Defense: Rotary Wing Finalists — 2018 Photo Contest

Soldiers from Germany's special operations forces sit in the downwash as they undergo training boarding a Luftwaffe Airbus H145M helicopter.

Landing in the middle of nowhere in the Negev desert and left alone for hours, I managed to capture the circling stars above the blades of an Israeli Air Force (IAF) Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.

The IAF Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk "Yanshuf" hovers above the light snow on Mount Hermon, where wheeled travelers left silent tracks. This photo was taken from a second Black Hawk flying above.

Super Puma

The "Faro de Maspalomas" lighthouse at Gran Canaria, home base of the Spanish Air Force 802 Sqdn., which has a search-and-rescue mission, provides a special backdrop for one of the unit's Airbus AS 332B1 helicopters.

This Dutch Texan PH-TXN sports the livery of the Harvards that were flown in 1965-71 by the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service. That service became part of the Air Force's Helicopter Command.  One of the NH90s now serving on board Royal Netherlands Navy vessels is is the background.

U.S. Marine Corps helicopters, evacuated from the North Carolina coast ahead of Hurricane Florence, wait out the storm in Tennessee at the Knoxville Downtown Island Airport.

A former Bulgarian Air Force Mi-24D Hind rises through a self-made dust storm at Nellis AFB, Nevada.

A U.S. Marine Corps helicopter peacefully waits out Hurricane Florence at Knoxville Downtown Island Airport in Tennessee.

On Oct. 5, 2018, a U.S. Coast Guard HH-65 performs a search-and-rescue demonstration at San Francisco's Fleet Week Air Show.

An Israeli Air Force S-65 "Yasur 2025" flies overhead during a payload training mission while two female loadmasters check their selfie status.