STUNNING photos showing swooping fighter jets, massive explosions and touching homecomings have been selected for the Military Visual Awards this year.
These incredible scenes aim to celebrate photography of the brave men and women in uniform and also give a glimpse into their daily life.
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Two US Air Force and two Royal Australian Air Force F-35A Lightning II break formation during a commemoration flightCredit: Alex Cook/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Members of the 729th Quartermaster Composite Supply Company, Maryland National Guard, are greeted after returning from their 11-month deployment on November 17, 2020Credit: Sarah McClanaha/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Soldiers assigned to 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, stack up against a simulated door for a silhouette chargeCredit: Daniel Parker/Military Visual Awards/TNG
The powerful images show soldiers from around the globe - including Brits, Americans and Swedish troops - on tour.
But they also capture the effects of conflict with a coffin draped in the star spangled banner flag and a marine kissing his sweetheart as he returns home.
In one of the photos, a CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter whips up a mini tornado with its powerful rotor blades, while Call of Duty-style marines wield machine guns.
The annual Military Visual Awards was founded in 2018 to showcase first-class military photography and videos.
US Marine Dana Beesley - who leads a 16-marine team specializing in military PR - was crowned the MVA photographer of the year.
Her powerful image of a woman snogging her camo-clad marine as he returns home from war beside a sign which reads: “I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you - welcome home daddy.”
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A medical evacuation Stryker in Bemowo Piskie, PolandCredit: Timothy Hamlin/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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A Dutch SOF Korps commando holding their weapon. The photo was entered as part of the Illustrative categoryCredit: Hille James Hillinga /Military Visual Awards/TNG
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One of the stunning photos shows Dutch Commandos during a training exerciseCredit: Aaron Zwaal/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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US Army paratroopers assigned prepare to exit an aircraft during an airborne operation in Aviano, ItalyCredit: Ryan Lucas/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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A recruit with Echo Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion, struggles to complete the Obstacle Course during the Crucible on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris IslandCredit: Dana Beesley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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The US Air Force Academy Class of 2020 graduates toss their hats in the airCredit: Trevor Cokley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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A member of US Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land) Team One conducts a high altitude low opening jump from a US Air Force C-130J Super HerculesCredit: Dana Beesley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Dutch infantry brigade during cold weather training in AustriaCredit: Hille James Hillinga/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron B-1B Lancer mechanics take selfies as a B-1B flies overhead at Andersen Air Force Base, GuamCredit: River Bruce/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Angel Ruszkiewicz captured the moment the body of US Army Spc. Antonio Moore is loaded onto a C-130 Hercules aircraft at Erbil Air Base in the Kurdistan region of Iraq as part of the journey to return to the United StatesCredit: Angel Ruszkiewicz/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Two US soldiers were photographed supporting each other during Covid-19 outbreakCredit: Tori Slater/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Hille James Hillinga captured soldiers training amid cold temperatures in AustriaCredit: Hille James Hillinga/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Marines with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force laugh and joke with each other while they hold down a combat rubber raiding craftCredit: Isaac Cantrell/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Drill Instructors and staff with Mike Company, 3rd Recruit Training Battalion, watch and observe as their recruits battle each other during Crucible boxing bouts on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris IslandCredit: Dana Beesley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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The Swedish air force transportation squadron during formation flight training with C130 (Hercules)Credit: Astrid Amtén/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Sgt. Samuel Peoples, 911th Maintenance Squadron aerospace propulsion technician, closes the thrust reverser fan duct on a C-17 Globemaster III engine at the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, PennsylvaniaCredit: Joshua Seybert/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Graduates from Drill Instructor class 3-20 pause for a moment of prayer before their graduation ceremony on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris IslandCredit: Dana Beesley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Master Gunnery Sgt. Tory Hunck and Master Sgt. Vilmary Hunck pin second lieutenant bars on the collar of their daughter, 2nd Lt. Ashley HunckCredit: Courtney White/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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The US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, conducted the final flight on the F/A-18 A/B/C/D 'Legacy' HornetsCredit: Cody Hendrix/Military Visual Awards/TNG
Another photo shows the silhouette of a Black Ops-style trooper who looks like a modern knight in his body armour.
Trevor Cokley’s epic snap shows US air force graduate cadets making it snow as they throw their hats into the air with joy, as military jets roar overhead to welcome them to the forces.
The flag-covered coffin being loaded carries US Army Spc. Antonio Moore of 346th Engineer Company who was deployed in Syria but died when his vehicle flipped during a route clearing operation.
Angel Ruszkiewicz captured the arresting image which brings home the human toll of war.
Another photo shows brawny Air Force wrestler Cody Surratt celebrating after he slammed his competitor into submission in a February 2020 final, the image was taken by Joshua Armstrong.
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The US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels, C-130 pilots and crew arrive at Naval Air Station Pensacola with the team’s new C-130J Super Hercules, alongside the Blue Angel delta formationCredit: Cody Hendrix/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Recruits with Bravo Company, 1st Recruit Training Battalion, complete the Crucible aboard Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island. The Crucible is a 54-hour culmination event that ends with recruits earning their Eagle, Globe and Anchor and the title US MarineCredit: Bobby Yarbrough/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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A Marine Corps Instructor of Water Survival (MCIWS) instructs recruits with Fox Company, 2nd Recruit Training Battalion on proper breathing techniques before swim qualification training on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris IslandCredit: Dana Beesley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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The commander of Zr. Ms. De Ruyter and some of his crew walking in the desert of Dubai during their harbour visit during EMASOH mission during the beginning of the year for promotion purposesCredit: Aaron Zwaar/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Recruits from Swedens National CBRN Defense Centre after completing the exercise Never Give Up. They are now part of the Swedish Armed Forces and are soldiersCredit: Jimmy Croona/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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An instructor with DI School Class 1-21 corrects his student on the proper way to execute a rope climb during class physical training on Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris IslandCredit: Dana Beesley/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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British photographer Rebecca Brown snapped Gurkha Recruits in Catterick, North YorkshireCredit: Rebecca Brown/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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A Corporal holding a poppy to remember all the soldiers who came before himCredit: Dayne Roberts/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Sailors transport a patient across the brow to be admitted aboard the hospital ship USNS MercyCredit: Ryan Breeden/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Tank conscripts guarding the royal castle in StockholmCredit: Astrid Amtén/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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The United States Naval Academy held swearing-in events for the Class of 2020Credit: Levingston Lewis/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Basic Cadets from the Class of 2024 follow social-distancing precautions during the Swearing In ceremony held on Stillman Field at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado SpringsCredit: Joshua Armstrong/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Air Force wrestler Cody Surratt celebrates winning the match against his University of Northern Colorado competitorCredit: Joshua Armstrong/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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Members of the Republic of Guinea’s armed forces assault their objective during a simulated raid as part of the Flintlock Exercise in Nouakchott, MauritaniaCredit: Sidney Sale/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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A C-130 Hercules from the 153d Airlift Wing, Wyoming Air National Guard, flies over the state of Wyoming in appreciation for essential personnel on the frontlines of Covid-19Credit: Jon Alderman/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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An Airman applies camouflage to his face during Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape training, a 19-day Combat Survival CourseCredit: Corban Lundborg/Military Visual Awards/TNG
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US Navy Sailors and US Coast Guardsmen conduct helicopter hoist training aboard a rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) assigned to the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Detroit (LCS 7) during RHIB operationsCredit: Nathan Beard/Military Visual Awards/TNG
