Photos of the Day: Air Force Week in Photos

This week’s photos feature Airmen from around the globe involved in activities supporting expeditionary operations and defending America. This weekly feature showcases the men and women of the Air Force.

Airmen deliver fuel to coalition bases in Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve Dec. 16, 2015. OIR is the coalition intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

A 77th Aircraft Maintenance Unit dedicated crew chief from Shaw Air Force Base, S.C. performs maintenance on an F-16 Fighting Falcon Dec. 15, 2015, on the flightline at Tyndall AFB, Fla. The F-16 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.

The New York Air National Guard’s 174th Attack Wing conducted their first MQ-9 Reaper flying operation from Hancock Field Air National Guard Base and Syracuse Hancock International Airport, N.Y., Dec. 16, 2015. The 174th ATKW is the first Air Force organization in the U.S. to fly a remotely piloted aircraft in class C airspace, the common airspace around commercial airports. Prior to this week, all flight operations of the MQ-9 were conducted at Wheeler-Sack Army Airfield at Fort Drum, N.Y.

An F-22 Raptor and a T-38 Talon from Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., F-16 Fighting Falcons from Shaw AFB, S.C. and Eielson AFB, Alaska, and an F-35 Lightning II from Eglin AFB, Fla., sit on the flightline at Tyndall AFB Dec. 17, 2015, during exercise Checkered Flag 16-1. Checkered Flag 16-1 is a large force exercise that simulates employment of a large number of aircraft from a simulated deployed environment.

A HC-130J Combat King II from the 79th Rescue Squadron flies over Fort Huachuca, Ariz., during aerial delivery and recovery training with the 563rd Operations Support Squadron Dec. 9, 2015. The HC-130J, from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., airdropped a Humvee and a 3,500-pound heavy equipment training platform during the training.