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You Can Almost See the Pilot of This F-16 Wink in Amazing Close Up Photo

For some time now we’ve been bringing you amazing images of U.S. Air Force (USAF) planes operating around the world, most of them taken mid-air by aviators in nearby machines and put on display by the military organization for all to see. So is the case now, the biggest difference being this is, in our view, the most amazing photo of this kind we’ve been treated with to date.
Close up of an F-16 on a refueling mission 12 photos
Photo: USAF/Airman Mira Roman
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What you’re looking at is a close up of an F-16 deployed with the 120th Fighter Squadron of the Colorado Air National Guard's 140th Wing. The plane is flying a refueling mission after taking part in the Amalgam Dart 21-01 exercise in mid-June.

The fighter jet is an impressive machine, but this time does not look as impressive as the human flying it, Capt. Joseph Christensen. The person who took the photo from inside the refueling plane, Airman Mira Roman, managed to do it so skillfully that you could almost see the F-156 pilot wink, if his sunglasses weren’t in the way.

The 120th Fighter Squadron was born in 1923 and became the first Air National Guard unit to obtain Federal recognition. Flying F-16C Falcons, the unit takes on roles of homeland defense, but has also been deployed for Operation Iraqi Freedom, during which time they performed 500 combat sorties, and dropped 350 precision-guided weapons.

As for the F-16C, nicknamed Viper by its pilots, it is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 2 for as much as 2,620 miles (4,217 km). It can carry a large variety of weapons, from rotary cannons to rockets and bombs.

There are close to 5,000 of them in operation today, flying for the air forces of two dozen countries, including regular partners and allies like Israel and Turkey, but also smaller countries such as Romania or Greece.
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Editor's note: Gallery shows other F-16s.

About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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