WASHINGTON, USA: A Navy aviator recently made history as the first woman US pilot to “engage and kill an air-to-air contact” in combat.
The pilot, from the “Fighting Swordsmen” strike fighter squadron, achieved this milestone by shooting down an attack drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The squadron was deployed on the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which had been sent to the Middle East following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7.
The carrier strike group concluded its nine-month combat deployment on July 14, returning to Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. Cmdr. Jason Hoch praised the squadron’s performance, emphasizing their flexibility and dedication in challenging conditions. The Fighting Swordsmen carried out nearly 1,500 combat missions supporting Operation Inherent Resolve and Operation Prosperity Guardian during deployment.
The squadron fired over 20 air-to-air missiles against Houthi drones in the Red Sea and Bab-al-Mandeb Strait. Additionally, they led two of seven self-defence strikes in Houthi-controlled Yemen, targeting munitions and command facilities used against civilian vessels.
