This weekend a look at your Air Force’s “flying machines,” the men and women who maintain them, load them, fly them, refuel them and who make sure they have a safe place to land.
Also, this weekend, a rare photo of a B-52 Stratofortress, a B-1B Lancer and a B-2 Spirit sitting beside one another on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Aug.10, 2016. It was the first time in history that all three of Air Force Global Strike Command’s strategic bombers were positioned to simultaneously conduct operations in the U.S. Pacific Command region. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Richard Ebensberger) (above)
Separately, the B-1 Lancer on the flightline at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Aug.10, 2016. This month, B-1s are replacing B-52s to support U.S. Pacific Command’s continuous bomber presence mission. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Richard Ebensberger
Another B-52 Stratofortress, from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., flies near the North Pole, July 31, 2016, during Polar Roar, a strategic deterrence exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Joshua King)
An F-16 Fighting Falcon departs after being refueled by a KC-135 Stratotanker during Sentry Savannah 16-3, Aug. 3, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Solomon Cook)
An F-22 Raptor, from the 43rd Fighter Squadron, takes off in Savannah, Ga., during Sentry Savannah 16-3, Aug. 2, 2016. The F-22 is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Solomon Cook)
A C-130H Hercules, from the 179th Airlift Wing at Mansfield Lahm Air National Guard Base, Ohio, takes off to perform an airdrop during exercise Slovak Warthog, July 27, 2016, at Sliac Air Base, Slovakia. Members of the U.S. and Slovak armed forces joined together for the exercise to demonstrate joint operations with a variety of aircraft. (U.S. Air National Guard photo/Staff Sgt. William Hopper)
A KC-46A Pegasus refuels a C-17 Globemaster III during a test flight July 12, 2016. (Boeing photo/Paul Weatherman)
F-35A Lightning II aircraft receive fuel from a KC-10 Extender from Travis Air Force Base, Calif., July 13, 2015, during a flight from England to the U.S. The fighters were returning to Luke AFB, Ariz., after participating in the world’s largest air show, the Royal International Air Tattoo. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Madelyn Brown)
Staff Sgt. Patrick Staunton and Senior Airmen Cameron Jones, 31st Maintenance Squadron phase inspection team members, participate in cargo preparation and pallet buildup training Aug. 8, 2016, at Aviano Air Base, Italy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Cory W. Bush)
Lt. Col. Wade Karren, the 11th Bomb Squadron commander, copilots a B-52 Stratofortress during a B-52 and B-1 Lancer integration flight June 15, 2016. Since Oct. 1, all of the Air Force’s bombers have been unified under Air Force Global Strike Command, which is now responsible for organizing, training and equipping all bomber Airmen. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Luke Hill)
Airmen from the 432nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron perform maintenance on an MQ-9 Reaper in preparation to support Red Flag 16-3 at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., July 20, 2016. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Kristan Campbell)
Master Sgt. Cassandra Doub, the 455th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron first sergeant, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Perna, a 455th ECES maintenance and equipment craftsman, secure AM-2 matting with a hammer at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Aug. 11, 2016. AM-2 matting is used to form runways, taxiways, parking and other areas required for aircraft operations and maintenance. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Justyn M. Freeman)
A combat controller watches as a C-17 Globemaster III, assigned to the 17th Weapons Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., lands on an airstrip in the Nevada Test and Training Range during a joint forcible entry exercise June 16, 2016. The exercise demonstrated the Air Force’s ability to tactically deliver and recover combat forces via air drops and combat landings in a contested environment. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Kevin Tanenbaum)
Have a great weekend!
All photos and captions: U.S. Air Force
