Sovereign Skies Program: Nighttime flight operations
A Dominican Republic air force pilot and maintenance airman inspect an A-29 Super Tucano for a nighttime flight Dec. 4, 2013, as part of an exercise to detect and track illegal drug traffic. The exercise is part of the Sovereign Skies Program, an initiative between the U.S., Colombian, and Dominican Republic air forces to share best-practices on procedures to detect, track and intercept illegal drugs moving north from South America. Since the program’s inception, the number of aircraft suspected to traffic drugs through the Dominican Republic dropped from more than 100 annually to nearly zero. (U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Justin Brockhoff)