A U.S. Air Force Thunderbird makes a minimum radius turn at the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach, California.
Credit: Erik Kuna/Oldsmar, Florida
An F-35A Lightning II, piloted by demo pilot Maj. Kristin “Beo” Wolfe at Sun ’n Fun Aerospace Expo 2023 in Lakeland, Florida, flies against a rosy background. This photo, captured from the air traffic control tower during a military demonstration around sunset, blends precision, power and poetry.
Credit: Fred Taleghani/Palo Alto, California
An F-16D bursts through smoke from a previous pass to create a unique trail in the shape of the aircraft behind it. The flight was part of an airfield assault demonstration during the 2022 open house at Edwards AFB, California.
Credit: Avichai Socher/Givat Shmuel, Israel
Blackhawks are designed for the field. When this Israeli Air Force “Yanshuf” lands, its rotor wash causes dirt and grass from the field to fly up into the air.
Credit: Kris Christiaens/Temse, Belgium
This black-and-white photo captures a high-speed pass by a U.S. Air Force F-35 Lightning II.
Credit: Jose Ramos/Lakeland, Florida
U.S. Navy Capt. (ret.) Ken Ham and Scott Glaser of Tactical Air Support arrive at Edwards AFB, California, to test the infrared search-and-track sensor on the F-5AT Advanced Tiger with partners General Atomics, General Dynamics and Lockheed Martin in November 2022.
Credit: Jared van Bergen/Centurion, South Africa
After a masterful display of its flying capabilities, the South African Air Force (SAAF) Denel Rooivalk attack helicopter ends its display with a flare dump in the quickly fading late afternoon light, much to the amazement of showgoers. A malfunction of the flare pods on the right side of the helicopter presented this unique spectacle. This image was captured during the SAAF Museum Airshow at Air Force Base Swarktop in Pretoria, South Africa.
Credit: Johnson Barros/Brasilia, Brazil
R-99 Guardians are the eyes in the sky that see everything on the ground. Nothing hides, whether between trees or underwater. Here, one of the modified Embraer ERJ145s flies over Lake Corumba in central Brazil.
Credit: Marty Wolin/Moreno Valley, California
A U.S. Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 Thunderbird at the Pacific Airshow streaks over the Huntington Beach Pier in California.
Credit: Arnab Bhaduri/Sunnyvale, California
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds perform at the Salinas International Air Show in Salinas, California, on Oct. 8.
Credit: James Reeder/Palmdale, California
The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds create a perfect “X” during the crossover break at the Pacific Airshow in Huntington Beach.
Whether they are on training missions or performing in air shows, photographers in the air and on the ground captured the high-energy flying of combat aircraft.
