US Navy pilot makes history as first woman to achieve air-to-air kill

A US Navy fighter jet pilot from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32 has made history as the first woman to achieve an air-to-air kill while deployed in the Red Sea.

A US Navy fighter jet pilot from Naval Air Station Oceana has made history as the first woman to achieve an air-to-air kill while deployed in the Red Sea.

The engagement, part of a broader conflict involving the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels and linked to Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, saw the pilot, from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32, known as the “Fighting Swordsmen,” use her F/A-18F Super Hornet to down a Houthi drone, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

This achievement marks a significant milestone for female aviators in the Navy. Notably, Maj. Gen. Jeannie Leavitt, who retired last year, was the first female fighter pilot in the Air Force in 1993. The Navy's first female carrier-based fighter pilot was Lt. Kara Hultgreen, who broke barriers in 1994. That same year, Navy Lt. Kimberly “Face” Dyson became the first female fighter pilot to undertake a combat mission in an operation enforcing a no-fly zone over Iraq.

Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32 has accumulated over 3,000 combat hours and conducted 1,500 combat missions, launching more than 20 air-to-air missiles against Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Since late October, the Houthis have posed a significant threat to merchant ships using rockets and drones, escalating tensions in the region following the outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Based at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, VFA-32 was part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group, which deployed to the Middle East in October to help prevent a broader regional conflict. The strike group has recently completed its mission and departed from the Middle East.

Cmdr. Jason Hoch, the commanding officer of VFA-32, expressed pride in his team’s performance under challenging conditions. “The success of the entire squadron over the past nine months is a testament to all the members of the command and their friends and family at home who support them,” Hoch said in a statement.

VFA-32 also led two of the seven self-defense strikes into Houthi-controlled territory of Yemen and fired off close to 20 precision-guided air-to-surface munitions to hit targets in the U.S. mission designed to cripple the rebel group from carrying out attacks on merchant ships.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group left the Middle East in June after nine months of operations, and just arrived back home in mid-July.

The Pentagon rotated the Navy sailors out and replaced them with the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 32 also led two of the seven self-defense strikes into Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen, deploying nearly 20 precision-guided air-to-surface munitions to target key positions and disrupt the rebels' ability to launch attacks on merchant ships.

The Dwight D. Eisenhower strike group completed its nine-month deployment to the Middle East and returned home in mid-July. The Pentagon has since rotated out the Navy personnel and replaced them with the USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.