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Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in what appeared to be “friendly fire”, the US military said.
The pilots were found alive after ejecting from the aircraft, and one suffered minor injuries.
The incident shows the ever-present dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid constant attacks on ships by the Iran-backed Houthis, even as US and European military coalitions patrol the area.
The U.S. military carried out airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, but U.S. Army Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.
A fighter jet maneuvers aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP)
The military said the downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter assigned to the “Red Guts” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
According to Central Command, the downed F/A-18 had just ejected from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. Central Command said on December 15 that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired and hit an F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
