F-22 Pilots Awarded Distinguished Flying Cross for Actions in CENTCOM, Including Midnight Hammer

Seven F-22 Raptor pilots have recently been awarded one of the military’s highest decorations for their actions during operations in the Middle East.

Six of the pilots were decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities

Another pilot currently stationed in Europe received a DFC for a mission in the Middle East, but the Air Force did not say when or where the actions that earned that pilot the award occurred.

The six Airmen from Langley were decorated for their actions escorting B-2 Spirit stealth bombers that struck the Fordow and Natanz nuclear sites in Iran. The strike package also included F-16 Fighting Falcons and F-35 Lightning II fighters, and pilots from those units received DFCs earlier this year; tanker crews from multiple units have also received the award for supporting the mission. No individual awards have yet been announced for the B-2 aviators who participated in Midnight Hammer.

The DFC recognizes acts of heroism or extraordinary achievement in the air and is the military’s fourth-highest award for heroism. 

Four of the pilots came from the Active-Duty 94th Fighter Squadron, part of the 1st Fighter Wing at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va., and two pilots came from the associated Virginia Air National Guard’s 149th Fighter Squadron, part of the 192nd Wing.

The medals were presented Aug. 31 by the head of Air Combat Command, Gen. Adrian L. Spain, in a ceremony at the Virginia base.

The F-22s were among an armada of fighters that escorted the seven B-2s that dropped 14 30,000-pound GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator weapons on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Around 125 U.S. aircraft of all types were involved in the mission, which came after a nearly two-week Israeli air campaign against Iran. The stealthy F-22s serve as the Air Force’s premier air-to-air fighters and can use their capabilities to penetrate defended airspace.

“Their job was to provide air superiority,” Spain said, according to an account of his remarks provided by the 1st Fighter Wing. “The bombers and the rest of the support package relied on these Raptor pilots to clear the skies, shield them from surface threats, and ensure a safe route through heavily contested airspace.”

Officials from Air Combat Command and the 1st Fighter Wing declined to provide further details on the mission that earned the pilots their decorations or medal citations, or to publicly disclose pilots’ identities, citing operational security concerns.

“We haven’t awarded many of these in the last few decades, as it’s intended to recognize true heroism and highly exceptional accomplishment in flight, which means that it should be rare, and it is,” said Spain.

Iran’s air force was largely destroyed during the 2026 air campaign against the country, Operation Epic Fury. But even during Midnight Hammer, Iran posed a limited air-to-air threat, with most of its capability consisting of aircraft purchased before the Iranian revolution in 1979. Before the Shah was overthrown and a theocratic government took over, Iran was the largest purchaser of American arms. Iran also has Soviet-designed fighters.

Still, Iran showed the ability to generate some airpower, launching aircraft to attack Gulf countries after Israel and Iran began their air campaign on Feb. 28 of this year, and was able to strike a base in Kuwait used by the U.S. with one of its aging fighter jets.

F-22s from Langley deployed to support Operation Epic Fury and follow-on actions against Iran earlier this year but have since returned.

“It was your support that enabled their excellence—from the maintainers, the operations team, the intel professionals, and the logistics involved,” Spain said. “Let there be no doubt heroism like this is earned by the entire formation. These pilots were the leading edge that day, but the foundation of their success was laid by the hard work of the entire organization in the days prior and every day since. And that’s what Air Force readiness looks like.”

The seventh  F-22 pilot received their decoration Sept. 22 from U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander Lt. Gen. Jason T. Hinds for leading a strike package during a mission in the Middle East that operated in contested airspace, according to a release from the command. U.S. officials did not immediately say whether the mission was part of Operation Epic Fury, Operation Midnight Hammer, or Operation Rough Rider, the 2025 campaign against the Houthis in Yemen.

The pilot faced “challenging conditions including enemy threats” and “directed the aircraft formation, making critical decisions with limited time and little margin for error,” according to USAFE.

The command, like ACC, withheld the Airman’s identity.

“For more than an hour, [the pilot] remained focused on protecting teammates” and “acted decisively to protect the larger force, and ensured the formation could safely return,” Hinds said. “Their actions helped give the strike package the time and freedom needed to accomplish its mission.”