F-16

FILE PHOTO -- An F-16 Fighting Flacon cruises over the landscape. (U.S. Air Force photo)

F/A-22 Raptor 4002

FILE PHOTO -- F/A-22 Raptor 4002 flies a test mission alongside an F-16 chase aircraft and reaches the 183 hour flight test milestone. The Raptor is the most advanced fighter aircraft in the world, combining a revolutionary leap in technology and capability with reduced support requirements and maintenance costs. The F/A-22's combination of stealth, integrated avionics, maneuverability, and supercruise supersonic flight without afterburner will give Raptor pilots a first-look, first-shot, first-kill capability against the aircraft of any potential enemy. The Raptor is designed to provide not only air superiority, but air dominance, winning quickly and decisively with few U.S. and allied casualties. The Raptor also has an inherent air-to-ground capability. (U.S. Air Force photo)

F-16 Fighting Falcon

FILE PHOTO -- The F-16 Fighting Falcon is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft. It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and allied nations.(U.S. Air Force photo)

A long way from home

AHMED AL JABER AIR BASE, Kuwait -- An F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 114th Fighter Wing, Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, S.D., taxis out on the runway here. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Val Gempis)

Weasel flight

OVER THE COAST OF JAPAN -- F-16 "Wild Weasels" from the 35th Fighter Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan, fly a training mission. The 35th Fighte Wing's mission is to defend the Pacific region and support air expeditionary forces operations in Turkey and Iraq. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Ray Conway)

Tiger, tiger

OVER UTAH -- A look-down view of a Tiger-striped F-16C belonging to the 140th Fighter Wing, 120th Fighter Squadron, Colorado Air National Guard, as the aircraft flies over eastern Utah while returning from the Utah Test and Training Range. The aircraft has tiger-stripes applied to the upper surfaces and represented the Colorado ANG as their official Tiger jet as the unit hosted the Inaugural Tiger Meet of the Americas in mid-August. The inaugural meet closely mirrors the NATO Tiger Meet and brings together military units that have large cats as their mascots. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Greg L. Davis)