Naval aviator becomes first American woman to secure air-to-air kill

An F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot from Strike Fighter Squadron 32 became the first American woman to engage and kill an air-to-air contact during the squadron’s recent deployment aboard the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Middle East.

The incident was one of more than 20 where Strike Fighter Squadron 32, known as the “Fighting Swordsmen” and part of Carrier Air Wing 3, deployed air-to-air missiles against Iran-backed Houthi air attack drones, according to the Navy. The Houthi drones were aimed toward civilian merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Bab-al-Mandeb Strait during this deployment, the Navy said.

The service did not identify the woman assigned to the Fighting Swordsmen who took down the Houthi missile.

The squadron also fired off nearly 120 precision-guided air-to-surface munitions in strikes targeting munitions and command and control facilities in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Altogether, Strike Fighter Squadron 32 participated in nearly 1,500 combat missions during the deployment.

USS Eisenhower back in Norfolk following historic, extended deployment

“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 that support them,” Cmdr. Jason Hoch, commanding officer of Strike Fighter Squadron 32, said in a Navy news release.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the Swordsmen’s performance day-in and day-out in incredibly demanding conditions,” Hoch said. “We proved over and over again that the flexibility a carrier strike group brings to the fight is unmatched, and that is solely due to the highly trained and motivated Sailors who go above and beyond the call of duty each and every day.”

Carrier Air Wing 3 also includes Strike Fighter Squadron 105, which became the first naval squadron to successfully employ the AIM-9X infrared-seeking missile in combat with a direct hit, according to the Navy. The incident took out a Houthi drone headed toward civilian merchant vessels, the Navy said.

The Eisenhower returned to Naval Station Norfolk on July 14, concluding a nine-month deployment. The carrier’s strike group also included the destroyers Gravely and Mason, and the cruiser Philippine Sea.

The crew of the Ike received the Combat Action Ribbon, known as the CAR, for their actions in the Middle East. The award has rarely been distributed since the 1991 Gulf War, and is for sailors and Marines who actively participated in ground or surface action.

Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro also authorized the Air Medal for those with the “Strike/Flight” designation for conducting sustained aerial operations in the region.

The aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt arrived in the Middle East earlier this month to replace the Ike and “to deter aggression, promote regional stability, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region,” according to U.S. Central Command.