US Air Force Capt. Megan C. Langas is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on May 5 for her actions during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. Langas and five other airmen received the award. (US Air Force/Senior Airman Nyanda Walker-Potts)

Six F-16 Pilots Win Distinguished Flying Cross

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The six pilots were awarded the DFC for their actions during Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025—during which multiple fighter jets supported the critical mission of the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

This month, six United States Air Force pilots were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the fourth-highest US military award for valor in the service, for combat operations last year. The aviators from the 55th Fighter Squadron all fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and took part in last June’s Operation Midnight Hammer, the air campaign that targeted Iran’s nuclear program.

The pilots’ “mission involved high-risk flights into heavily defended airspace,” the Air Force wrote in a media statement.

The aviators were Lt. Col. Christopher M. Beckett, 55th FS commander; Major Matthew J. Corghan; Major Alexander J. Trembly; and Capt. Abigail D. Maio, Capt. Megan C. Langas, and Capt. Daniel J. Dodson, who were each awarded the medal for their “heroism and........

© The National Interest