As the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, CVN-69, and its air wing operated in the Red Sea, US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fighters were well into their work countering Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. This was brought home by kill marks painted on the side of one such aircraft, denoting the downed drones and munitions used against the Houthis.
The drone silhouettes on the Super Hornet’s fuselage resembled the Houthis’ KAS-04 system, also known as the Samad drone. The US military had previously confirmed shooting down an Iranian-made KAS-04 drone in November, though the specific models of drones engaged by American forces have not been widely disclosed.
In addition to the drone silhouettes, the aircraft also wore the markings for 11 munitions, probably indicating the number of bombs this particular Super Hornet had dropped during strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. This practice of “kill markings” is as old as military aviation, World War I, and has been used by many armed forces through the years to keep tabulations of their aircrew’s successes.
As one Pentagon official noted, “We’re under no impression that we have completely wiped off the map all of the Houthis’ capabilities. We know that they continue to have a robust arsenal, they continue to threaten commercial shipping.”
American and allied warships and planes have conducted an around-the-clock operation for months in safeguarding the international shipping lanes off the coast of Yemen from attacks by Houthis with anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, one-way attack drones, and unmanned underwater and surface vessels.
Although most of these attacks by Houthis against commercial ships have been minor, the rebels have recently managed to sink a ship and kill civilian crew members in two separate incidents involving anti-ship ballistic missiles.
In return, the fighter jets from the Eisenhower carrier air wing have been assigned tasks such as intercepting Houthi threats in the air and making unilateral preemptive strikes or coordinated strikes with US allies against the Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.
As one observer noted, “US forces are now engaging the Houthis — either through preemptive strikes or intercepting their threats in the air — on a routine basis, raising questions about the sustainability of the US-led coalition as it continues to expend resources and munitions.”
However, Navy leadership has made it plain that Carrier Strike Group 2—the Eisenhower, four destroyers, and a cruiser—will stay in the region as long as needed to counter an ongoing Houthi threat to commercial shipping.
The kill markings on the painted Super Hornet outline the integral role Eisenhower’s air wing has played in securing international waters from the Houthi menace by the US military. As the conflict continues to change scope in Yemen, these Navy fighter jets will no doubt remain at the forefront of any battle toward securing the Red Sea.