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HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah –  Sitting around their traditional Friday night steak dinner on the patio of a dining facility in the desert, a small group of fighter pilots looked each other in the eyes. Some were tense, some held questions, but they all knew the truth: they were about to attempt something that only they and their jets could do.

On June 22, 2025, Operation Midnight Hammer successfully struck nuclear sites deep inside Iran, demonstrating to the world the unmatched capabilities of United States air power – Airmen and F-35A Lightning II aircraft from the 388th Fighter Wing led the way.

“The effectiveness of this strike validated all of the capabilities of the F-35 we’ve been talking about for years – stealth, lethality, sensor-fusion, being a force-multiplier,” said Col. Charles Fallon, 388th Fighter Wing commander. “The strike package depended on our pilots and this aircraft to perform, and both proved more than capable. 91��Ƭ��are necessary components for today’s fight and tomorrow’s fight, wherever that may be.”

One of the primary mission sets of the 388th Fighter Wing with the F-35A is suppression of enemy air defenses. They train for it nearly every day. The SEAD mission calls for “kicking down the door” – for pilots to use the F-35’s, stealth, radar, sensors and targeting systems to detect and destroy surface-to-air threats.

During the complex, precise mission, the F-35 formation paved the way for other aircraft, including the B-2 stealth bombers from Whiteman AFB, Mo, which ultimately dropped 14 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bombs on the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities deep inside Iran. 

“Our weapons officer was the overall mission commander,” said Lt. Col. Aaron Osborne, 34th Fighter Squadron commander. “91��Ƭ��flew hundreds of miles into Iran, escorting the B-2s the entire way. 91��Ƭ��employed weapons to great effect against multiple surface-to-air missile sites.”

The low-observable capabilities of the F-35s, F-22s and B-2s, combined with intelligence, cyber operations and tactics, protected the strike package. According to Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, no enemy shots were fired.

After the strike package employed the MOPs against their primary targets, the F-35s guarded their exit – the last ones out of Iranian airspace.

“It was really cool to see the jet do exactly what it was designed to do,” Osborne said. “While they were trying to target us with some very high high-end systems and they were just unable to.”

The F-35 program has been the subject of years of debate and scrutiny, but that should not distract from the fact that the F-35 platform of today is the one pilots say others are jealous of.

“It is the world’s finest combat machine. And the more capability we can get, the more lethal we are going to be. It’s the best one in the world, by far. It is the most reliable. It is the one most likely to bring you home,” Osborne said.

That small group of pilots from the patio not only made it home, but the success of their mission is something they’ll never forget.

“There aren’t a lot of rights of passage in society anymore, but to have your life at risk and then to rely on your skills, your team, and your equipment, and then come through it is the coolest feeling in the entire world,” Osborne said.  “I tell these guys, ‘You'll chase that feeling for the rest of your life.’ There's absolutely nothing like it.”