Female fighter pilot becomes 1st American woman to secure victory in air-to-air combat
Date
7/22/2024 4:45:11 AM
(MENAFN) A historic milestone has been achieved by the US Navy with the announcement that a female fighter pilot has become the first American woman to secure a victory in air-to-air combat. The pilot, whose name has not been disclosed in the Navy’s release, was flying an F/A-18 Super Hornet from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, serving with Strike Fighter Squadron 32, known as the “Flying Swordsmen.”
The aerial victory was achieved against a Houthi attack drone, which is part of a series of drone attacks conducted by the Yemen-based Houthi group. These attacks have targeted civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea and surrounding waters, a response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza during Israel’s war against Hamas, according to a release from Carrier Strike Group 2.
During operations, Strike Fighter Squadron 32 accumulated over 3,000 combat hours and conducted nearly 1,500 combat missions as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, which focuses on ISIS, and Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new initiative launched in December 2023 to counter the Houthi drone attacks on international shipping.
The Swordsmen, one of the four strike fighter squadrons deployed on the Eisenhower, engaged in more than 20 air-to-air missile launches against the Houthi drones. The Navy’s statement highlighted that during one of these missions, VFA-32 achieved the significant milestone of having the first American female pilot engage and destroy an air-to-air target.
This achievement comes 30 years after Lt. Kara Hultgreen became the Navy’s first female carrier-based fighter pilot in 1994, flying the F-14 Tomcat from the USS Abraham Lincoln. Female aviators have been part of the Eisenhower’s crew since 1994.
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