All-Female, American Sortie Flies Bombing Mission Against Taliban – Meet ‘Dudette 07’

Posted on April 4, 2011 at 12:16pm by Mike Opelka

Does this qualify as ‘breaking the glass ceiling’ from above?

One wonders what Afghanistan’s Taliban troops would think if they knew the American F-15s dropping bombs from high in the sky were flown by an all-female crew?  The entire crew of ‘Dudette 07’ happens to be female, from the pilots and weapons officers to the mission planners and maintainers.

Captain Jennifer Morton is seen doing a pre-flight check.

U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Sheila deVera

The official statement on this historic event comes from the US Military:

3/31/2011 - BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) – A team of female Airmen made history here March 30 when the F-15E Strike Eagles of “Dudette 07” blazed down the runway to provide close air support for coalition and Afghan ground forces.
The two-ship formation consisted of all females, two pilots and two weapons system officers, but more importantly, it marked the first combat mission flown from Bagram to be planned, maintained and flown entirely by females.

Meet these ‘Top Guns’ up close and personal:

Indeed, a perfect way to close out ‘Women’s History Month.’