First Jet vs. Jet Ace: Capt. James Jabara The world's first jet-versus-jet ace was USAF Capt. James Jabara, who scored his initial victory on April 3, 1951 and his fifth and sixth victories on May 20. He was then ordered back to the U.S. for special duty. At his own request, he returned to Korea in January 1953. By June, he had shot down nine more MiG-15s, giving him a total of 15 air-to-air jet victories during the Korean War. Jabara was also credited with 1.5 victories over Europe during World War II. (The German Luftwaffe had 22 jet pilot aces during WWII but all claims were Allied prop-driven aircraft.) In November 1966, Jabara, then a colonel, was killed in an automobile accident while traveling to a new assignment. Click here to return to the Air Superiority Overview. Find Out More Related Fact Sheets Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis Note: The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the National Museum of the USAF, the U.S. Air Force, or the Department of Defense, of the external website, or the information, products or services contained therein.