Two US Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in what appeared to be “friendly fire,” the US military said.
The pilots were found alive after being ejected from their plane, with one of them suffering minor injuries.
The incident demonstrates the widespread dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid continued attacks on shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis, even as US and European military coalitions patrol the area.
The US military had carried out airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels at the time, but the US military's Central Command did not elaborate on what its mission was.
A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP)
The Army said the downed plane was an F/A-18 Super Hornet two-seat fighter aircraft assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
The downed F/A-18 had just taken off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, according to Central Command. On December 15, Central Command said 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, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
