According to the standards of the US Air Force, a pilot who shoots down at least five enemy planes in an air battle can be called an "ace pilot." In all the local wars since the end of the Vietnam War, including on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years, no US military or foreign pilots have ever completed such a record, including the F-16 and F-15, which are the main models of the United States and the West. Recently, however, Captain Earl Earhart, a pilot of the AV-8B Harrier in the 231st Strike Squadron AV-8B Harrier deployed aboard the USS Bataan (LHD-5) amphibious assault ship in the Red Sea, recently achieved the record — but not by enemy fighters, but by seven Houthi drones.
