A Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to the US Navy has been shot down over the Red Sea as part of the USA’s military operations against Houthi forces in Yemen.
Both aviators onboard were able to safely eject from the two-seat fighter jet, which the Pentagon says was mistakenly targeted by a nearby American naval vessel in the early morning hours of 22 December local time.
“This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway,” says US Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees Washington’s combat operations in the Middle East region.
The two aviators were recovered, with one sustaining minor injuries.
Although precise details are not yet known, Tampa, Florida-based CENTCOM confirms the downed Super Hornet was mistakenly fired upon by the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg.
The Gettysburg is amongst the vessels escorting the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman, to which the incident F/A-18F was assigned as part of Carrier Air Wing 1. The Truman arrived in the Middle East on 14 December to “ensure regional stability and security”, according to an earlier announcement by the Pentagon.
The downing of the American fighter appears to be a classic “fog of war” incident, occurring just after US forces had responded to a barrage of incoming Houthi munitions, including one way attack UAVs and anti-ship cruise missiles, on 21 December.
These were intercepted over the Red Sea, according to CENTCOM.
Earlier that day Washington had announced airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, carried out by US Air Force and US Navy assets, including F/A-18s.
“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said on 21 December.
Video of the operation released by the navy shows multiple F/A-18s and a Northrop Grumman E-2D airborne early warning aircraft launching from the Truman flight deck under full night conditions. The footage was posted at 20:32 US Eastern time on 21 December, indicating the events took place just before the Super Hornet was downed.
No mention of the friendly fire incident was included with the strike announcement, indicating the F/A-18F shooting occurred afterwards.
Only one of the fighter squadrons embarked with Carrier Air Wing 1 aboard the Truman operates the two-seat F/A-18F variant of the Super Hornet – Strike Fighter Squadron 11, based in Virginia.
For more than a year, American naval and air forces have been engaged in a grinding campaign against Houthi militants, who have used their strategic position in western Yemen to attack commercial shipping with long-range missiles and one-way UAVs.
Both active duty officers and outside observers have described the situation as the US Navy’s heaviest period of sustained combat since World War II. Individual air attacks have featured dozens of missiles and one-way UAVs fired at US naval ships, which are typically intercepted by a mix of fighter aircraft and ship-based air defences.
Carrier-based fighter squadrons have individually conducted hundreds of combat sorties over the past year, as multiple flattops have rotated through the region. Ground-based fighters and bombers from the US Air Force have also supported the effort.
Several notable aviation milestones have been recorded during the campaign, including the first combat mission by a Lockheed Martin F-35C and the first air-to-air kill by an Boeing EA-18G Growler electronic attack fighter.
See video of the US Navy’s 21 December air operations agaisnt Houthi targets in Yemen:
