Four A-10 pilots deployed to Bagram AB, Afghanistan for six months each just reached 100 combat sorties, and one of them is a sailor, reports Capt. Michael Meridith. Three Air Force Warthog pilots, Maj. James Barlow, Capt. Daniel Cruz, and Capt. Ryan Cleveland, and Navy exchange pilot Lt. Cmdr. Scott Craig, see their shared accomplishment as a representation of lives saved, being able to assist coalition ground forces. Barlow recalled his 100th mission, when he received a call from ground forces under attack and outnumber two to one. He said the enemy fled as the Hog came in.
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.