A picture from the 1993 Aviation Week & Space Technology Photo Contest. This came second in the Military category. The plane is ejecting flares during a test of an infrared missile warning and self-protection system installed on a C-130 Hercules. The trailing vortices formed in the wake are clearly visible. The size of these vortices is related to the lift produced by the wings, and the photograph suggests that the aircraft was climbing during this maneuver. See also firing sequence and over ground.