Soaring Eagles
An F-15 Strike Eagle sits at the end of a runway in Southwest Asia for last-minute safety and armament checks Dec. 11. The F-15s are deployed to the 494th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The 494th EFS was the first unit to fly the guided bomb unit 39/B small diameter bomb into combat in October. The new bomb, the first of its kind in the Air Force inventory, gives aircrews the ability to destroy targets that would normally be passed over due to the proximity of friendly troops, civilians, structures or personal property. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Shaun Withers)