Super Hornet Pilot Shot Down A Syrian Jet In 2017

The U.S. Navy has presented the Distinguished Flying Cross to F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot Lt. Cmdr. Mike "MOB" Tremel, who shot down a Syrian jet in 2017. It was the first air-to-air kill recorded by the U.S. military in 18 years.

Fox News reports that Lt. Cmdr. Tremel shot down the Syrian SU-22 after it attacked coalition forces near ISIS' de facto capital of Raqqa in June of last year.

The Syrian pilot had dropped bombs near Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) positions. U.S.-led coalition forces first attempted to turn the jet back from an attack on SDF forces in the town of Ja'Din south of Tabaqah.

Tremel is a 2004 graduate of the U.S. Naval academy. He later attended the Navy's "Top Gun" fighter weapons school.

Military.com reported that Tremel downplayed his role in the engagement, calling it an "absolute team effort."

“Our whole mission out there was to defeat (the Islamic State group), annihilate ISIS,” he said. “At any point in time, if this had de-escalated, that would have been great. We would have gotten mission success and (gone) back to continue to drop bombs on ISIS.”

Vice Admiral DeWolfe Miller III presented Lt. Cmdr. Tremel with the award at the Tailhook Association's annual convention held last weekend at the Nugget Casino Resort in Nevada, according to the report.

(Image from file)

FMI: Source report