The Thunderbirds perform the ‘Delta Opener’

The Thunderbirds perform the ‘Delta Opener’ during the Wings and Waves Air Show Oct. 12, 2014, at Daytona Beach, Fla. The Thunderbirds are the Air Force’s precision flying demonstration team, flying F-16 Fighting Falcons. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez) 

The Red Arrows

The Royal Air Force aerobatic team, The Red Arrows, fly over a crowd July 14, 2014, during the Farnborough International Airshow in England. Held every two years, the airshow represents a unique opportunity for the U.S. and its allies to show case their leadership in aerospace technologies. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Erin O'Shea) 

F-15E Strike Eagle

An F-15E Strike Eagle, assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron, flies above Bodø Main Air Station, Norway, Sept. 23, 2013. Approximately 30 aircraft deployed from Royal Air Force Bases Lakenheath and Mildenhall, to multiple locations in Norway, in support of the Arctic Challenge exercise 2013 (ACE-13). ACE-13 is a combined exercise with our NATO allies and regional partners, which promotes continued interoperability between the U.S., Norway, Sweden and Finland. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Lee Osberry)

F-16C Fighting Falcon

An F-16C Fighting Falcon with the 18th Aggressor Squadron flies an air-to-air combat mission in support of Cope North 13 Feb. 12, 2013, near Anderson Air Force Base, Guam. The Aggressors job is to know, teach and replicate the threat better than any other squadron. Cope North is an annual air combat tactics, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise designed to increase the readiness and interoperability of the U.S. Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Matthew Bruch) 

Air Force

Fabulous Thunderbird

The U.S. Air Force Demonstration Team, the Thunderbirds, perform for the crowd during the 2012 Airpower Over the Midwest air show Sept. 16, 2012, at Scott Air Force Base, Ill. The air show featured numerous acts including the United States Special Operations Command para-commandos, U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds as well as hands on static airplane displays. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Brian J. Valencia)

Heritage Flight - F-86 Sabres & A-10 Thunderbolt II

A heritage flight that included two F-86 Sabres flanking an A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstrated the proud heritage of military aviation over the past 60 years at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb., Aug. 24, 2012. The 2012 Defenders of Freedom Open House and Air Show included this and many other aerial demonstrations as well as ground shows and static aircraft displays. (U.S. Air Force photo/Josh Plueger)

B-1 Lancer

A B-1 Lancer near a KC-135 Stratotanker during contact training April 10, 2012, in western Wyoming. The B-1 is with the 34th Bomb Squadron out of Ellsworth Air Force Base, S.D., and the KC-135 is with the Utah Air National Guard’s 151st Air Refueling Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Landing Spot - US Air Force - Public Domain

Maj. Matthew McGuinness pops a flare to signal an HH-60G Pave Hawk where to land during Exercise Cope Angel 12 on Dec. 5, 2011, in Okinawa, Japan. The 33rd and 31st Rescue Squadrons paired up with partners from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force during Cope Angel to train on water and land rescue and triage tactics. McGuiness is the 31st Rescue Squadron director of operations. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Maeson L. Elleman)

Ready to refuel

Two HH-60 Pave Hawks maneuver behind an HC-130 King to perform a helicopter air refueling Oct. 16, 2011, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., during Angel Thunder 2011. Angel Thunder is an Air Combat Command sponsored personnel recovery/combat search and rescue exercise that combines Department of Defense and non-DoD assets. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Andy M. Kin)

Thunderbirds

F-16 Fighting Falcons with the Thunderbirds, the U.S. Air Force aerial demonstration team, perform during the 2011 Legacy of Liberty Air Show on Oct. 8, 2011, at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman DeAndre Curtiss)

Eglin F-35 number increases to four

Two F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighters were delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., with 33rd Fighter Wing-piloted F-16 Fighting Falcons escorting the jets to their new home Aug. 31, 2011. Labeled as AF-10 and AF-11 by Lockheed Martin, the JSFs bring the total count of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft at Eglin AFB to four. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)

Air Force Jets

A 33rd Fighter Wing F-16 Fighting Falcon escorts an F-35A Lightning II joint strike fighter Aug. 31, 2011, en route to Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. More F-35s are scheduled to arrive at Eglin AFB in 2011, including at least one short takeoff/vertical landing variant, BF-6. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Joely Santiago)

Alaska Air National Guard

An Alaska Air National Guard pararescueman performs a high-altitude jump from a Coast Guard C-130 Hercules during a training mission June 23, 2011, above Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Jack Sanders)

Air Force Photo

Master Sgt. Mike Milich tests the emergency oxygen systems aboard an MC-130P Combat Shadow March 16, 2011, at Kadena Air Base, Japan, prior to a supply-delivery flight to Sendai Airport, Japan. Sergeant Milich is assigned to the 353rd Special Operations Group. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jonathan Steffen)

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off Feb. 24, 2011, from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on its STS-133 mission. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jonathan Gibson)

F-15E Strike Eagle

Flares are released from an F-15E Strike Eagle during a local training mission Dec. 17, 2010, over North Carolina. The F-15E is from the 335th Fighter Squadron from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Michael B. Keller)

Painted Jets

Thunderbirds are Go!

The U.S. Air Force air demonstration team, the Thunderbirds, perform precision aerial maneuvers Nov. 6, 2010, during AirFest 2010 at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. (U.S. Air Force photo/Jim Pritchett)

U.S. Air Force's F-16D Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) aircraft

The U.S. Air Force's F-16D Automatic Collision Avoidance Technology (ACAT) aircraft banks over NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center during a flight in March 2009. NASA Dryden is working with the Air Force Research Laboratory in the ACAT Fighter Risk Reduction Project to develop collision avoidance technologies for fighter/attack aircraft that would reduce the risk of ground and mid-air collisions.