A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon “Triple Nickel” aircraft pilot assigned to the 555th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron from Aviano Air Base, Italy, waits as Airmen from the 455th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron complete a final check of the aircrafts weapons before taking off on a combat sortie from Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, July 14, 2015.
The F-16 is a multi-role fighter aircraft that is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. Members of the Triple Nickel are deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and NATO’s Resolute Support mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Joseph Swafford/Released). Original public domain image from Flickr