Thunderbolt IIs launch into Alaskan skies during RF-A 16-2
U.S. Air Force maintenance Airmen wait to launch an A-10 Thunderbolt II twin-engine, ground-attack aircraft assigned to the 354th Fighter Squadron (FS) out of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., for an afternoon sortie from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 6, 2016, during RED FLAG-Alaska (RF-A) 16-2. RF-A is a series of Pacific Air Forces commander-directed field training exercises that enable U.S. and partner nation forces like the 354 FS "Bulldogs" to sharpen their combat skills by flying simulated combat sorties in a realistic threat environment inside the more than 67,000 square mile Joint Pacific Alaska Range Complex, the largest instrumented air, ground and electronic combat training range in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Karen J. Tomasik/Released)