Lt. James McDonald, an aircraft shooter, launches an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 102 from the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. Shooters are pilots or naval flight officers who ensure that aircraft launch safely from the carrier. Kitty Hawk is participating in the Rim of the Pacific exercise off Hawaii with units from the U.S., Australia, Chile, Japan, the Netherlands, Peru, South Korea, Singapore and the United Kingdom.