Photo: Harrier night flight operations aboard a forward-deployed amphibious assault ship

August 30, 2012 Aircraft Carriers

David Cenciotti

Taken on Aug. 29, the following pictures show night flight operations on the deck of the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6) by U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier jump jet aircraft assigned to Marine Attack Squadron (VMA) 542.

The ship is currently operating in the Philippine Sea.

Note the green night formation lights, used by combat plane to make formation flying easier after dark.

Image credit: U.S. Navy

About David Cenciotti

David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.