34th ‘Rude Rams’ named top 2025 Air Force fighter squadron

A U.S. Air Force fighter squadron that played a large role in the Trump administration’s 2025 operations targeting Houthi militants in Yemen was recognized as the top fighter squadron in the whole force.

The 338th Fighter Wing’s 34th Fighter Squadron, known as the “Rude Rams” and located at Hill Air Force Base in Utah, have secured the 2025 Raytheon Award, the prize that acknowledges the top fighter squadron across the Air Force, according to a Tuesday release.

“The Airmen of the 34th have demonstrated an unwavering resolve to take the fight to the enemy, generating lethal effects under the most demanding conditions,” Gen. Adrian Spain, commander of Air Combat Command, said in the release.

The release notes that the 34th Fighter Squadron and the 34th Fighter Generation Squadron deployed the F-35A Lightning II in support of “combat and contingency operations” for CENTCOM and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

In 2025, the squadron was deployed for 11 out of 12 months, flew thousands of combat hours and contributed to operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, like Rough Rider and Midnight Hammer, according to the release.

Operation Rough Rider sought to destroy the capabilities of the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen. The campaign occurred from March 15 to May 6, 2025.

Pilots from the 34th Fighter Squadron assisted strikes that destroyed targets such as air defense systems, command-and-control facilities, weapons storage facilities and ballistic missile capabilities. The pilots also notched the first air-to-air kills from an F-35A against one-way attack drones, the release states.

The “Rude Rams” contributed to Operation Midnight Hammer on June 22, 2025, by escorting a strike package, which included B-2 Spirit bombers, into Iran’s contested airspace to strike underground nuclear sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan.

The F-35 formation flown by pilots in the 34th Fighter Squadron were the first aircraft to pierce Iranian airspace, according to the release, and suppress enemy air defenses to escort the B-2s to their target areas.

“To see the squadron grow and get to a spot where the Airmen are comfortable living and working in a place where they’re being shot at and still be experts…it was impressive to see,” Lt. Col. Aaron Osborne, 34th Fighter Squadron commander, said in the release.

On top of these operations, the fighter squadron assisted U.S. naval forces by providing air defense cover for carrier strike groups traveling through CENTCOM maritime chokepoints.

In a 2025 deployment to USINDOPACOM, the squadron executed alert scrambles, which require fighter pilots to take off immediately to address a potential threat, to counter aggression and reinforce the country’s stability commitment.

The release states that the squadron also supported homeland defense by flying multiple sorties — meaning rapid military missions — in support of President Donald Trump and Operation Noble Eagle, the name given to all North American aerospace defense missions.

The 34th Fighter Squadron was the first “combat-coded” F-35A squadron in the Air Force and is the most decorated F-35 unit in history, according to the release. For its actions in CENTCOM, the squadron received a Galant Unit Citation, which recognizes outstanding heroism in combat.

Airmen in the squadron also received dozens of nominations and awards for heroism and combat achievement such as nominations for the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star.