Defense: Tanker And Transport Finalists — 2018 Photo Contest

A U.S. Navy E-2C Hawkeye is seen in the California night under fireworks at NAS El Centro.

An Embraer KC-390 prototype sits on the ramp at sunset.

An aircrew member from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii, communicates with the pilots onboard an HC-130 during pre-flight startup.

A German Navy Pollution Control Dornier 228NG is returning home after a visit to the airshow on the island of Texel; the many colors of the Wadden Sea provide a striking background.

This HC-130 is part of the 920th Rescue Wing at Patrick AFB, Florida. On close observation, you can see that the cargo ramp is down. I was in my backyard trying to shoot the 89%-illuminated waxing gibbous Moon through the trees when this aircraft came into view.

Taken off the North Carolina Coast during a formation training flight on March 22, 2018, these Lockheed Martin KC-130J Hercules were photographed to document and celebrate the 90th Anniversary of U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Refueler Transport Sqdn. VMGR-252. It  is the oldest continuously active squadron in the Marine Corps and is based at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina.

A Lockheed Martin KC-130J Hercules from the U.S. Marine Corps Aerial Refueler Transport Sqdn. VMGR-252 launches flares off the North Carolina Coast during a formation training flight on May 31.

A Boeing E-4B seen at the Capital Airshow 2018, Mather Airport, Sacramento, California. The  E-4B, based on a former Boeing 747-200B, serves as the advanced airborne command post.

A pair of U.S. Marine Corps KC-130Js from VMGR-252
"Otis" Sqdn. fly over the Atlantic. The squadron celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2018.

Astrophotography techniques were used to obtain the circumpolar sky in a single photograph highlighting this Spanish Air Force EADS C-295 at Getafe Air Base near Madrid.