Talyn
Emissary
The three Air National Guard F-16 pilots — with callsigns "Fume," "Boom," and "Hammer" — took down at least 15 drones and missiles, including a rare kill with a plane's gun.
taskandpurpose.com
Brig. Gen. Matthew "Pitch" McDonough, commander of the 113th Wing of the DC Air National Guard shakes the
hands of three F-16 pilots who were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with “C” device for combat in a Feb. 1
ceremony. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Filzen.
Like all modern fighters, the F-16 is designed to fight primarily with missiles, while recording an air-to-air kill with guns is rare, according to Retired Lt. Gen. David Deputla, former Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
Deuptula said the mission was both “unusual and noteworthy,” because air combat in the last several decades has been “dominated by sensors and missiles.” The last air-to-air kills recorded with a fighter’s cannon, he said, came in 1991 during Desert Storm.
Air Guard pilots downed over a dozen Iranian drones to earn Distinguished Flying Crosses
Three F-16 pilots were given the distinguished combat awards for shooting down Iranian drones aimed at Israel in 2024.
taskandpurpose.com
Brig. Gen. Matthew "Pitch" McDonough, commander of the 113th Wing of the DC Air National Guard shakes the
hands of three F-16 pilots who were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with “C” device for combat in a Feb. 1
ceremony. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Natalie Filzen.
Like all modern fighters, the F-16 is designed to fight primarily with missiles, while recording an air-to-air kill with guns is rare, according to Retired Lt. Gen. David Deputla, former Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
Deuptula said the mission was both “unusual and noteworthy,” because air combat in the last several decades has been “dominated by sensors and missiles.” The last air-to-air kills recorded with a fighter’s cannon, he said, came in 1991 during Desert Storm.