The F-35 Adir in demonstration during the Israeli Air Force flight academy graduation ceremony.
Touching The Sound Barrier
Andreas Zeitler, Manching, Germany
An F/A-18E Super Hornet forms a perfect vapor cone as it performs its high-speed pass at the Wings Over Houston Airshow.
Summer Dogfight
Avichai Socher, Givat Shmuel, Israel
High in the sky above the Negev Desert, two F-16C jets are trying to sit on each other's tail. The chase aircraft is so close, it is hiding in the other's jet stream.
2017 Eclipse
Brendan Stickles, Anacortes, Washington
An EA-18G Growler crewmember's visor reflection captures part of the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse off the Oregon coast.
F-16 Versus Pelecaniformes
Hezi Shmueli, Ramat-Gan, Israel
As waterbirds fly south to Africa for the winter, they cross paths with an Israeli F-16I Sufa from 119 (Bat) Sqdn. over the Negev Desert.
Out With The Old, In With The New...
James Haseltine, Omaha, Nebraska
A QF-4 flies in formation with a QF-16 from the U.S. Air Force's 82nd Aerial Targets Sqdn. Detachment 1 over the White Sands range near Holloman AFB, New Mexico. This was the last mission for the unit's QF-4s.
Dusk Patrol
Jay Selman, Charlotte, North Carolina
A pair of Nanchang CJ-6s fly over Georgia at sunset.
Pointing To The Core
Avichai Socher, Givat Shmuel, Israel
The day is over, and this Israeli F-16I sits beneath the Milky Way galaxy, pointing toward its core.
Fuji Fly-By
Joshua Thompson, Springfield, Virginia
While attached to U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Sqdn. 195 (VFA-195 "Dambusters"), I flew my F/A-18C Hornet past Mount Fuji during a training flight from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. This shot resulted from good timing, steady hands—and some good old-fashioned luck!
The Warthog Arrives
Katie Yoder, Hagerstown, Maryland
An A-10 Thunderbolt II arrives at Hagerstown Regional Airport in Maryland in September 2017.
Yak Takeoff
Kirill Gorelov, Moscow, Russia
A Yakovlev Yak-130 trainer takes off.
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me
Avichai Socher, Givat Shmuel, Israel
Having returned from an evening sortie, an F-16I Sufa awaits the sunset.
Air Bender
Mark Krause, San Diego, California
An F-35 pushes vapor in the skies over Chino, California.
Dancers Play Near MiG-29
Ognyan Stefanov, Sofia, Bulgaria
Traditional Bulgarian dancers cavort by a Bulgarian Air Force Mikoyan MiG-29.
Total Solar Eclipse, Shaw AFB, South Carolina
Michael Seeley, Melbourne, Florida
Two F-16 Fighting Falcons from the U.S. Air Force's F-16 Viper Demonstration Team are parked at the end of the runway at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, during the total solar eclipse of Aug. 21, 2017.
Show Day
Michael Tessler, Danville, California
An F-15, F-18 and MiG-15 stand ready at the beginning of the California Capital Airshow at Sacramento's Mather Airport.
Light My Fire!
Avichai Socher, Givat Shmuel, Israel
The jet stream of an F-16I is highlighted by the Sun, which is positioned low over the Negev Desert.
AV-8B Harriers Over The Atlantic
Scott Youmans, Phoenix
Two Harriers from U.S. Marine Attack Sqdn. 223 (VMA-223) fly over the Atlantic Ocean off the North Carolina Coast on June 8, 2017. This photo was taken from the open ramp of a KC-130J Hercules from Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Sqdn. 252 (VMGR-252).
Bulgarian Air Force Pilot and MiG-29
Ognyan Stefanov, Sofia, Bulgaria
A Bulgarian Air Force pilot prepares for a training mission with a fully armed Mikoyan MiG-29 at Graf Ignatievo Air Base.
Alpine Flares After Sunset
Peter Lewis, Bruthen, Switzerland
A Swiss Air Force F-5E Tiger II breaks over the Bernese Alps as it fires flares. This photo was judged Best of the Best in this year's Aviation Week Photo Contest.
U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-22A Raptor (07-4151)
Philip Hosking, Modbury North, Australia
At the 2017 Avalon International Airshow in Victoria, Australia, three F-22 Raptors either performed or were on static display (aircraft 07-4151, 07-4139 and the older 05-4090). Here an F-22 performs an aerial-handling display. Ideal conditions allow sunlight to refract through vapor forming over the wings.
Silent Lightning Beneath A Glorious Galaxy
Avichai Socher, Givat Shmuel, Israel
This F-16C Barak from the Israeli Air Force's 115 (Flying Dragon) Sqdn. rests for the night beneath the full arch of the Milky Way.
VMA-223 Over The East Coast At Sundown
Scott Youmans, Phoenix, Arizona
Two AV-8B Harriers from VMA-223 (Bulldogs) overfly North Carolina's Atlantic coast on June 8, 2017.
Rafales at Sanicole
Rastislav Margus, Bratislava, Slovakia
A Dassault Rafale C and a Rafale B of the French Armee de l'Air, serial Nos. 133 (4-GL) and 317 (4-HO), appear at Belgium's International Sanicole Airshow 2017.
F-22 Over Salinas
Roy Prasad, Los Gatos, California
An F-22 Raptor performs Sept. 30, 2017, at the California International Airshow Salinas.
The Lightning Strikes Back Part 2
Scott Stephens, Meridian, Mississippi
A U.S. Navy T-45 from NAS Meridian, Mississippi, weathers a night of multiple storms on July 28, 2017 near the Air National Guard base at Key Field.
Bulgarian Traditional Dancers And MiG-29
Ognyan Stefanov, Sofia, Bulgaria
A Bulgarian Air Force Mikoyan MiG-29 serves as an atypical backdrop for a group of folk dancers.
AV-8B Harrier Of VMA-223 Sqdn.
Scott Youmans, Phoenix
An AV-8B Harrier from VMA-223 Sqdn. (Bulldogs) flies off the North Carolina coast. Taken from the open ramp of a VMGR-252 KC-130J on June 8, 2017.
Stealth Cloud
Steve Bigg, Georgetown, Ontario
An F-22 Raptor demonstration-team jet enters the "self-generated cloud" low-observable state as it reaches transonic flight speeds June 24, 2017, at the Bagotville International Air Show at the Royal Canadian Air Force's 3 Wing in Bagotville, Quebec.
Golden Eagle
Yissachar Ruas, Bet Shemesh, Israel
The Israeli Air Force's newly acquired F-35A Adir, which belongs to the 140 (Golden Eagle) Sqdn., turns and burns during the twilight "golden hour" of the IAF cadet graduation ceremony at Hatzerim Airbase.
VMA-223 Sqdn. Aircraft And Moonrise Over The Atlantic Ocean
Scott Youmans, Phoenix
Two AV-8B Harriers from VMA-223 Sqdn. (Bulldogs) photographed over the Atlantic Ocean off North Carolina on June 8, 2017.
Front-line fighters from many nations push the envelope as only they can, tickling the sound barrier and staging mock dogfights. They even look fast standing still.
Descriptions of photos are provided by the photographers. Although we make corrections when possible, we are unable to verify every detail provided with the photos or to research photo subjects.
