Just thought I would throw this out there…USAF F-22 Raptor Jetfighter flying air cover during last week’s launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-122) on Feb 07, 2008.
That is an amazing picture. They definitely have the best seat in the house. Any chance there is a higher-res version (1920w or larger)? (I’m shopping for a new desktop wallpaper.)
I take it that is done for security purposes? Has that always been standard operating procedure or just post-9/11?
Cool pic. What is the purpose of the Raptor being up in the air during launch?
If you click on the picture it will open a new window with the high resolution version. . . Looks perfect on my desktop. . . I was getting sick of seeing Paris at night on my secondary monitor.
According to the caption, it’s for air cover.
The translation is that if anything is in the air that shouldn’t be there (other than birds), the F-22’s job is to escort it out of the area, or else send it to the ground in pieces/flames.
That’s sick. The F-22 is bomb.
I can’t wait until the USN/USMC gets upgraded from F-18’s.
Isn’t the Navy getting the JSF and not the F-22?
I think every branch is getting some version of the F-35. Navy has different needs than USAF; e.g. arrestor hooks.
Yup, F-35 is the replacement for F-18.
F-35 = Compact car
F-22 = Ferrari
Shane-
This looks to be a higher res link. However I am not sure.
http://www.airshowbuzz.com/files/photo/gallery/photos/orig_1_3822f.jpg
It’s pictures like these that tend to remind us how far we have come as a society in our relatively short time on this 3rd rock from the Sun, and how much further we could go with some more time.
Very cool. 
The first thing that came to my mind though, is wondering if there was a picture from the ground of the Space Shuttle, Raptor, and whatever aircraft that took this picture.
Would be cool to see both perspectives side-by-side.
Nice shot of the shuttle launch love it!!
Definately higher resolution. But,… You can also see reflections of the really bright exhaust bouncing off the dual panes that this was shot through. I count at least two reflections.
Still, cool picture!!
Pictures like that make me smile. 
USAF aircraft, typically launched from nearby Patrick Air Force Base, provide security cover for all NASA and DoD launches out of Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. They have been doing this ever since the early days of the space program. The Navy performs a similar job on the ocean surface downrange from the launch facility. Their primary responsibility is to provide security for the launch and pre- and post-launch operations. Usually this involves making sure that private aircraft and boats trying to sight-see the launch do not get too close and become a hazard for launch operations. There have been a few occasions in the past where an unauthorized airplane or boat wanders in to the restricted area just at the wrong time, and a launch has to be postponed while the range is cleared (this happened during one of the Mars Rover launch attempts, when a guy participating in a fishing tournament crossed the line from the tournament area into the launch exclusion zone). These USAF and USN folks try very hard to make sure that does not happen, as scrubbing a launch can be a VERY expensive thing to do.
-dave
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it does make a perfect desktop
I never said the Navy was getting the F-22.
Great more space junk going up… just as some comes down.
Is a cool pic… I still like the F-15 Eagle, course I’m also a fan of the B-52 BUFF.
For anyone going to the Florida regional:
A shuttle is scheduled to launch that Wednesday/ Thursday at 1AM. We are going to try to see it.
Awsome pic, thnx for sharing. isnt the joint strike fighter gonna be the newest one? im not sure of the name, maybe it is the raptor lol
JSF’s official designation is the F-35 Lightning II. (The original Lightning name went to the WWII-era P-38.) The Raptor (pictured) is the F-22.