Dropping bombs

An F-15E Strike Eagle from the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C., drops a Guided Bomb Unit 31 during a Combat Hammer mission over the Eglin Air Force Base Range during the week of March 16. Combat Hammer is also known as a Weapons System Evaluation Program for air-to-ground weapons. The 83rd Fighter Weapons Squadron executes the 'Hammer' missions by evaluating the entire weapons process from loading to flight to the target. Flying squadrons 'deploy' to Eglin for the week-long evaluation. Courtesy photo.

HERITAGE FLIGHT

Capt. Sam Joplin flies the West Coast Demonstration team’s F-15 Eagle in a three-ship heritage formation over ‘show center’ with a TF-51 Mustang and an F-86 Sabre. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Bryan Jones)

Test pilots

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - An F-16 from the 40th Flight Test Squadron is shown flying a test mission. The 40th FLTS pilots fly developmental test missions in F-15s, F-16s, A-10Cs and UH-1 helicopters. (U.S. Air Force photo/40th Flight Test Squadron)

Test pilots

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - An F-15 from Eglin's 40th Flight Test Squadron flies a test mission. The 40th FLTS pilots fly developmental test missions in F-15s, F-16s, A-10Cs and UH-1 helicopters. (U.S. Air Force photo/40th Flight Test Squadron)

Base extends hand to tankers

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Senior Airman Zachery Belcher, 380th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution operator brings out a fuel hose for refueling of a KC-135 Stratotanker as crew members perform pre-flight inspections, Jan 27. Airman Belcher was one piece of the bases effort to recover and turn several KC-135's after they were diverted from their original destination. Airman Belcher is deployed from Eglin AFB, Fla. and hails from Linclon, Ala. (U.S. Air Force photo by Captain Jennifer Pearson) (Released)

Base extends hand to tankers

SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Senior Airman Zachery Belcher, 380th Logistics Readiness Squadron fuels distribution operator connects a grounding cable as crew members perform pre-flight inspections on a KC-135 Statotanker, Jan 27. Airman Belcher was one piece of the bases effort to recover and turn several KC-135's after they were diverted from their original destination. Airman Belcher is deployed from Eglin AFB, Fla. and hails from Linclon, Ala. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brian J. Ellis) (Released)

F-35 Lightning II

An F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter takes off from a Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas, for an initial flight as part of system development testing. (Courtesy photo)

Airpower summary: Reapers target enemy forces

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aircraft prepares to land after a mission in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. The Reaper has the ability to carry both precision-guided bombs and air-to-ground missiles. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian Ferguson)

A-10C LJDAM drop

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Maj. Matthew Domsalla, 40th FLTS A-10C pilot, flies the Warthog back to Eglin after successfully completing a historic mission. Major Domsalla tested the first ever integration and release of a GBU-54, or Laser Joint Direct Attack Muntion off the A-10C platform. (US Air Force photo/ Master Sgt. Joy Josephson)

A-10C LJDAM drop

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Maj. Matthew Domsalla, 40th FLTS A-10C pilot, makes the first ever drop of the GBU-54, or Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition, off the Warthog. This test proved a successful integration of the munition with the A-10, allowing for an outstanding precision targeting capability that will help the Air Force continue to provide precision engagement. (US Air Force photo/ Master Sgt. Joy Josephson)

Adopt A Plane

Master Sgt. Craig Sargent, 46th Maintenance Squadron, cuts a peice of metal down to size to replace a broken ladder on a static display at the Air Force Air Armament Museum as part of the Adopt-a-Plane initiaive. The initiative is a volunteer project aimed restoring and preserving Air Force history displayed at the museum. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Stacia Zachary)

Adopt A Plane

(Left to right) Staff Sgts. Emmanuel Smith and Benjamin Dartez, 46th Maintenance Squadron, scrub dirt, grim and rust off of a static MACE display at the Air Force Air Armament Museum as part of the Adopt-a-Plane initiative. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Stacia Zachary)

Seeing red

JOINT BASE BALAD, Iraq -- An MQ-9 Reaper waits out a haboob beneath a shelter here Sept. 8. Haboobs are sandstorms that result from the collapse of thunderstorm cells. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jason Epley)

A-10C V-STAR

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- David Senter, 46th Seek Eagle equipment specialist, places reflective dots on the A-10C Thunderbolt II frame which will later be photographed using a handheld camera. Using V-STAR, or Virtual Surveillance Target Attack Radar System, technology, the system will generate a three-dimentional image of the aircraft. This will help engineers outfit the A-10 for smart weapons. This is the first time the A-10 has been digitally recorded. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Stacia Zachary)

F-15E Training Mission

An F-15E from the 40th Flight Squadron at Eglin flies over Destin during a training mission.

F-15E Training Mission

An F-15E from the 40th Flight Squadron at Eglin flies over Destin during a training mission.

NTC o8-o6

An Army CH-47 Chinook helicopter prepares to land as part of the training that integrated a variety of joint assets during NTC rotation 08-06 at Ft. Irwin, Calif. (Photo by Casey Bain)

MQ-9 Reaper drops first GPS-guided weapon

The first live release of a Global Positioning System guided bomb unit-49 weapon from an MQ-9 Reaper took place May 13 at the Naval Air Warfare Center's Weapons Division at China Lake, Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Museum reoopens

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- Valerie Gardner and her son, Justin, look at displays at the Air Force Armament Museum. The museum reopened to the general public May 2. (USAF photo by Lois Walsh)

Women's History Month

Col Paul Tibbets with Dorothea Johnson and Dora Dougherty, Women's Air Service pilots with B-29 crew at Eglin Army Air Field, Fla. On Aug. 6, 1945, Colonel Tibbetts piloted the B-29 "Enola Gay" off a runway at Tinian Island. The aircraft carried the world's first atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima. (Army Air Force photo from Texas Women's University)

13 WSEP

WSEP

13 WSEP

Capt. Michael Schmidt, 13th Fighter Squadron, Misawa, Japan, fires an AGM-65h Maverick air-to-surface missile while participating here for Weapon System Evaluation Program, commonly known as Combat Hammer. The WSEP program, run by the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group, is used to evaluate the effectiveness and suitability of combat air force weapon systems. The evaluations are accomplished during tactical deliveries of fighter, bomber and unmanned aerial system precision guided munitions, on realistic targets with air-to-air and surface-to-air defenses. For many of the aircrew participating in WSEP, it is the first time employing live weapons. This provides a level of combat experience many units face during combat. (U.S. Air Force photo)

McKinley Climatic Laboratory

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The C-5M Super Galaxy undergoes extreme heat and ultraviolet exposure during the Re-engining and Reliability Program at the McKinley Climactic Laboratory Oct. 21 through Nov. 17. Some of the unique challenges the laboratory crew faced was getting the C-5M inside the hangar. Another deviation from normal loading procedures was building the solar panels after the aircraft was loaded. This required special crews and crane systems to mount more than 90 solar panels to accurately simulate solar radiation during the extreme heat segment of the testing. (Photo by Wendell Rowan)

McKinley Climatic Laboratory

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. -- The C-5M Super Galaxy undergoes extreme heat and ultraviolet exposure during the Re-engining and Reliability Program at the McKinley Climactic Laboratory Oct. 21 through Nov. 17. Some of the unique challenges the laboratory crew faced was getting the C-5M inside the hangar. Some of the hangar piping hung lower than the C-5 tail creating an obstacle for the crew moving it inside the hangar. They needed to lower the tail-end of the airplane within inches of touching the ground and jacked up the front-end in order to get the right leverage. Because the airplane's size, the solar panels had to be constructed after the C-5 was loaded rather than have everything pre-constructed. (Photo by Greg Murry)