First Female Navy Pilot Achieves Air-to-Air Kill

A female F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot made history by scoring the first air-to-air victory in combat by a woman in U.S. military history. The pilot, not named by the Navy, shot down a drone launched by Houthi rebel forces targeting civilian commercial vessels in the Red Sea while deployed with Strike Fighter Squadron 32 on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. The pilot’s achievement was part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, which aimed to stop drone attacks on commercial shipping in the region. The squadron completed nearly 1,500 missions during the deployment, employing air-to-air missiles against Houthi-launched drones and air-to-surface munitions. This victory marks a new milestone for women in U.S. Naval aviation, 30 years after Lt. Kara Hultgreen became the Navy’s first fully qualified female fighter pilot and Navy Lt. Kimberly Dyson flew the first official combat mission by a female pilot. Cmdr. Jason Hoch praised the squadron’s performance and dedication, highlighting the flexibility and capabilities a carrier strike group brings to combat. The U.S. Navy did not specify when the historic air-to-air victory occurred, but it is a significant achievement for both the pilot and the squadron as a whole.

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