerial exercise which fosters readiness and interoperability through the incorporation of 4th and 5th-generation aircraft during air-to-air combat training. The 23-1 iteration of the exercise was held Oct. 31 - Nov. 10, 2022.

A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker boom operator, assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California, conducts aerial refueling with an Air Force F-15D Eagle assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 9, 2022. Kadena Air Base regularly hosts visiting joint, allied and partner forces to conduct missions to enhance our operational readiness to defend Japan and ensure a free-and-open Indo-Pacific.

U.S. Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) 3rd Class Bailey McMahon with Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 conducts preflight checks on an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7), while underway, June 11, 2022. The amphibious assault carrier USS Tripoli (LHA 7) is conducting routine operations within the U.S. 7th Fleet.

A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ShinMaywa US-2 flies above southwestern Japan for the JMSDF New Years flight at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, Jan. 5, 2024. The JMSDF New Years flight is typically held at the beginning of January, and this years flight showcased the US-2s capabilities, as well as Fleet Air Wing 31s ability to swiftly and successfully conduct search and rescue missions. This is the first time in 9 years the event has been held at Iwakuni.

MASTER SGT. Eric Carr, Flight Engineer from the 41st Rescue Squadron, examines the tail rotor on his HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter looking for paddle delamination and any insecure boot fittings. Base: Patrick Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Sadie Jurado, 91st Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling specialist, fuels a RC-135V/W RIVET JOINT assigned to the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing during an Exercise Juniper Oak mission, within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Jan. 25, 2023. Juniper Oak is a large-scale bilateral exercise, aimed to enhance interoperability between U.S. and Israeli armed forces contributing to regional security.

980423-F-7910D-009. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH 1998 Base: Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base State: Al Ahmadi Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: ACC

011007-F-5772H-001. Complete Scene Caption: Flying under red lighting inside the aircraft, to preserve night vision, the Tri-Wall Aerial Delivery System (TRIADS) containers are released from the first US Air Force C-17A Globemaster III flight over Afghanistan and roll like a freight train out the back of the aircraft plunging into the night sky. Air Force C-17's delivered Humanitarian Daily Rations (HDR) in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM from Germany to Afghan refugees who massed inside the borders of Afghanistan. The C-17's carried more than 35,000 HDRs packed in 84 TRIAD boxes. Each box measures 80 inches tall and 48 inches square, containing 420 HDRs. The HDRs were delivered in a first of its kind, high-altitude airdrop. This is the first operational TRIAD delivery from a C-17 aircraft as well as the first combat airdrop mission performed by the C-17. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Afghanistan (AFG) Scene Major Command Shown: UNDISCLOSED

110624-N-UO379-161ARABIAN SEA (June 24, 2011) Sailors assigned to the Black Knights of Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 4 conduct maintenance on the propeller shaft of an SH-60F Sea Hawk helicopter aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting close-air support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

A Bangladesh army officer looks out the door of a UH-60 Black Hawk (Blackhawk) helicopter as he directs its U.S. Army pilot toward a landing site. The helicopter is delivering supplies during Operation Sea Angel, a U.S. military effort to aid victims of a cyclone which struck the area on April 30th. Subject Operation/Series: SEA ANGEL Base: Sandwip Island Country: Bangladesh(BGD)

Four U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptors from Kadena Air Base, Japan, fly over the skies of South Korea, in response to recent provocative action by North Korea, Feb. 17, 2016. The Raptors were joined by four South Korean F-15K Slam Eagles and U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons. The F-22 is designed to project air dominance rapidly and at great distances and currently cannot be matched by any known or projected fighter aircraft.

U.S. Army paratroopers with 2nd Battalion, 503rd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, conduct platoon live-fire training during exercise Rock Dawn in Latvia, May 16, 2022. The 173rd Airborne Brigade is the U.S. Army's Contingency Response Force in Europe, providing rapidly deployable forces to the United States European, African, and Central Command areas of responsibility. (U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Luke Michalski)

Okinawa, Japan, August 4, 2004 - U.S. Army soldiers perform High Altitude, Low Opening (HALO) jumps out of a CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter.

Commonwealth Joint Air Training Plan, No 20 Service Flying Training School, Cranborne, Near Salisbury, Rhodesia, January 1943 Pupil Sergeant D H Marshall climbing in to North American Harvard `49' at Cranborne. He served as a ground crewman for 2 1/2 years before being accepted for flight training.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon with Luke Air Force Base prepares to conduct an air refueling with a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 161st Air Refueling Wing during a local sortie on Sept. 16, 2022. The 161st out of Goldwater Air National Guard Base, conducts regular air refueling missions with their regional partners at Luke Air Force Base.

A U.S. Army Ranger prepares to parachute from an aircraft. Country: Unknown

The United States Womens National Volleyball Team visited the 90th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron at Łask Air Base, Poland to tour the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor and learn about the 90th EFS mission in Poland. The 90th EFS forward deployed in support of NATOs Air Shielding mission to enhance the defense posture on the eastern flank. The USAVWNT competed in the World Championship tournament in a nearby city to the base. Airmen from the 90th EFS and the USAVWNT had the opportunity to support each other during their time away from home.

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/5, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, carry a simulated casualty during a night casualty evacuation exercise aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) in the Sea of Japan, Sept. 11, 2022. This integrated training establishes confidence and familiarity between the Marines and Sailors for in-flight medical treatment. The 31st MEU is operating aboard ships of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group in the 7th fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.

060329-N-0490C-004. Base: USS Dwight D Eisenhower (CVN 69)

US Air Force personnel perform a heavy drop over the desert of Egypt. Subject Operation/Series: Bright Star 94 Base: Cairo Country: Egypt (EGY)

A firetruck from the 422d Fire Emergency Services extinguishes an aircraft fire during a live-fire training exercise at RAF Fairford, England, Oct. 3, 2022. Firefighters from the 422d FES, are required to complete live-fire training bi-annualy to test thief overall readiness and ability to properly extinguish an aircraft fire.

The C-130 Hercules transport aircraft of the Air Force Reserve's 928th Tactical Airlift Group, Chicago, sports 'Blues Brothers" hat and sunglasses after arriving for Airlift Rodeo '90. Airlift Rodeo is an annual airdrop competition that tests the flight and ground skills of Military Airlift Command aircrews as well as foreign teams.. Subject Operation/Series: AIRLIFT RODEO '90 Base: Pope Air Force Base State: North Carolina(NC) Country: United States Of America(USA)

DF-SC-89-11186. Base: Unknown

U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, observe a recording of their gunnery table V engagements in an after action review, Drawsko Pomorskie, Poland, June 7, 2022. The 3/4th ABCT is among other units assigned to V Corps, Americas forward deployed corps in Europe that works alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces.

Members of the 101st Airborne Division Airmobile crew assemble a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter following the helicopter's delivery aboard a C-5 Galaxy aircraft during Operation Sand Eagle '88. Subject Operation/Series: SAND EAGLE '88 Base: Mcdill Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Mihai Vlad, C-17 Globemaster III pilot assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, conducts a pre-flight check at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, April 15, 2022. The 816th EAS is deployed in support of Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) to transport cargo and personnel for U.S. and partner nation forces predominately within U.S. Central Commands area of responsibility.

A US Air Force (USAF) crewchief assigned to the 410th Air Expeditionary Wing (AEW) signals a USAF F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, that hes clear to taxi out, during the opening minutes of A-Day, the commencement of the air war for Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, at a forward deployed location. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Country: Unknown

View of the wing of an aircraft, probably a Republic F-84 Thunderjet, being fitted with rockets, somewhere in Korea. Four men stand in front of the wing attaching the rockets, while two others stand slightly behind. A bomb can also be seen attached to the wing.

980416-F-4116M-015. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH 1998 Base: Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base State: Al Ahmadi Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: ACC

DF-SC-89-10739. Base: Unknown

Star Fighters on a routine space patrol.

A detailed view of an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile with a dome / seeker cover. An Aim-9X is an advanced heat seeking air to air missile, capable of off bore sight firing when coupled with aiming mechanisms that allow the missile to be fired at a target to the side of the aircraft, not just in front of it.

France, Normandy, Caen, Le Memorial Peace Museum, Cold War Soviet MIG fighter aircraft.

Marine with the Combat Logistics Battalion 15, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, uses a tractor, rubber-tired, articulated steering, multi-purpose (TRAM) vehicle to clean up a training area aboard Camp Pendleton, California, March 6, 2015. The made drinking water by running ocean water through a tactical water purification system during Amphibious Squadron/Expeditionary Unit Integration Training (PMINT).

The pilots of an Air Anti-submarine Squadron 30 (VS-30) S-3B Viking aircraft prepare for a mission on the aircraft carrier USS SARATOGA (CV-60) during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Base: USS Saratoga (CV 60) Country: Red Sea

DF-ST-88-04942. Base: Berlin Country: West Germany (FRG)

A crewman uploads three Mark 81 general purpose high explosive bombs aboard an A-4F Skyhawk aircraft from Marine Attack Squadron 133 (VMA-133). Base: Naval Air Station, Fallon State: Nevada (NV) Country: United States Of America (USA)

120305-N-DR144-458 ARABIAN GULF (March 5, 2012) Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Handling) 3rd Class Eric Welsh directs an F/A-18C Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 onto the bow catapults for launch on the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Carl Vinson and Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 17 are deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

U.S. Air Force Academy cadets visit a German Hawk missile site. Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

Man with backpack below helicopter flying in sky

Ascension du 26 September 1876, Aviation

A C-141B Starlifter aircraft passes over the snow-covered landscape while en route to Naval Air Station, Akak, Alaska, during exercise Long View '89. Subject Operation/Series: LONG VIEW '89 Country: Unknown

US Marine Corps (USMC) Marines, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), Marine Service Support Group (MSSG), wait on the well deck of the US Navy (USN) Harpers Ferry Class Dock Landing Ship USS CARTER HALL (LSD 50), as a landing craft air cushion (LCAC) unloads equipment. The CARTER HALL recently left her homeport of Naval Station (NS) Norfolk, Virginia (VA), for a regularly scheduled deployment in support of the war on terror. Base: Morehead City State: North Carolina (NC) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Vintage atomic bomb dropping from a bomber. 3D illustration Vintage atomic bomb dropping from a bomber. 3D illustration. Copyright: xZoonar.com/CigdemxSimsekx 21209885

120124-N-BT887-025 SOUTH CHINA SEA (Jan. 24, 2012) Aviation Structural Mechanic Airman Anna Vargas, from Gardena, Calif., directs an SA330J Puma helicopter during a vertical replenishment aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). John C. Stennis is operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of responsibility while on a seven month deployment.

A service member, assigned to 34th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, places chocks on a B-1B Lancer, assigned to 34th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, after returning from a Bomber Task Force mission with the Royal Australian Air Force, June 22, 2022. Bomber Task Force missions provide opportunities to train alongside our allies and partners to build interoperability and bolster our collective ability to support a free and open Indo-Pacific.

980622-F-9580Z-001. Base: Mcchord Air Force Base State: Washington (WA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Tech. Sgt. David Rico, 815th Airlift Squadron loadmaster at Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., looks out at the Gulf of Mexico from the ramp of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft during a training flight July 20, 2022. The 815th AS is an Air Force Reserve unit within the 403rd Wing capable of providing an array of aerial support functions such as airlift, airdrop, aeromedical evacuation and more.

An air-to-air view of an SH-3 Sea King helicopter taken from the cockpit window of another SH-3. Both the helicopters are assigned to Fleet Composite Squadron 5 (VC-5). Country: Philippines (PHL)

060215-N-9500T-525. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Jalynn Gregg, a weapons maintainer with the 60th Aircraft Maintenance Unit, 33rd Fighter Wing, performs maintenance on an F-35A Lightning II flown by U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Trey” Rawls, commander of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, Sept. 23, 2022. Rawls visited the 33rd FW to assess the F-35As ability to meet operational requirements.

A closeup view of the charred tail section of an F-4 Phantom II aircraft destroyed by Allied Attack during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Iraq(IRQ)

DF-ST-88-07274. Subject Operation/Series: SABRE THUNDER Base: Zaragosa Air Base Country: Spain (ESP)

110320-M-0761B-048MEDITERRANEAN SEA (March 20, 2011) A sailor directs a Harrier jet aircraft assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (26th MEU) aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3). The aircraft returned to the ship for fuel and ammunition resupply while conducting air strikes supporting Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and control of U.S. military forces supporting the international response to the unrest in Libya and enforcement of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973.

221029-N-LI114-1092 PHILIPPINE SEA (Oct. 29, 2022) A Sailor assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 5, assigned to Commander, Task Force 70, deploys a rope during helicopter rope suspension technique training from an MH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to the Golden Falcons of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12, on the flight deck aboard the U.S. Navys only forward-deployed aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), in the Philippine Sea, Oct. 29. EODMU 5 and HSC 12 routinely conduct unit level training to ensure effectiveness during helicopter visit, board, search and seizure. Ronald Reagan, the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 5, provides a combat-ready force that protects and defends the United States, and supports alliances, partnerships and collective maritime interests in the Indo-Pacific region.

Helicopter: Israel Air Force, Artist Unknown, ILLUSTRATION

Japan Air Self-Defense Force Chief Master Sgt. Tatsuhiro Kurimoto and Staff Sgt. Ikkei Ono, C-130H Hercules loadmasters prepare to push packages out over the islands of Ruo and Murilo during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 6, 2022. Operation Christmas Drop is an annual U.S. Air Force tradition of packaging and delivering donated supplies such as food, fishing equipment, school books, and clothing to more than 20 thousand islanders across 56 remote islands throughout the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic ofPalau.

Nose art decorates a KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft. Base: Ellsworth Air Force Base State: South Dakota (SD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Visit of Secretary Dirk Kempthorne to Pima County, Arizona's border area with Mexico, where he joined U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel for meetings, tours, flights, inspections

A member of the Zapovjedništvo specijalnih snaga (Croatian Special Operations Forces Command) prepares to execute a military free fall (MFF) from a U.S. Air Force MC-130J Commando II assigned to the 352d Special Operations Wing near Udbina, Croatia, July 20, 2022. The MFF was part of a Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET), which included members of the U.S. Air Forces 352d SOW, the U.S. Armys 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the ZSS. JCETs allow U.S. service members to train at the operational and tactical echelon as a combined, joint force with SOF setting the conditions for larger operations.

U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 2/5, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, carry a combat rubber raiding craft aboard USS New Orleans (LPD 18) for KAMANDAG 6, in the Philippine Sea, Oct. 2, 2022. The two forces participated in a bilateral amphibious assault focused on increasing interoperability and shared understanding of tactics. KAMANDAG is an annual, bilateral exercise between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military designed to strengthen interoperability, capabilities, trust and cooperation built over decades of shared experiences.

Onboard the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74), Aviation Ordnancemen from VA-143, loads a Sidewinder air-to-air missile (AIM-9) on the port side of a US Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter jet, prior to flight operations. USS JOHN C. STENNIS is deployed in the Persian Gulf in support of the Southwest Asia build-up. Base: USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74)

980416-F-4116M-008. Subject Operation/Series: SOUTHERN WATCH 1998 Base: Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base State: Al Ahmadi Country: Kuwait (KWT) Scene Major Command Shown: ACC

Senior Airman Justin Evans, crew chief with the 60th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, rolls a used C-5 Galaxy tire-and-wheel assembly to collection point after its removal from and aircraft Oct. 6, 2011 at Travis Air Force Base, Calif. The installation's fleet will soon be part of a worldwide surge of C-5 aircraft. The surge, slated to take place between 17-21 Oct., will bring together 18 active-duty and 23 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve Command crews and 41 total-force C-5 Galaxy aircraft to move cargo and passengers in support of combatant commanders across the globe.

CPT Colleen Dugan-Beatovich, a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft commander with the 917th Aerial Refueling Squadron, checks on the progress of her ground crew's work during the Strategic Air Command (SAC) competition Proud Shield '88. Base: Ellsworth Air Force Base State: South Dakota (SD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

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