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ing over Afghanistan, two USAF C-17s on Oct. 11 made one of the largest single airdrops since the start of operations there, reports SSgt. Trevor Tierman. The aircrews dropped 62 bundles of cargo, weighing about 85,000 pounds, to coalition ground forces to sustain them through the winter. The mission marked the first time two aircraft had airdropped supplies simultaneously to the same drop zone in the area of responsibility, said TSgt. Marvin Mosley, one of the mission loadmasters. It also kept convoys from having to navigate a potentially dangerous 200-mile route to the forward operating base.
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.