Transport Aircraft Operations

Photographs of large transport planes on airfields, demonstrating military logistics and aircraft capabilities in diverse environments.

C-17 Globemaster of the Royal Air Force against a cloudy sky.

A C-17 makes it's first landing here to pick up personnel for a training deployment to Davis-Monthen AFB, Arizona. Base: Spangdahlem Air Base State: Rheinland-Pfalz Country: Deutschland / Germany (DEU)

A Lockheed C-141C Starlifter from the 452nd Air Mobility Wing, at March Air Reserve Base, California, taxi's to the ramp after a successful resupply mission to McMurdo Station at Ross Island in Antarctica, during Operation DEEP FREEZE 2001. The unit operates two aircraft at Christchurch, New Zealand's International Airport in support of the United States National Science Program on the ICE. Subject Operation/Series: DEEP FREEZE 2001 Base: Christchurch State: Canterbury Country: New Zealand (NZL) Scene Major Command Shown: AMC

C-17A Globemaster on final approach into RAF Mildenhall.

C17 transport plane at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom

A right front view of a C-5 Galaxy aircraft approaching for a landing. Country: Unknown

C-17 Globemaster of the Royal Air Force against a cloudy sky.

Military aircraft fro carrying military supplies and personnel

A Boeing C-17 Globemaster III of the Royal Air Force at the Turin Airport, Italy.

A C-5B Galaxy from the Air Force Reserve taxies past the fuel station in the evening light at Moffett Federal Airfield, Mountain View, California. Able to hold 51,150 gallons of fuel, a C-5 with a cargo load of 270,000 pounds can fly 2,150 nautical miles, offload, and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles away. Base: Moffett Federal Air Field State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA) Scene Major Command Shown: 129th Rescue Wing

A NATO AWACS E-3A Sentry landing in Konya, Turkey.

An IL-76MD military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force prepares for landing.

A C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Georgia Air National Guard prepares to land at the 165th Airlift Wing flightline in Garden City, Georgia, on Sept. 11, 2022. This large formation flight tested the wings ability to synchronize large-formation take-offs, showed of the force of the fleet and to showcased the recently completed modernization of the C-130 Hercules fleet.

An A400M Atlas on final approach at RAF Fairford.

March 22, 2011 - A C-17 Globemaster III takes off from Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake, Washinton on a mission in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn.

Air-to-air, side view of a 63rd Airlift Wing's C-141B Starlifter, "Spirit of the Inland Empire," as it banks right, for landing at Norton. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Norton Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

IL-76MD transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force taking off.

Airbus Military C-295M of the Portuguese Air Force.

A C-141B Starlifter aircraft assigned to the 443rd Airlift Wing (443rd AW) takes off from a base. Country: Unknown

030416-F-0365G-006. Country: Unknown

A KC-46A Pegasus takes off on Jan. 19, 2023, at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas. This aircraft is one of the first to take off from runway 01Right since re-construction began March 2022.

A C-17 Globemaster III sits on the runway at COB Speicher, Iraq

DF-ST-88-04122. Country: West Germany (FRG)

A KC-46A Pegasus arrives on Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 28, 2022. The KC-46A supports nearly 70% percent of all receiver aircraft that request air refueling support from U.S. Transportation Command.

DC-8 lifts off from Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, Calif.

A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion departing, New Zealand.

A U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry aircraft from the 964th Expeditionary Airborne Air Control Squadron takes off from an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia on Nov. 23, 2010. The E-3 is an Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) that provides all-weather surveillance, command, control and communications.

At the Shuttle Landing Facility, the crated Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-H) is offloaded from an air cargo plane. It will be taken to the Spacecraft Assembly and Encapsulation Facility (SAEF-2) for testing. The TDRS is one of three (labeled H, I and J) being built in the Hughes Space and Communications Company Integrated Satellite Factory in El Segundo, Calif. The latest TDRS uses an innovative springback antenna design. A pair of 15-foot-diameter, flexible mesh antenna reflectors fold up for launch, then spring back into their original cupped circular shape on orbit. The new satellites will augment the TDRS systems existing Sand Ku-band frequencies by adding Ka-band capability. TDRS will serve as the sole means of continuous, high-data-rate communication with the space shuttle, with the International Space Station upon its completion, and with dozens of unmanned scientific satellites in low earth orbit. The TDRS is scheduled to be launched from CCAFS June 29 aboard an Atla

Avro Jet Avro Jet Copyright: xZoonar.com/AndrexHamannx 3161108

A Russian Air Force An-12BK transport aircraft landing at Tver-Migalovo Air Base, Russia.

Right front view of a C-141B Starlifter aircraft from the Military Airlift Command coming in for a landing. The aircraft will provide logistics support for exercise Kangaroo '81. Subject Operation/Series: KANGAROO '81 Base: Raaf Amberley State: Queensland Country: Australia (AUS)

IL-20M reconnaissance aircraft of the Russian Air Force landing.

Air to air right side view of an Air Mobility Command's 437th Airlift Wing C-17 Globemaster III during a training mission out of Charleston AFB, South Carolina. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Unknown

CC-150 Polaris tanker aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

A C-5 Galaxy takes off from Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Base: Altus Air Force Base State: Oklahoma (OK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A left front view of a P-3 Orion patrol aircraft taking off. Base: Naval Air Station, Barbers Point State: Hawaii (HI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

An air-to-air left front view of a WC-130 Hercules aircraft from the 54th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron on a mission to monitor and relay vital information on a typhoon to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC). Base: Andersen Air Base State: Guam (GU) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Nine LC130s with the 109th Airlift Wing conducted the units first ever Elephant Walk on September 10th 2022. An elephant walk is a United States Air Force term for thetaxiing of military aircraft in close formation; often employed to project air power through the rapid deployment of multiple aircraft at once.

A 400 M A 400 M Copyright: xZoonar.com/AndrexHamannx 6161508

A Royal Air Force (RAF) C-130 takes off from Aerodrom Split. Subject Operation/Series: PROVIDE PROMISE Base: Split Country: Croatia (HRV)

An Italian Air Force C-27J taxis in after landing at RAF Fairford.

A KC-390 transport aircraft of the Brazilian Air Force at Natal Air Force Base.

040503-F-2621S-001. Base: Toledo Express Airport (TOL) State: Ohio (OH) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A C-5A Galaxy aircraft taxis along an unimproved runway during an operational utility evaluation test. Base: Altus Air Force Base State: Oklahoma (OK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A Swedish Air Force C-130 takes off from Aerodrom Split. Subject Operation/Series: PROVIDE PROMISE Base: Split Country: Croatia (HRV)

New Zealand, Otago, Wanaka, Warbirds Over Wanaka, Lockheed C-130 Hercules

A Turkish Air Force A400M landing during Exercise Anatolian Eagle.

Air-to-air view of a 22nd Air Refueling Wing, March AFB, California, KC-10A Extender, flying toward the camera over the clouds with Travis-based 60th Airlift Wing C-141 Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy flying behind the refueler. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Base: Travis Air Force Base State: California (CA) Country: United States Of America (USA)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- The first three elements for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) arrive at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard an Air Force C-17 cargo plane. The cruise stage, back shell and heat shield, the first flight elements to arrive for the MSL mission, were taken to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) located in the KSC Industrial Area to begin processing. The Curiosity rover will arrive next month.A United Launch Alliance Atlas V-541 configuration will be used to loft MSL into space. Curiositys 10 science instruments are designed to search for evidence on whether Mars has had environments favorable to microbial life, including chemical ingredients for life. The unique rover will use a laser to look inside rocks and release its gasses so that the rovers spectrometer can analyze and send the data back to Earth. MSL is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida Nov. 25 with a window extending to Dec. 1

A U.S. Navy EP-3E Aries surveillance aircraft.

A KC-135 Stratotanker from the New Jersey Air National Guard's 108th Wing flies over Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Aug. 31, 2016. The KC-135 celebrated its 60th anniversary, having made its first flight on Aug. 31, 1956.

A C27J Spartan of the Kenya Air Force taxiing on runway.

Air to air top front view of Air Mobility Command's 22nd Air Refueling Wing, March AFB, Calfornia, KC-10 Extender flying a training mission over the northern California mountains. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Unknown

C-87 transport plane, just off the assembly line, at the Consolidated Aircraft Corporation field, Fort Worth, Texas, USA, photograph by Howard R. Hollem, U.S. Office of War Information, October 1942

An air-to-air right rear of a Soviet Tu-16 Badger aircraft. Exact Date Shot Unknown. Country: Unknown

A Military Airlift Command C-5 Galaxy aircraft carrying troops and equipment takes off for deployment to Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Desert Shield. Subject Operation/Series: DESERT SHIELD Country: Unknown

A B52H Stratofortress sits on the runway on Minot Air Force base, North Dakota, July 7, 2022. The B-52H is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions as well as fly at high subsonic speeds at altitudes of up to 50,000 feet.

A C-17 Globemaster III prepares to land at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, Oct. 1, 2022, after relocating in preparation for Hurricane Ian. To carry on the rapid global mobility mission, all of Team Charlestons C-17s were either secured in a hangar or relocated prior to the storms landfall.

A right front view of a 63rd Military Airlift Wing C-141 Starlifter aircraft taking off during exercise Team Spirit '81. Subject Operation/Series: TEAM SPIRIT '81 Base: Kwang Ju Air Base Country: Korea

Aerial view of an IL-38 anti-submarine airplane of the Russian Navy during storage.

DF-ST-88-05132. Base: English Channel

USAF KC-135R trailing its aerial refuelling boom.

A tractor is driven at Schiphol in a Hercules of the KLU.

An in-flight overhead view of an RC-135W Stratolifter advanced airborne command post aircraft (AABNCP) of the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing.. Base: Offutt Air Force Base State: Nebraska(NE) Country: United States Of America(USA)

A C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 911th Airlift Wing accelerates for takeoff from the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, June 2, 2022. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area.

A KC-46 static display sits on the ramp at the 507th Air Refueling Wing's 50th Anniversary Family Day celebration April 30, 2022, at Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma.

A downward front in flight view of a C-27A Spartan over the water. Base: Howard Air Force Base Country: Panama (PAN)

A Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster approaching to land on the runway.

Alaska Air National Guard, ANG Lockheed C-130 Hercules with blue sky fly by at the Reno Air Races.

IL-76MD military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force.

A right side view of a 97th Avionics Maintenance Wing (97th AMW) C-141B Starlifter aircraft parked on the flight line. Base: Andrews Air Force Base State: Maryland (MD) Country: United States Of America (USA)

Five C-130 Hercules aircraft from the 165th Airlift Wing, Georgia Air National Guard, taxi on the runway after a large formation flight that showcased the force and the new modifications to the aircraft on September 11, 2022 in Savannah, Georgia. Over the last 18 months, the entire 165th AW fleet of C-130H aircraft was modernized with NP-2000 eight blade propellers and T-56 3.5 engines. The eight-bladed propellers will deliver more power and efficiency while reducing maintenance.

DF-SD-05-06996. Country: Unknown

Lockheed F-104G Starfighter van 323 squadron.

A KC-135R from the 161st Air Refueling Wing flies a training mission out of Phoenix, Arizona.

At Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, NOAA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-S (GOES-S) is being loaded into the cargo hold of a U.S. Air Force C-5M super Galaxy cargo aircraft. GOES-S will be flown to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After it arrives at Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility, it will be offloaded and transported to the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Florida, to prepare it for launch. GOES-S is the second in a series of four advanced geostationary weather satellites. The GOES-R series - consisting of the GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T and GOES-U spacecraft - will significantly improve the detection and observation of environmental phenomena that directly affect public safety, protection of property and the nation's economic health and prosperity. GOES-S is slated to launch March 1, 2018 aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

A Royal Dutch Air Force KDC-10 tanker.

An IL-76MD military transport aircraft of the Russian Air Force landing at Dyagilevo Air Base, Russia.

Tu-95MS strategic bomber of the Russian Air Force flying over Moscow region, Russia.

A U.S. Air Force KC-46A Pegasus taxies off the runway at Travis Air Force Base, California, April 12, 2022. Ten KC-46A Pegasus tankers and eight KC-135RT Stratotankers were relocated to Travis AFB from McConnell AFB as a precaution due to the possibility of severe weather impacting the Wichita area.

A B-52 Stratofortress aircraft assigned to the 23rd Expeditionary Bomb Squadron takes off at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, Sept. 21, 2022. Strategic bombers contribute to stability in the European theater, they provide a critical role in strategic deterrence. If called upon, U.S. bombers offer a rapid response capability.

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III performing a low pass during the 2008 Reno Air Races. The Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) C-17 Globemaster III is a large American airlifter manufactured by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems. This C-17 is operated by the United States Air Force. The C-17 Globemaster III is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. It is also capable of performing tactical airlif

041110-F-1740G-006. Base: Yokota Air Base Country: Japan (JPN)

The Breguet BR1150 Atlantic (SP-13A) maritime patrol range 256 (1971-1984).

030807-M-7837W-007. Base: Baghdad Country: Iraq (IRQ)

Riverside, Calif., Nov. 1, 2012 A fleet of more than 70 Southern California Edison utility trucks is being prepared for transport to the East Coast to help restore power in areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The U.S. Air Force will use six C-5 and eight C-17 aircraft to transport the vehicles from March Air Reserve Base in Riverside County.. Photographs Relating to Disasters and Emergency Management Programs, Activities, and Officials

A C-130 Hercules aircraft assigned to the 120th Airlift Wing takes off from the Montana Air National Guard Base, Great Falls, Montana Sept 9, 2022. The "Heritage" paint scheme represents 75 years of Montana aviation history and is dedicated to the past, present, and future members of the MTANG

Front view of a KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft on the runway following the rollout ceremony. Base: Wichita State: Kansas (KS) Country: United States Of America (USA)

A C-130 Hercules from the 133rd Airlift Wing taxis to a parking spot on the flight line in St. Paul, Minn., May 11, 2022. The 133rd is currently in the second phase of the modernization process, which includes transitioning the C-130s from four-bladed propellers to eight-bladed propellers. The eight-bladed propellers will deliver more power and efficiency while reducing maintenance. The completion of this phase is projected to end in September 2023.

Col. John F. Robinson, 911th Airlift Wing commander, pilots a C-17 Globemaster III as it is sprayed by Allegheny County Airport Authority firetrucks while it taxis back to the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, Pennsylvania, May 10, 2022. The firetrucks sprayed down the C-17 as it was returning from Robinson's final flight as the 911th AW commander.

The C-17 West Coast Demonstration Team flies a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 62d Airlift Wing over the Experimental Aircraft Association Airventure Air Show, Oshkosh, Wis., July 31, 2022. EAA is the largest annual air show in the U.S. and coined as The Worlds Greatest Aviation celebration.

High dynamic range image of a U

DN-ST-90-01915. Country: Panama (PAN)

Israeli Air Force C-130J Shimshon taking off from a dirt strip, Israel.

A B52H Stratofortress sits on a flight line preparing for flight at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, July 15, 2022. Only the H model is still in the Air Force inventory and a fleet is assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing.

A C-17 Globemaster strategic transport aircraft taxiing on the runway.

A U.S. Air Force U-2S landing at Beale Air Force Base, California.

041016-F-9429S-008. Base: Alpena State: Michigan (MI) Country: United States Of America (USA)

020412-A-8359B-074. Base: Bird International Airport Country: Antigua And Barbuda (ATG) Scene Major Command Shown: Southwest

A C-5 Galaxy takes off from Altus Air Force Base, Oklahoma. Base: Altus Air Force Base State: Oklahoma (OK) Country: United States Of America (USA)

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