A US senator has said that she was raped by a superior officer while serving in the Air Force, BBC reported.

Senator Martha McSally, who was the first female US fighter pilot to fly in combat, was speaking at a hearing on sex assaults in the military.

The Arizona Republican said she did not report the rape as she felt ashamed and confused, and distrusted the system.

Ms McSally, 52, was speaking on Wednesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services subcommittee featuring victims of sexual assault.

"Like you, I also am a military sexual assault survivor, but unlike so many brave survivors, I didn't report being sexually assaulted. Like so many women and men, I didn't trust the system at the time," she said.

"I blamed myself. I was ashamed and confused," she said. "The perpetrators abused their position of power in profound ways. In one case I was preyed upon and raped by a superior officer."