2021 Aviation Week Photo Contest Editors’ Picks: Defense

A Mil Mi-28n flies at the Russian Army’s Patriot Expo in August 2021.

One amazing aircraft seen during an airborne photography mission was this French E-2C Hawkeye made by Northrop Grumman, operating over Belgium.

The Brazilian Air Force’s Saab F-39E Gripen passes over the architectural landmarks of Brasília, including the Juscelino Kubitschek Bridge, named after the president who built the city.

Three Boeing Apache AH-64s from the Israeli Air Force’s 113 Sqdn. fly over the Dead Sea.

During the annual Swiss Air Force Axalp AirPower demo, a Boeing F/A-18C Hornet is about to bring some noise to the spectators standing in the main visitors’ area while flares from the fighter pass below its wing.

A Boeing C-17 from the U.S. Air Force 452nd Air Mobility Wing at March Air Reserve Base flies its final approach into Palmdale, California, looking as though it is emerging from a rainbow.

A Swiss Air Force F/A-18 Hornet is refueled over the North Sea by a Europe-based U.S. Air Force Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker.

The newest demonstation pilot and team leader for the A-10 Thunderbolt is Capt. Haden “Gator” Fullam. In March, Fullam and his predecessor from 2020, Maj. Cody “ShIV” Wilton, flew these two A-10 demo aircraft. They finished with the heritage break.

On the left of this photo—one of the most challenging I have ever taken—is a barrage of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip toward the Israeli city of Ashkelon. On the right are Iron Dome missiles launched to intercept them. It all is happening nearly above my head. Capturing the clashing rockets in the night sky is almost surreal!

Israeli Air Force Boeing F-15I technicians stand together with their aircraft under the hardened aircraft shelter, below the munition pylon on the wing and while wearing masks to protect them from COVID-19. The Israelis call their F-15s Ra’Am, which means “thunder.”

A crew from the U.S. Air Force 62nd Airlift Wing at Joint Base Lewis-McChord demonstrates the maneuvering capabilities of the Boeing C-17 as they make a low-level, visual-flight-rules transit through the wintry Cascade Mountains. Training activities like this help mobility crews develop the skills needed to successfully execute difficult missions, such as the Kabul airlift.