Missile Launch Operations

Images of various missile launch operations, showcasing interceptor and cruise missiles being fired into the sky, with dramatic smoke and cloud formations.

Destruction of Old Ordinance
Destruction of Old Ordinance
133 assets in this story
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AQABA, Jordan - A simulated enemy attack boat is destroyed during the shore patrol portion of the Eager Lion 22 final exercise at the Royal Jordanian Naval Base, Jordan on September 11, 2022. Eager Lion 22 is a multilateral exercise hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, designed to exchange military expertise, and improve interoperability among partner nations, and considered the capstone of a broader U.S. military relationship with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). Jordan is one of U.S. Central Commands (USCENTCOM) strongest and most reliable partners in the Levant sub-region.
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A .50 calliber round fired by Spc. Louisa Viera, a human resources specialist with the 361st Theater Public Affairs Support Element from Fort Totten, New York, goes down range at an M2 machine gun familiarization range during Warrior Exercise 78-22-02 at Fort McCoy, Wisconsin, July 23, 2022. The tracer round is designed to create a line-of-sight that allows the Soldier firing to track the trajectory of their bullets and adjust their aim.
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An M109A7 Self-Propelled Howitzer assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, fires an illumination round during Baltic Ballista, a multinational exercise held at Pabrade Training Area, Lithuania, April 21, 2022. As part of the event, the Soldiers conducted live-fire training and platoon certifications on Artillery Table XII.
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U.S. Marines with Black Sea Rotational Force 17.1 fire the 81-millimeter mortar during a night mortar range aboard Adazi Military Base, Latvia, April 22, 2017. The event was a part of Exercise Summer Shield, a multi-national exercise with NATO Allies to increase interoperability through combined-arms training.
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ARABIAN GULF (May 20, 2014) Sailors fire 9 mm pistols during a low-light small arms qualification exercise aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51). Arleigh Burke is deployed in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts.
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The SEMINOLE Shot, was the first US airdrop of a hydrogen bomb. It was a second generation thermonuclear devices that yielded 13.7 kilotons. Enewetak Atoll, June 6, 1956.
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High angle view of the launch of a cruise missile at night, Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), US Navy
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France. Paris, 19th district. parc de la Villette. Fireworks in the Cite des sciences
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Finnish soldiers assigned to the Satakunta Jaeger Battalion and U.S. Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division explode a Bangalore torpedo at Niinisalo, Finland, July 21, 2022. The 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, and the Pori Brigade of the Finnish army began summer training in Finland to strengthen relations and help build interoperability between the two nations.
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An M109 Paladin named The little gun that could'' from the 1-145th Field Artillery Battalion, 65th Field Artillery Brigade, Utah National Guard, fire illumination rounds in the twilight at Orchard Combat Training Center during Western Strike 22, June 11, 2022. Western Strike 22 is an eXportable Combat Training Capabilities exercise led by the 65th FAB that provides National Guard Soldiers immersed training similar to a combat training center and aims to increase participating unit's readiness and lethality.
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DF-SC-84-08706. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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030626-A-9765G-020. Subject Operation/Series: IRAQI FREEDOM Base: Fallujah State: Al Anbar Country: Iraq (IRQ)
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As seen through the submarine's periscope, a BGM-109 Tomahawk land attack missile (TLAM) targeted on an Iraqi position clears the surface of the water after being fired from a vertical launch tube aboard the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS PITTSBURGH (SSN-720) during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Unknown
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030112-F-6844O-002. Base: Vandenberg Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: Air Force Space Command
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A night vision view of US Army (USA) 82nd Airborne Division, Alpha Company, from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, firing an illumination round into the night sky using an M224 60mm Lightweight Company Mortar System (LWCMS) on the outer perimeter of Bagram Air Base (AB), Afghanistan. Subject Operation/Series: ENDURING FREEDOM Base: Bagram Air Base State: Parwan Country: Afghanistan (AFG)
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DD-ST-88-09456. Base: Unknown
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041222-F-8039H-003. Base: Tyndall Air Force Base State: Florida (FL) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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030525-M-8683D-053. Subject Operation/Series: COBRA GOLD 2003 Base: Pong Nam Ran Country: Thailand (THA)
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The STS-36 mission launch aboard the Space Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis on February 28, 1990 at 2 50 22am (EST). The crew featured five astronauts who served in the 6th Department of Defense (DOD) mission John H. Creighton, commander; John H. Caster, pilot; and mission specialists Pierre J. Thuot, Richard M. (Mike) Mullane, and David. C. Hilmers.
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U.S. Marines with Romeo Battery, 5th Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, fire a rocket from an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System during the battalions winter fire exercise on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, Feb. 3, 2023. The exercise was used to test the battalions command and control capabilities.
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Flagpole and a part of a rocket at the 3rd group of arms guided weapons in Blomberg, West Germany.
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1979 - A close-up view of an AGM-109 Tomahawk air-launched cruise missile on the ground after impact.
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A United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron Thunderbirds perform during the Arctic Thunder Open House at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 31, 2022. The Thunderbirds have the honor of representing nearly 700,000 active duty, Air Force Reserve, Air National Guard, and civilian Airmen across America and deployed around the world.
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A Fighter Squadron 114 (VF-114) F-14A Tomcat aircraft flies over oil wells set ablaze by Iraqi forces during Operation Desert Storm. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT STORM Country: Kuwait (KWT)
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F/A-18E Super Hornet Prepares to Follow
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A C-130 Hercules of the 115th Airlift Squadron, Channel Islands Air National Guard, Calif., drops a line of retardant.(Exact date unknown). Subject Operation/Series: WESTERN WILDFIRES Country: United States Of America (USA)
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A bright blast follows the impact of the explosive device at the head of an MK153 SMAW (Shoulder fired Missile Anti-tank Weapon) on Range 11D within the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), Hawaii. US Marine Corps Private First Class D. Bacon (not shown), of Charlie company 1ST Batallion 3rd Marine Regiment Assualt Section fired the SMAW during training for a Hawiian Combined Arms Operation or HCAO. Base: Pohakuloa Training Area State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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Marine recruits crawl through an infiltration course during basic training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot. Base: Parris Island State: South Carolina (SC) Country: United States Of America (USA)
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An ordnanceman checks an AIM-54A Phoenix missile during ordnance loading operations. Base: Naval Air Station, Miramar State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)