They may be war machines, but in our humble opinion, fighter jets look best when they’re not being used to fight anything at all. The beautifully designed jets fly through the air with a terrible grace and fearsome precision that some photographers have become masters at capturing.

Whether it’s The Red Arrows or Blue Angels or Thunderbirds flying in formation, or it’s a single jet breaking through the sound barrier and forming that immediately recognizable cone, these 25 photos should get any jet nerd’s heart pumping and adrenaline flowing.

Scroll down and enjoy!

Steaming! by Dan Kemsley on 500px.com

Orange by Dimitri Alderweireld on 500px.com

Calypso Pass by Vasilis Argyropoulos on 500px.com

Super Hornet Shockwave by Chris Buff on 500px.com

Red Arrow Fountain by Uncool Dan on 500px.com

Dark skies calling by Neil O

Royal Air Force Harrier GR9 by Darren Dawson on 500px.com

USAF F15 Strike Eagle - Bwlch - Mach loop. by Ben Gilbert on 500px.com

Sneak Pass by Steven Serdikoff on 500px.com

Strike Eagle at rest by Chris Buff on 500px.com

100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation - SB-2C & F/A-18 by Tyson Rininger on 500px.com

Going Vertical ! by Patrick Foss on 500px.com

Al Fursan by Muhanad Nassiri on 500px.com

Speed by Matt Daniels on 500px.com

Mig-29 by Dimitri Alderweireld on 500px.com

The dance by Giuseppe Torre on 500px.com

Red Arrows by Richard Wood on 500px.com

Crazy takeoff by Pascal Riviere on 500px.com

Launch! by Chris Buff on 500px.com

Su-30 MkII by Sergio J. Padrón A. on 500px.com

Viggen by Sergio J. Padrón A. on 500px.com

F15 Eagle by Luke Bhothipiti on 500px.com

SPLINTERd by Jonathan Derden on 500px.com

Steaming Eagle! by Tom Dean Photography on 500px.com

Dutch F16 by Oxon Images on 500px.com

If you’ve got your own amazing fighter jet photos, be sure to upload them to 500px and drop a link in the comments. And if you’d like to see more photos like the ones above, there’s plenty more jets waiting for you at this link.