An F/A-18F Super Hornet takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
An F-22 Raptor jet engine is tested in a full afterburner state. Airmen test aircraft engines like these in a specialized hangar, known as a "hush house", to ensure that all components are functioning properly.
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off on a mission at dawn from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Diamondbacks of Strike Fighter Squadron fires its afterburners before launching from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon from the New Jersey Air National Guard's 177th Fighter Wing takes off from Atlantic City International Airport, New Jersey.
An afterburner glows during a test engine run and diagnostics on an F-15 engine, following repair at the Jacksonville Air National Guard Base.
A US Air Force F-16C Fighting Falcon from the 177th Fighter Wing of the New Jersey Air National Guard rotates during a full afterburner take off.
NASA's SR-71 streaks into the twilight on a night flight from the Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California.
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft assigned to the 13th Fighter Squadron, Misawa Air Base, Japan, uses its afterburner to launch down the runway.
An F/A-18C Hornet, assigned to the Ragin' Bulls of Strike Fighter Squadron 37, ignites afterburners as it launches from aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
A Danish F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off from the tarmac of the Sigonella NATO Airbase on the southern Italian island of Sicily March 21, 2011.
