Two aviators from the United States Navy are safe after their F/A-18F Super Hornet, a two-seat fighter jet, was mistakenly shot down by the missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64), according to a statement issued by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) on Saturday night.
The incident occurred while the Super Hornet, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea. According to the statement, the cruiser fired at the aircraft by mistake in a case of friendly fire.
«Both aviators [a pilot and a WSO – Weapon Systems Officer] were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,» the CENTCOM statement said, adding that the incident was not the result of hostile fire and that a full investigation is already underway.
Incident details
The event took place around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, or 7 p.m. Saturday on the U.S. East Coast. According to official sources, the Super Hornet was assigned to Carrier Air Wing One, embarked on the USS Truman. Although the statement did not specify the squadron, the only F/A-18F two-seat squadron aboard the carrier is the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, known as the «Red Rippers,» based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
The USS Truman strike group is part of the Operation Guardian of Prosperity, a U.S.-led mission to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks originating in Yemen. As part of this operation, U.S. forces have intercepted drones, guided missiles, and ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis.
The same weekend, CENTCOM forces carried out deliberate strikes in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, targeting missile storage facilities and command-and-control centers. These strikes aim to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, including those targeting warships and merchant vessels in the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
USS Gettysburg’s responsibility
The USS Gettysburg, based at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, is part of the USS Truman strike group and entered the Red Sea last week. As the air defense commander of the group, the cruiser is responsible for detecting and neutralizing threats to the carrier and its escorts.
Equipped with over 100 vertical launch cells for interceptor missiles, the Gettysburg plays a key role in air defense. However, the type of weapon used in this incident has not yet been disclosed.
The USS Truman and its strike group, which departed Norfolk on September 23, previously operated in the Atlantic near Norway and the United Kingdom before arriving in the Red Sea.
Official CENTCOM statement
In the official statement, CENTCOM confirmed that «two aviators from the United States Navy safely ejected over the Red Sea in the early hours of December 22 when their F/A-18 was shot down in an apparent case of friendly fire.»
