Defense On the Ground 2016 Aviation Week Photo Contest Finalists
December 23, 2016
Top Gun
The legendary Top Gun-style picture.

Cue the Top Gun anthem
Navy instructor and student call it a day during weekend ops staged out of Key Field Airport in Meridian, Mississippi.

Green Hornets Passing Through
A pair of 20th SOS Ospreys drops by for a top-off at Key Field Airport in Meridian, Mississippi, on Nov. 5, 2015.

Staged For Fhe Weekend
A pair of T-45 Goshawks snooze under a low ceiling at at Key Field Airport in Meridian, Mississippi, on Dec. 13, 2015.

Fligh Test
Rafale waits for its next mission.

Strike Eagle Does Everything, Including Moonwalking
Israel Air Force Boeing F-15I Strike Eagle moonwalks back from a night sortie.

Full House
NASA Langley Research Center's hangar sheltered F-22 Raptors when Tropical Storm Hermine approached area.

Strike Eagle Diamond
Israel Air Force Boeing F-15I Strike Eagle is framed by a diamond reflection after taking cover from a rare thunderstorm at Hatzerim AB, Israel.

Scooter Sundown, Lion Cub Dawn
Israel Air Force Douglas A-4 Skyhawk sits on the tarmac after its final operational mission while its replacement, the Leonardo M-346 Master, is landing in the sunset at Hatzerim AB, Israel.

Night Hawk
BAE Systems Hawk T1 from 736 Naval Air Squadron is illuminated by a passing airport crash truck while displayed at Nightshoot XX on March 17 at RAF Northolt in West London.

Stars Of The Boneyard
Israel Air Force Douglas A-4 Skyhawk rests in the Negev Desert in Israel after a 48-year military combat career.

BuAF Su-25
Bulgarian Air Force Sukhoi Su-25 waits on the new runway at Bezmer, Bulgaria, minutes before sunset.

BuAF Pilot And MiG-29
Bulgarian Air Force pilot prepare for a training mission with a fully armed Mikoyan MiG-29 at Graf Ignatievo AB, Bulgaria.

Eagle's Beak
The Oregon Air National Guard's 75th anniversary jet takes center stage during the Oregon International Airshow fireworks display.

The 'Ace Maker' Ready For Demo
Gregory 'Wired' Colyer, the 'Ace Maker,' is ready to demonstrate his Shooting Star.

Black & White Hunter
1960s-era Mk.58 Hawker Hunter.

Embraer KC-390 Sunset I
Embraer KC-390 prototype on the ramp after a day of flight testing from Campo Grande Air Force Base, Brazil.

Ready To Carry Almost Anything
U.S. Air Force Lockheed C-5 Galaxy on display at EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Light Painted Inlets
U.S. Air Force KC-135 on the general aviation ramp in Milwaukee.

Fake Afterburner
Sunlight paints the afterburner on a Boeing F/A-18 on the general aviation ramp at Milwaukee
Winning Photos From 2016 Contest
Photo Contest Home Page: Winning Photos, Bios, More Galleries
Commercial Aircraft - 2016 Finalists
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 research photo subjects.