NORFOLK, Virginia – A historic milestone was achieved by a United States Navy aviator, who became the first American woman to secure a victory in air-to-air combat. The unidentified fighter pilot accomplished this feat by successfully taking down a Houthi drone, among the many deployed by the rebel group targeting civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, as reported by the Navy. The Houthi attacks are believed to be a retaliatory response to the conflict in Gaza resulting from the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Flying an F/A-18 Super Hornet as part of a combat deployment aboard the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower for nine months, the pilot was part of Strike Fighter Squadron 32, also known as the “Flying Swordsmen.” Notably, the Eisenhower was the first U.S. aircraft carrier to integrate women aviators into their operating crew back in 1994, according to the National Air and Space Museum.
The Navy shared that during a mission, VFA-32 became the host to the first American female pilot to engage and eliminate an air-to-air target. Throughout their deployment, the squadron fired over 20 air-to-air missiles at one-way Houthi attack drones targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, a narrow waterway between Yemen and the horn of Africa.
Upon completing their deployment earlier this month, Strike Fighter Squadron 32 returned to the Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach on July 14, marking a historic achievement in the Navy. Commander Jason Hoch, the commanding officer of the squadron, commended the members for their exceptional performance over the nine-month deployment. The squadron logged over 3,000 combat hours and executed more than 1,500 combat missions, a record-breaking accomplishment praised by the Navy.
The ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the vital international shipping corridors of the Red Sea and surrounding waters have been a cause for concern since November. With ties to Iran, the rebel group’s drone attacks have resulted in fatalities, including a recent strike on a cargo ship in the Red Sea. These incidents underscore the volatile maritime environment in the region, with dangerous consequences for mariners and international shipping operations.