Sailors prepare an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to the ‘Red Rippers’ of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, to take off from the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), Sept. 25, 2024. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with additional information on the timing of the incident.
Two U.S. Navy aviators are safe after their two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down by an American ship by mistake, according to a late Saturday statement from U.S. Central Command.
The Super Hornet, assigned to aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea when guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) fired upon it, according to the CENTCOM statement.
“Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,” reads a statement from CENTCOM.
“This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”
A Navy official told USNI News the incident occurred around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday or about 7 p.m. East Coast time on Saturday. The Super Hornet was assigned to Carrier Air Wing One, and embarked aboard Truman, an official told USNI News. While the CENTCOM statement didn’t specify the squadron, the only two-seat F/A-18F squadron embarked aboard Truman are the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.
The strike group is tasked as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, the mission to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks from Yemen. Previous strike groups and independently deployed U.S. guided-missile warships have intercepted dozens of drones, guided cruise missiles and ballstic missiles as part of their mission.
Over the weekend, U.S. forces attacked the Yemeni capital of Sanna striking a missile storage facility and a command and control node, according to a Saturday statement from CENTCOM.
“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden,” reads the statement.
Gettysburg, homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., is assigned to Truman and entered the Red Sea with the carrier last week, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.
The commander of the cruiser is the air defense commander for the strike group and is responsible for detecting and defeating threats to the carrier and its escorts.
The cruiser has more than 100 vertical launch cells capable of firing missiles capable of intercepting a variety of threats. Officials have not yet disclosed the weapon the crew of the cruiser used in the incident.
Truman, its escorts and airwing deployed from Norfolk on Sept 23. Before entering the Red Sea, the strike group operated in the Atlantic off Norway and the U.K.
The following is the complete statement from U.S. Central Command.
TAMPA, Fla. – Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely over the Red Sea during the early morning hours of December 22 when their F/A-18 fighter aircraft was shot down in an apparent case of friendly fire.
The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman.
Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.
