The U.S. Air Force has provided new details on the role of F-35A Lightning II fighters in Operation Midnight Hammer, carried out on June 22, 2025, against Iranian nuclear targets. The mission, led by personnel and aircraft from the 388th Wing, included air-defense suppression actions and escort of B-2 Spirit bombers during their ingress and egress from Iranian airspace.
According to Col. Charles Fallon, commander of the 388th Wing, the operation confirmed the F-35A’s strategic capabilities. “The effectiveness of this strike validated all the capabilities of the F-35 we’ve been talking about for years—stealth, lethality, sensor fusion, being a force multiplier,” he said. He added that the mission depended on the combined performance of both the pilots and the aircraft.
One of the 388th Wing’s primary functions is the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD). These operations require leveraging the F-35A’s reduced signature, radar, sensors, and targeting systems to detect and neutralize surface-to-air sites. During Midnight Hammer, the F-35As cleared the penetration route and reduced the risk for other participating aircraft.
The fighters escorted the B-2 Spirits operating out of Whiteman AFB, which struck the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities. In total, seven bombers released fourteen GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators, a weapon designed to destroy heavily protected underground targets. These actions were coordinated with strikes launched from the sea by U.S. Navy destroyers and submarines, along with intelligence support, cyber operations, and electronic warfare.
Lt. Col. Aaron Osborne, commander of the 34th Fighter Squadron, detailed that his unit played a central role in the operation. “We flew hundreds of miles into Iran, escorting the B-2s the entire way. We employed weapons with great effectiveness against multiple surface-to-air missile sites,” he stated. Osborne also noted that Iranian forces attempted to use advanced systems to detect and engage the F-35s, but were unsuccessful. “It was really good to see the jet do exactly what it was designed to do,” he said.
According to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, no Iranian air-defense system managed to fire on the formation, a result he attributed to the combination of stealth aircraft—F-35s, F-22s, and B-2s—together with non-kinetic support capabilities.
The pilots’ statements reinforced confidence in the F-35A platform, whose operational evolution has been a subject of debate in recent years. “It’s the best combat machine in the world. And the more capability we have, the more lethal we will be. It’s the best in the world by far. It’s the most reliable. It’s the one most likely to bring you home,” Osborne said.
The airmen who took part in the mission returned without incident. For them, the experience marked a professional turning point. “There aren’t many rites of passage in society today, but having your life at risk and then relying on your skills, your team, and your equipment—and getting through it—is the best feeling in the world,” Osborne said. “I tell these guys: ‘You’ll be chasing that feeling for the rest of your lives.’ There’s nothing like it.”
Cover image courtesy of the U.S. Air Force’s 388th Wing.
You may also like: The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln departed San Diego to begin a new deployment in the Pacific
