Light-attack aircraft
Maj. Jesse Smith exits a Hawker Beechcraft AT-6C after testing the light-attack aircraft's ability to perform a combat search and rescue mission Oct. 7, 2010, at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Major Smith is one of several pilots invited by the Air National Guard Air Force Reserve Command Test Center to fly the experimental airplane this month and provide recommendations for improving its capability. Major Smith is an A-10 pilot from the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo/Maj. Gabe Johnson)
Light-attack aircraft
A Hawker Beechcraft AT-6C, modified for various light-attack missions, releases flares during an operational test Oct. 5, 2010, over the Southern Arizona desert. It was the first time flare buckets, or aircraft survivability equipment, were mounted onto the airplane and fully integrated with the control system on board. A team of pilots and engineers certified that the airplane could separate the flares correctly while learning if the modification would have adverse effects on the airplane's handling. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Dave Neve)