Iraqi pilots perform final check ride

Air Force instructor pilots assigned to the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron, perform wing work during final check rides of Iraqi pilots over Combat Operation Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2011. The check ride was the final test in order for the Iraqis to become qualified instructor pilots. The training, provided by the U.S., laid the foundation for the Iraqi air force to sustain its own pilot training program. The new Iraqi instructor pilots were trained in the T-6A Texan II. (U.S. Air Force Photo/SrA Tyler Placie)

Iraqi pilots perform final check ride

Air Force instructor pilots assigned to the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron, perform wing work during final check rides of Iraqi pilots over Combat Operation Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2011. The check ride was the final test in order for the Iraqis to become qualified instructor pilots. The training, provided by the U.S., laid the foundation for the Iraqi air force to sustain its own pilot training program. The new Iraqi instructor pilots were trained in the T-6A Texan II. (U.S. Air Force Photo/SrA Tyler Placie)

Iraqi pilots perform final check ride

Air Force instructor pilots assigned to the 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron, perform final checks of their T-6A training aircraft before a check ride at Combat Operation Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2011. The check ride was the final test in order for Iraqi pilots to become qualified instructor pilots. The training, provided by the U.S., laid the foundation for the Iraqi air force to sustain its own pilot training program. The new Iraqi instructor pilots were trained in the T-6A Texan II. (U.S. Air Force Photo/SrA Tyler Placie)

A-10 over Afghanistan

An A-10 Thunderbolt II is refueled over Southern Afghanistan. The most prominent feature of the A-10 Thunderbolt II is the 30-millimeter GAU-8/A Avenger Gatling-gun cannon. This weapon is capable of firing 3,900 rounds a minute and can defeat an array of ground targets to include tanks. Both the A-10 and GAU-8 entered service in 1977 and the gun represents 16 percent of the aircraft's weight. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)

F-16 over Afghanistan

A Belgian F-16 pilot maneuvers into position behind a U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker before aerial refueling. The pilot is on a mission providing close air support to coalition forces in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)

A-10 over Afghanistan

An A-10 Thunderbolt II moves into position behind a KC-135 Stratotanker before refueling. The A-10, deployed to Afghanistan from 23rd Wing at Moody AFB, GA, is on a mission providing close air support to coalition forces in Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Master Sgt. Jeffrey Allen)