Red Sea Drone Attacks Create First American Ace In 50+ Years

The U.S. military's first war ace since Vietnam is fighting an enemy his predecessors couldn't have imagined. Marine Capt. Earl Ehrhart has shot down seven explosives-packed suicide drones with his Harrier jump jet in the Navy's effort to keep Red Sea shipping lanes open. The military defines an ace as any crew member whose aircraft has shot down five enemy aircraft. "I never imagined I was going to be doing this when we launched," Ehrhart told the BBC, which was granted a tour of the USS Bataan, one of dozens of ships involved in the Red Sea operation.

Ehrhart told BBC the force is under constant threat of attack from Houthi rebels who began attacking merchant ships in December. The Bataan is actually an amphibious assault ship designed to rapidly deploy fully equipped fight forces to conflict areas. It pivoted to an air defense vessel with some outside-the-box thinking by its crew. "We took a Harrier jet and modified it for air defence," Ehrhart told the BBC. "We loaded it up with missiles and that way were able to respond to their drone attacks." The ship picks up the drones on its sensors and Ehrhart heads off in a one-sided pursuit. "They are shooting at us all the time, so we need to be even more focused. Our systems need to be primed so we can stay safe."