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Military Aircraft Showcase

Dramatic views of military fighter jets and reconnaissance aircraft in flight or on the ground, illustrating advanced aerial technology.

Italian Air Force F-35A in flight over Iceland.

This photograph shows the SR-71 with the Linear Aerospike SR-71 Experiment on the rear fuselage as seen from above. The photo was taken on the first flight of the aircraft with the experiment aboard, which took place on 31 October 1997..

A US Air Force F-15C Strike Eagle aircraft from the1st Fighter Wing, 71st Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Virginia taxi before take off. A US Air Force F-15C Strike Eagle aircraft from the1st Fighter Wing, 71st Fighter Squadron, Langley AFB, Virginia taxi before take off.

The Rockwell/Daimler-Benz Aerospace X-31 research aircraft is displayed on the ground after an astounding flight demonstration at the 41st Paris Air Show. The X-31 is a collaborated research project between Germany and the United States. Subject Operation/Series: PARIS AIR SHOW '95 Base: Le Bourget Airfield, Paris Country: France (FRA)

Detailed Isometric Vector Illustration of an F-15 Eagle Jet Fighter on the Ground

X-24 on Rogers Dry Lake

High angle view of an F-117A Nighthawk, Saudi Arabia

An air-to-air right side view of a Soviet Tu-95 Bear-D strategic bomber aircraft. Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

F-117

Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, Model, Full Scale Mockup, 22. 06. 2005. ILA International Aerospace Exhibition Berlin, Schoenefeld, Brandenburg, Germany, Europe

The three thrust-vectoring aircraft at Edwards, California, each capable of flying at extreme angles of attack, cruise over the California desert in formation during flight in March 1994. They are, from left, NASA's F-18 High Alpha Research Vehicle (HARV), flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center; the X-31, flown by the X-31 International Test Organization (ITO) at Dryden; and the Air Force F-16 Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring (MATV) aircraft.

DN-SC-90-01434. Base: Naval Air Station, Moffett Field State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

AN air-to-air left side view of two F-101 Voodoo aircraft in flight. The aircraft are assigned to the 107th Fighter Interceptor Group, New York Air National Guard, North American Air Defense Command (NORAD). Base: Niagara Falls Air Base State: New York (NY) Country: United States Of America (USA)

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An image of the F-16XL #1 during its functional flight check of the Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) on December 16, 1997. The mission was flown by NASA research pilot Dana Purifoy, and lasted 1 hour and 25 minutes. The tests included pilot familiarly, functional check, and handling qualities evaluation maneuvers to a speed of Mach 0.6 and 300 knots. Purifoy completed all the briefed data points with no problems, and reported that the DFCS handled as well, if not better than the analog computer system that it replaced.

A left side view of the TR-1 reconnaissance aircraft as it rolls out of the Skunks Works hangar. Base: Beale Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

NASAs F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

Plane crash Plane crash with debris on earth Copyright: xZoonar.com/Dr.xNorbertxLangex 18539333

DN-ST-88-07021. Base: Naval Air Station, Dallas State: Texas (TX) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DN-SC-88-08301. Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

Jet Aircraft on the USS Forrestal Aircraft Carrier, New Orleans, Louisiana

X-34 at Dryden Flight Research Center

Air to air side view of a 60th Military Airlift Wing's C-141 Starlifter flying over northern California near Travis AFB, California. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Unknown

F/A-18 #845 testing autonomous system for AARD project by following a pickup with an airborne tanker drogue illustration.

STS116-S-062 (22 Dec. 2006) --- A low angle view shows Discovery approaching Runway 15 at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, concluding mission STS-116. Aboard are astronauts Mark L. Polansky, commander; William A. Oefelein, pilot; and Robert L. Curbeam Jr., Joan E. Higginbotham, Nicholas J.M. Patrick and European Space Agency astronauts Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter--all mission specialists. Reiter is returning from a six-month stay on the International Space Station. During the mission, three spacewalks attached the P5 integrated truss structure to the station, and completed the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory's power system. A contingency spacewalk was added to retract a stubborn solar array. Main gear touchdown was at 5:32 p.m. (EST). Nose gear touchdown was at 5:32:12 p.m. and wheel stop was at 5:32:52 p.m. At touchdown -- nominally about 2,500 ft. beyond the runway threshold -- the orbiter is traveling at a speed ranging from 213 to 226 mph. Disc

A B-2 Spirit prepares to launch for an afternoon training mission during RED FLAG-Alaska 12-3 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, Aug. 6, 2012. The B-2 is a multi-role bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions.

Left side view of a B-1B Lancer resting on the runway. Base: Ellsworth Air Force Base State: South Dakota (SD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Air force team. Vector illustration

The NASA C-140 JetStar research aircraft (top) is followed by a NASA Learjet equipped with acoustic sensors during one of several tests of advanced propellors mounted on the vertical pylon atop the JetStar's fuselage. Several advanced prop designs were tested on the JetStar in 1982 by NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility (DFRF), Edwards, California, to study the effects of noise created by propellors on aircraft structures and cabin interiors. To assess possible noise problems with the subscale turbofan, DFRF technicians mounted microphones on both the JetStar and the Learjet chase plane. DFRF then made measurements at close range and at longer distances. The data enabled structural changes and flightpath modifications.

Swiss Air Force PC-21 trainer aircraft on the flight line, Emmen, Switzerland.

An F-117A Stealth Fighter is on display at the Aviano Air Base for the first time. Subject Operation/Series: ALI SU AVIANO '96 AIR SHOW Base: Aviano Air Base State: Pordenone Country: Italy (ITA)

isolated black airplane over white background

NASAs F/A-18 research aircraft takes off from Ellington Field in Houston, Texas for a quiet supersonic research flight off the coast of Galveston, as part of the QSF18 flight series. The F/A-18 will climb to 50,000 feet over the Gulf of Mexico, where it will perform the quiet supersonic dive maneuver.

A Fighter Squadron 114 (VF-114) F-14A Tomcat aircraft nears the edge of the flight deck as it is launched from the No. 3 catapult on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72). The LINCOLN is underway off the coast of Argentina. Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)

Germany, Berlin, ILA 2012, flight series, military aircraft, Turkey,

A right side view of the F-104G Starfighter aircraft parked on the flight line at sunset. The aircraft are being used by the 69th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron to train German pilots. Base: Luke Air Force Base State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA)

F-22 Rapter flying over Sacramento, California.

USA, South Dakota, Box Elder, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Air and Space Museum, B-1B Lancer Bomber

A North American B-2 Spirit stealth bomber flying at high altitude.

Two T-38 Talons take off to perform during the Fairchild Skyfest 2022 at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 15, 2022. Fairchild Skyfest 2022 featured more than 13 aerial acts and 16 static display aircraft, as well as other attractions and displays.

A U.S. Air Force F-16 fighter jet assigned to the 169th Fighter Wing, McEntire Joint National Guard Base, taxis to the runway in preparation of departure from the Columbia Metropolitan Airport in West Columbia, South Carolina, September 15, 2022. The 169th Fighter Wing is temporarily flying out of Columbia Metropolitan Airport while the McEntire Joint National Guard Base runway undergoes construction.

This photograph shows a modified General Dynamics AFTI/F-111A Aardvark in flight with supercritical mission adaptive wings (MAW) installed.With the phasing out of the TACT program came a renewed effort by the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory to extend supercritical wing technology to a higher level of performance. In the early 1980s the supercritical wing on the F-111A aircraft was replaced with a wing built by Boeing Aircraft Company System called a mission adaptive wing” (MAW), and a joint NASA and Air Force program called Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) was born.

Royal Air Force F-35B at RAF Marham, United Kingdom.

A right side view of the B-1B bomber testbed aircraft (originally the No. 2 B-1 prototype) touching down on a runway after a test flight. Country: Unknown

Altair in Flight

Su-30SM jet fighter of the Russian Knights aerobatics team during demonstration flight.

The HiMAT (Highly Maneuverable Aircraft Technology) subscale research vehicle, seen here during a research flight, was flown by the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California, from mid 1979 to January 1983. The aircraft demonstrated advanced fighter technologies that have been used in the development of many modern high performance military aircraft.

Northrop NF-5s in the landing at the Twenthe airbase.

Flight Deck, The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Manhattan, New York, USA

A T-6A Texan II taxis to the runway as two more take off at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 5, 2022. Laughlin's mission continues to be training the military's finest and most lethal pilots.

A B-21 Raider is unveiled at Northrop Grummans manufacturing facility on Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California, Dec. 2, 2022. The B-21 will be a long-range, highly survivable, penetrating strike stealth bomber capable of delivering both conventional and nuclear munitions.

040719-N-0780-070. Base: Souda Harbor State: Crete Country: Greece (GRC)

The General Dynamics TACT/F-111A Aardvark is seen In a banking-turn over the California Mojave desert. This photograph affords a good view of the supercritical wing airfoil shape.Starting in 1971 the NASA Flight Research Center and the Air Force undertook a major research and flight testing program, using F-111A (#63-9778), which would span almost 20 years before completion. Intense interest over the results coming from the NASA F-8 supercritical wing program spurred NASA and the Air Force to modify the General Dynamics F-111A to explore the application of supercritical wing technology to maneuverable military aircraft. This flight program was called Transonic Aircraft Technology (TACT).

An MQ-1 Predator taxi's to the runway at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.

U.S. Air Force T-38 Trainer

USA, New Jersey, Sandy Hook, Gateway National Recreation Area, Nike nuclear missile used in the defense of New York City during the Cold War

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The crew members of space shuttle mission STS-120 prepare for their return to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston following three days of terminal countdown demonstration test, or TCDT, activities. At Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility, Commander Pam Melroy, in front, and Mission Specialist Stephanie Wilson complete the final tasks before takeoff in a T-38 jet aircraft. Melroy is the second woman to command a shuttle mission. The TCDT provides astronauts and ground crews with equipment familiarization, emergency egress training and a simulated launch countdown. The STS-120 mission will deliver the U.S. Node 2 module, named Harmony, aboard space shuttle Discovery to the International Space Station on a 14-day mission. Discovery's launch is targeted for Oct. 23 at 11:38 a.m. EDT.

F-15A on display at Otis Air National Guard Base. Dedicated to retired Brig. Gen. Anthony 'Kimo' Schiavi.

May 12, 2001 - A F/A 22 Raptor flies over Fort Monroe to its permanent home at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia.

X-59

Czech Air Force Cockpit of Mig-23ML 4644 on the Open Day of Leeuwarden Air Base on July 2, 1994.

STS-132 ATLANTIS LIFT & MATE TO ET/SRB STACK

A right side view of an F-15C Eagle aircraft mounted upside down on a pedestal at the Rome Air Development Center's Newport test site. A radar warning system pod mounted on the fuselage is being evaluated in comparison with the aircraft's onboard radar warning system. Base: Griffiss Air Force Base State: New York (NY) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Tails of retired air force planes in Tucson Tails of many grounded and retired air force planes in the Boneyard near Tucson Arizona Copyright: xZoonar.com/StevexHeapx 10228386

F-117 NIGHTHAWK FIGHTER JET

A gold U.S. Air Force F-16A Falcon from the Iowa Air National Guard is on the ramp in Sioux City, Iowa on June 30, 2022. The jet is painted with commemorative anniversary paint scheme that replicates the units 50th anniversary gold jet as it appeared in 1996. The 2022 redesign of the 185th Air Refueling Wing static display was unveiled as the Air Force celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year. U.S. Air Force photo Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot

A left front view of an F-4E Phantom II aircraft, with a drag chute deployed during landing, taxiing in during exercise Brim Frost '81. Subject Operation/Series: BRIM FROST '81 Base: Elmendorf Air Force Base State: Alaska (AK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

2007 Bugatti Veyron on an empty road

A close-up view of a tail fin and the exhaust nozzle of the port-side General Electric F110 engine on a Fighter Squadron 31 (VF-31) F-14D Tomcat aircraft. Base: Naval Air Station, Miramar State: California(CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Three-quarter left front view of a North American Mustang Mk. IV parked beside the runway somewhere in Korea. A man is visible underneath the right wing. Another Mustang Mk. IV is parked beside it on the right side, and two more appear on the right. Each aircraft bears the markings of the South African Air Force, and are armed with two bombs and four rockets.

Italian Air Force EF-2000 Typhoon on the runway in Norway.

A pair of F-5E aircraft of the Swiss Air Force taking off over the Swiss mountains.

New York City, USA, June 21, 2018: F-16 General Dynamics Aircraft in Intrepid museum in New York. The USS Intrepid hosts the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City, North America

Airplanes at the Davis Montham Air Force Base in Tucson Arizona

Fairchild Skyfest 2022 attendees watch as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds prepare to take off at Fairchild Air Force Base, Washington, May 15, 2022. Fairchild Skyfest 2022 featured more than 13 aerial acts and 16 static display aircraft, as well as other attractions and displays.

A gold U.S. Air Force F-16A Falcon from the Iowa Air National Guard is on the ramp in Sioux City, Iowa on June 30, 2022. The jet is painted with commemorative anniversary paint scheme that replicates the units 50th anniversary gold jet as it appeared in 1996. The 2022 redesign of the 185th Air Refueling Wing static display was unveiled as the Air Force celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year. U.S. Air Force photo Senior Master Sgt. Vincent De Groot

U.S. Navy Blue Angels visit Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma, December 6, 2022 in preparation for Tinker AFB's air show July 1-2, 2023.

Four different versions of the F-16 were used by Dryden in the 1990s. On the left and right sides are two F-16XLs. On the left is the F-16XL #2 (NASA 848), which is the two-seat version, used for advanced laminar flow studies until late 1996. On the right is the single-seat F-16XL #1 (NASA 849), used for laminar flow research and sonic boom research. (Laminar flow refers to smooth airflow over a wing, which increases lift and reduces drag compared to turbulent airflow). Between them at center left is an F-16A (NASA 816), the only civilian operated F-16. Next to it at center right is the U.S. Air Force Advance Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16, a program to test new sensor and control technologies for future fighter aircraft. Both F-16XLs are in storage at Dryden. The F-16A was never flown at Dryden, and was parked by the entrance to the center. The AFTI F-16 is in the Air Force Museum.

A chart comparing characteristics of U.S. and Soviet tactical aircraft. Country: Unknown

Eurofighter Typhoon in Full Afterburner at Mollis Event

170722-N-JH384-216NORFOLK (July 22, 2017) Sailors man the rails of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) during its commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Va. Ford is the lead ship of the Ford-class aircraft carriers, and the first new U.S. aircraft carrier designed in 40 years.

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