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 their plane, with one suffering minor injuries.
The incident demonstrates the pervasive 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 U.S. military had carried out airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen at the time, but the U.S. Army Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.
A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of 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 jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
According to Central Command, the downed F/A-18 had just flown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. On December 15, Central Command said the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify that the aircraft 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, accidentally fired at the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
