Missile Launches and Aircraft Operations

Dynamic scenes of missile launches and aircraft in flight, highlighting advanced military technology in action, set against varied backdrops including coastlines and skies.

1980 - A Bomarc target missile launch..

DF-SC-86-03583. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A BOMARC II surface-to-surface missile is launched from station "A". Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Side view of a Talos surface-to-air missile, just after being fired from the guided missile cruiser USS OKLAHOMA CITY (CG-5). Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

DF-ST-89-03658. Base: Langley Air Force Base State: Virginia (VA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

1980 - A Bomarc target missile launch..

A view of the launch of a RIM-66B Standard-MR (medium range) SM-1 missile aboard the guided missile ship USS NORTON SOUND (AVM-1) on the Pacific Missile Test Center Range. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

An LGM-30B Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during a test. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

140915-N-TG831-018 PHILIPPINE SEA (Sep. 15, 2014) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin (DDG 89) fires an SM-2 missile during Exercise Valiant Shield 2014. Air and sea units from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force participated in the sinking exercise of ex-USS Fresno (LST-1182) to gain proficiency in tactics, targeting and live firing against a surface target at sea. Valiant Shield is a U.S.-only exercise integrating U.S. Navy, Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps assets, offering real-world joint operational experience.

A ground-launched cruise missile (GLCM) rises away from the Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) during a test firing. Base: Utah Test And Training Range State: Utah (UT) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Aircraft wing with bombs

A view of a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) firing a round of ammunition. Base: White Sands Missile Test Range State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DN-SD-01-05269. Country: Unknown

A U.S. Army target missile, or drone, is fired from McGregor Range. The Roving Sands exercise, conducted annually in the southwest portion of the United States is the largest air defense exercise in the free world. Subject Operation/Series: ROVING SANDS '95 Base: White Sands Missile Test Range State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A view of an RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile being launched from the amphibious assault ship USS NASSAU (LHA-4). Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)

051117-O-0000X-003. Complete Scene Caption: A US Navy (USN) Standard Missile Three (SM-3) is launched from the vertical launch system (VLS) aboard the Pearl Harbor based Ticonderoga Class Guided Missile Cruiser USS LAKE ERIE (CG 70), during a joint Missile Defense Agency, USN ballistic missile flight test. Minutes later, the SM-3 intercepted a separating ballistic missile threat target, launched form the Pacific Missile Range Facility, Barking Sands, Kauai, Hawaii. The test was the sixth intercept, in seven flight tests, by the AEGIS (Airborne Early-Warning Ground-Environmental Integration Segment) Ballistic Missile Defense, the maritime component of the "Hit to Kill" Ballistic Missile Defense System, being developed by the Missile Defense Agency. All previous AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense flight tests were against unitary (non-separating) targets. Base: USS Lake Erie (CG 70) Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

A view of a BGM-109 Tomahawk missile in flight during a land attack conventional missile operation test near the Pacific Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, California. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

DF-SC-86-12609. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

WATERS NEAR GUAM (Sept. 18, 2016) The amphibious transport dock ship USS Green Bay (LPD 20) launches a rolling airframe missile (RAM) for a live-fire exercise during Valiant Shield 2016. Valiant Shield 2016 is a biennial, U.S.-only, field training exercise (FTX) with a focus on integration of joint training among U.S. forces. Green Bay, part of the Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group with embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, is participating in Valiant Shield in an effort to increase naval integration and joint capabilities in the event of conflict, contingency, or disaster relief.

The Mark 16 Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) in Mount 21 aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72) is fired during a test. Country: Caribbean Sea

140915-N-UF697-087 WATERS NEAR GUAM (Sept. 15, 2014) A Harpoon missile is launched from the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Shiloh (CG 67) during a live-fire exercise. Shiloh is on patrol with the George Washington Carrier Strike Group supporting security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

041206-N-9480C-047. Country: Gulf Of Mexico

ATLANTIC OCEAN (May 26, 2021) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Ignatius (DDG 117) launches an SM-3 during a live-fire exercise during exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield, May 26, 2021. Exercise At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield, conducted by Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO on behalf of U.S. 6th Fleet, is a live-fire integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) exercise that improves Allied interoperability using NATO command and control reporting structures.

PACIFIC OCEAN (Oct. 25, 2012) The guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) launches a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) as apart of a joint ballistic missile defense exercise. Americas Sailors are Warfighters, a fast and flexible force deployed worldwide. Join the conversation on social media using #warfighting.

DN-SD-92-08690. Country: Pacific Ocean(POC)

A plane captain checks the tie down chains of an F-14A Tomcat aircraft aboard the aircraft carrier USS JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV 67). Base: USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) Country: Atlantic Ocean (AOC)

USS Lake Erie Launching Missile

Copy image of BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile from its Mark 143 Armored Box Launcher (ABL) aboard a destroyer. Country: Unknown

060730-N-8977L-011. Base: Sps Canarias (F 86) State: Unitas Country: Chile (CHL)

020604-N-2970T-002. Base: USS Essex (LHD 2)

The California class cruiser USS CALIFORNIA (CGN-36) launches a missile skyward toward a target two miles away during exercise RIMPAC 98. Subject Operation/Series: RIMPAC '98 Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

Tomahawk missile fired from a warship

1960s 1963 PERSHING MISSLE FIRED AT BLACK MESA FORT SILL NEAR BLANDING OKLAHOMA USA

030312-F-9528H-004. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Country: Unknown

A bow view of the destroyer USS CARON (DD-970) as an RIM-2 Terrier surface-to-air missile is fired from the guided-missile destroyer USS FARRAGUT (DDG-37) underway behind the CARON. Country: Mediterranean Sea (MED)

A Rolling-Airframe-Missile (RAM) is test fired from the starboard quarter launcher of the amphibious assault ship USS NASSAU (LHA-4) off the coast of Puerto Rico. The NASSAU is the first Atlantic Fleet LHA to be equipped with and fire the new system. Country: Caribbean Sea

Hawk rockets on a launcher. The Hawk was developed for intercepting aircraft at low height, and was completely mobile.3e group of led weapons in Blomberg.

ARABIAN GULF (Sept. 16, 2018) A MK-60 Griffin surface-to-surface missile is launched from the coastal patrol ship USS Thunderbolt (PC 12). Ships attached to U.S. 5th Fleet's Task Force 55 are conducting missile and naval gun exercises against high speed maneuvering targets to advance their ability to defend minesweepers and other coastal patrol ships. U.S. 5th Fleet and coalition assets are participating in numerous exercises as part of the greater Theater Counter Mine and Maritime Security Exercise to ensure maritime stability and security in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.

051116-N-7241L-001. Country: Persian Gulf

The M860A1 Patriot semitrailer launcher platform and missile cannister manned by soldiers of Alpha 5-52, Air Defense Artillery Brigade, Fort Bliss, Texas is set up and ready for a simulated launch. The Patriot missile system will be used by the Blue Forces to defend against the Red Forces' air attacks during this, the world's largest joint service, multi-national tactical air operations exercise. Subject Operation/Series: ROVING SANDS '97 Base: Mcgregor Range State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

120321-N-QL471-059 ATLANTIC OCEAN (March 21, 2012) A Standard Missile (SM 2) is fired from a launcher during a live-fire exercise aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 58). Oscar Austin is participating in a group sail with the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group and six other ships in the Atlantic Ocean.

U.S. Marines assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Task Force Los Angeles, observe a missing man formation during a Memorial Day ceremony at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, as part of Los Angeles Fleet Week, May 30, 2022. The purpose of Fleet Week is to showcase the capabilities of the Navy-Marine Corps team and give back to the community with events, static displays, and personal interactions between service members and the public.

DF-ST-86-11229. Base: Mercury State: Nevada (NV) Country: United States Of America (USA)

ARABIAN SEA (Jan. 14, 2020) The guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) fires its forward Mark 45 mod 4 5-inch gun during a live-fire exercise. The Normandy is part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific Ocean through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.

IWAKUNI, Japan (Aug. 29, 2017) Service members with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), 2nd Air Defense Missile Group, set up the MIM-104 Patriot Missile System during Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) deployment training at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. PAC-3 is a surface-to-air missile defense system, which provides a highly reactive hit-to-kill capability in both range and altitude while operating in all environments. This training displays the strength of the U.S.-Japan alliance and demonstrates the JASDFs ability to rapidly deploy multiple defense assets to U.S. military installations across Japan.

A 2,700-pound projectile is fired from the barrel of a forward 16-inch gun aboard the battleship USS IOWA (BB 61) during sea trials off the coast of Mississippi. The battleship is scheduled to be recommissioned into the fleet on April 28, 1984, after completion of modernization/reactivation construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding, Pascagoula, Mississippi. Country: Gulf Of Mexico

DM-ST-88-09232. Base: Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma State: Arizona (AZ) Country: United States Of America (USA)

060308-N-0000X-001. Country: Pacific Ocean (POC) Scene Major Command Shown: CG-70 missile launch

Intercontinental ballistic missiles are positioned in a static display at the base's main gate. They include, from foreground: the LGM-118A Peacekeeper, LGM-30G Minuteman III and LGM-30F Minuteman II. Base: Francis E. Warren Air Force Base State: Wyoming (WY) Country: United States Of America (USA)

"Ground-to-ground" missiles, a new type of artillery, already have a 50-mile range. January 21, 1951. (Photo by Look Magazine).

S 200 WEGA, NVA air defence system 1982 to 1990, Bundeswehr Air Force 1982 to 1990, Cold War, Berlin, Germany, Europe

Two GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munitions are laid out in preparation to load onto an F-15E Strike Eagle assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing at Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, Sept. 7, 2022. The 48th Fighter Wing participated in exercise Atlantic Thunder, a joint bilateral exercise aimed to neutralize surface maritime threats while demonstrating the flexibility of the joint force.

Launch of a missile from a warship, Standard Missile-3, USS Lake Erie (CG 70), US Navy

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 23, 2013) A close-in weapons system (CIWS) fires from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) during live-fire drills. Harry S. Truman is underway conducting a composite training unit exercise in preparation for its upcoming deployment.

DN-ST-85-05387. Base: USS Iowa (BB 61) Country: Pacific Ocean (POC)

Launch of a missile from a warship, Standard Missile-3, USS Lake Erie (CG 70), US Navy

The US Army launches a Pershing II battlefield support missile on a long-range flight down the Eastern Test Range at 10:06 a.m. EST. This is the forth test flight in the Pershing II engineering and development program and the third flight from Cape Canaveral. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

AN air-to-air view of an F-15 Eagle aircraft firing an AIM-7 Sparrow missile. State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

DF-SC-85-12089. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Five-hundred pound bombs and Mark 20 thermal cluster bombs are positioned on Aero 12C bomb carts in the hangar bay of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN 72). Base: USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)

Live AIM-120 AMRAAM missile on a F-16 jet.

Missiles And Fighter Jets On Display At The Military Museum In The Citadel Of Cairo, Al Qahirah, Egypt

DA-SC-89-11648. Base: White Sands Missile Range State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Anti Dictatorship Sculpture.

France, Pas de Calais, Eperlecques, Le Blockhaus de Eperlecques, WWII German V2 rocket bunker, interior with replica of V2 rocket.

SAN DIEGO (July 12, 2020) A helicopter from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 3 combats a fire aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6). On the morning of July 12, a fire was called away aboard the ship while it was moored pier side at Naval Base San Diego. Base and shipboard firefighters responded to the fire. Bonhomme Richard is going through a maintenance availability, which began in 2018.

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to Baker Battery, 3rd Battalion, 321st Field Artillery Regiment (3-321 FAR), 18th Field Artillery Brigade, fires a Reduced-Range Practice Rocket (RRPR) from an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during a Latvian-led field artillery live fire exercise, NAMEJS, at Liepāja, Latvia, Sept. 27, 2022. The 3-321 FAR is among other units assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, proudly working alongside NATO allies and regional security partners to provide combat-credible forces to V Corps, America's forward deployed corps in Europe.

DA-ST-91-03818. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT SHIELD Country: Saudi Arabia (SAU)

The US Army launches a Pershing II battlefield support missile on a long-range flight down the Eastern Test Range at 10:48 a.m. EDT. This is the eleventh test flight of the Pershing II engineering development program and the sixth flight from Cape Canaver. Base: Cape Canaveral Air Force Station State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

220519-N-LY692-1021 PACIFIC OCEAN (May 19, 2022) Aviation Structural Mechanic (Safety Equipment) 2nd Class Hunter Lee, from West Manchester, Ohio, performs maintenance on an F/A-18E Super Hornet, from the Blue Diamonds" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 146, in the hangar bay of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68). Nimitz is underway in the U.S. 3rd Fleet area of operations.

An inert GBU-15 (V) cruciform wing modular guided bomb. Base: Holloman Air Force Base State: New Mexico (NM) Country: United States Of America (USA)

040109-F-7597G-001. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: AFSPC

BUK surface-to-air missile system, the same type of missile was used to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 17, 2014

U.S. Marines with Sierra Battery, 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, fire Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Sytems from M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during Exercise DESERT SCIMITAR 2014 aboard Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Calif., May 18, 2014. Exercise DESERT SCIMITAR 2014 was a 1st Marine Division exercise held to test and refine its command and control capabilities by acting as the headquarters element for a forward deployed Marine Expeditionary Force simultaneously offering units the opportunity to hone their conventional war fighting skills.

The 2000-pound GBU-23 Paveway III low-level laser-guided bomb. Base: Eglin Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

The three Mark 7 16-inch/50-caliber gun turrets of the battleship USS IOWA (BB-61) are fired during a main battery firing exercise. Country: Caribbean Sea

An M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System fires from the Smardan Training Area, located in Galati County, Western Moldavia, Romania, Jan. 17, 2024. The Reduced Range Practice Rockets were fired by the Romanian 8th Field Artillery Brigade, and supported by U.S. Army 4th Battalion, 4th Security Forces Assistance Brigade, attached to Task Force 82. The artillery exercise afforded the artillery crew members the opportunity to conduct fire missions on the HIMARS to increase readiness and proficiency on the combat platform.

050218-N-7512V-001. Base: USS Cowpens (CG 63)

A U.S. Army M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, from 3rd Battalion, 321 Field Artillery Regiment, attached to 41st Field Artillery Brigade, fires a rocket as part of Nordic Strike 22, at Vidsel Test Range, Sweden, Sept. 27, 2022. U.S. Army Europe and Africa possesses the organic ability to integrate these long-range precision fires rapidly, with partner nations, during exercises, like Nordic Strike 22, and potential conflict to deliver scalable joint fires in support of U.S. and partner nations operations anywhere in Europe, Africa and beyond.

DF-ST-85-08324. Country: Caribbean Sea

020211-F-3939J-003. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: AFSPC

DF-SC-86-09148. Base: Patrick Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A Ballistic Aerial Target System (BATS) missile is launched during Marine Corps target operations. Base: Twentynine Palms State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Early British air-to-air missile used by Supermarine Swift F MK 7. Dated 20th Century

High angle view of the launch of a cruise missile at night, Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), US Navy

Corps Marines against air goals Peloton (TLP) practices with the stinger shooting in Wales.

The first US test of a captured German V2, 1946. At the end of the war, a race began between the United States and the USSR to retrieve as many V2 rockets and staff as possible.

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