U.S Airforce I

An A-10 Thunderbolt II takes off at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 25, 2012. The A-10’s capabilities allow it to conduct operations in locations in and out of front line combat. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Raymond Geoffroy)

F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter crew chief Staff Sgt. Darron Cothran (left) and a Lockheed Maintainer from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., pull the wheel chalks on the jet before taking off for a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)

A B1-B Lancer aircraft takes off at night toward the Las Vegas Strip during exercise Green Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., Oct. 30, 2012. The aircraft is assigned to the 34th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota. (U.S. Air Force photo/Val Gempis)

A B-1B Lancer approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker after being refueled during the Green Flag-West 13-2 exercise Nov. 4, 2012 over Nevada. A typical Green Flag exercise involves two multi-role fighter and/or bomber squadrons, unmanned aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and aerial refueling aircraft. The B1B Lancer is from the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and the KC-135 Stratotanker is from the 350th Air Refueling Squadron at McConnell AFB, Kan. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Christopher Hubenthal)

F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter maintainers from the 58th Aircraft Maintenance Unit at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., preflight the jet before taking off for a local training mission over the Emerald Coast Sept. 18, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)

An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies off the wing of a KC-135 Stratotanker during a coronet mission over Egypt, Oct. 12, 2012. The A-10 is from the Arkansas Air National Guard’s 188th Fighter Wing and the KC-135 is from 100th Air Refueling Wing at Royal Air Force Mildenhall, England. A coronet is when an aerial refueling tanker escorts fighters over long distances, regularly topping off their fuel tanks along the way. The 188th FW aircrew was returning home from a deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Austin M. May)

Three A-10 Thunderbolt II fly in the missing man formation during the funeral of Col. Wendell Keller, of Fargo, N.D., and Capt.Virgil K. Meroney, of Fayetteville, Ark., at the Arlington National Cemetery Oct. 20, 2012. March 1, 1969, Keller and Meroney were the crew of an F-4D Phantom II aircraft that went down while carrying out a night time strike mission in Khammouan Province, Laos. Nearby aircrews reported seeing the aircraft hit by enemy fire. No parachutes were seen after the aircraft was hit. Heavy enemy presence in the area prevented recovery efforts. Between 1994 to 2011, the (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Cecilio Ricardo)

An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter conventional takeoff and landing aircraft completed the first in-flight weapons release of a 2,000 pound GBU-31 BLU-109 Joint Direct Attack Munitions from a 5th Generation fighter, Oct. 16, 2012. (Courtesy photo)

Airmen from the 3rd Wing and 477th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron perform a hot-pit refuel with an F-22 Raptor at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. During a hot-pit refuel, the pilot will stay in the cockpit with the jet running while the maintenance crews perform safety checks and refuel the aircraft allowing it to return to flight in less than 30 minutes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Dana Rosso)

An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., flies over the Emerald Coast Sept. 19, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)

An F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter from the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and an F-22A Raptor from the 43rd Fighter Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., soar over the Emerald Coast Sept. 19, 2012. This was the first time the two fifth-generation fighters have flown together for the Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Jeremy T. Lock)

U-2 pilot looks outside while flying the aircraft. U-2 pilots wear full-pressure suits that ensure survivability during depressurization. (U.S. Air Force photo

Recent U.S Navy Photos

120821-N-ZT599-017 PACIFIC OCEAN (Aug. 21, 2012) An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Eagles of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 115 conducts an arrested landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) during carrier qualifications. George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Asia-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Brian H. Abel/Released)

120820-N-GC639-071 ARABIAN SEA (Aug. 20, 2012) An F/A-18F Super Hornet from the Jolly Rogers of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103 launches from the flight deck aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Navy Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan D. McLearnon/Released)

120808-O-GR159-003 NAVAL AIR STATION PATUXTENT RIVER, Md. (Aug. 8, 2012) F-35B test aircraft BF-3, flown by Lockheed Martin test pilot Dan Levin, completed the first aerial weapons release for any variant of the aircraft. BF-3 dropped an inert 1,000-pound GBU-32 Joint Direct Attack Munition over an Atlantic Ocean test range from an internal weapons bay. The F-35B is the variant of the Joint Strike Fighter designed for use by U.S. Marine Corps, as well as F-35 international partners in the United Kingdom and Italy. The F-35B is capable of short take-offs and vertical landings to enable air power projection from amphibious ships, ski-jump aircraft carriers and expeditionary airfields. The F-35B is undergoing test and evaluation at NAS Patuxent River, Md., and Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., before delivery to the fleet. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy Lockheed Martin/Andy Wolfe/Released)

120806-N-MH210-280 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 6, 2012) F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 fly in formation as MH-60S Seahawk helicopters assigned to the Golden Falcons of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 12 fire flares during an air power demonstration above the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln is returning to the United States after the completion of an eight-month change-of-homeport deployment during which it operated in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Zachary A. Anderson/Released)

120802-N-WD757-204 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 2, 2012) Helicopters fire flares as jets fly in formation above the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) during an air power demonstration. Lincoln is en route to the United States to complete an eight-month change-of-homeport deployment during which it operated in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Carlos M. Vazquez II/Released)

120806-N-HB951-216 ATLANTIC OCEAN (Aug. 6, 2012) An F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the Kestrels of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137 breaks the sound barrier during an air power demonstration above the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). Lincoln is returning to the United States after the completion of an eight-month change-of-homeport deployment during which it operated in the U.S. 5th, 6th and 7th Fleet areas of responsibility. (U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Phylicia A. Sorenson/Released)

120731-N-RI884-251 HAWAII (July 31, 2012) An A-10 Thunderbolt II Warthog aircraft flies over Hawaii as it follows a C17 Globemaster III during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 aerial exercises. Twenty-two nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel are participating in the biennial RIMPAC exercise from June 29 to Aug. 3, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world's largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a unique training opportunity that helps participants foster and sustain the cooperative relationships that are critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes and security on the world's oceans. RIMPAC 2012 is the 23rd exercise in the series that began in 1971. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Daniel Barker/Released)