The Facts

• The US Navy has revealed that a female aviator recently became the first American woman to score a victory in air-to-air combat when she knocked down a Houthi drone.

• Although the Navy didn't specify when the unnamed female pilot accomplished her historic feat, the service confirmed that during its deployment that started Oct. 13 and 14, her squadron fired more than 20 air-to-air missiles against one-way Houthi attack drones.

• The female pilot flew an F/A-18 Super Hornet off the USS Dwight D Eisenhower in protection of civilian merchant ships in the Red Sea and adjacent waters.