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 the aircraft, one with minor injuries.
The incident highlights the dangers plaguing the Red Sea corridor as maritime attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue despite US and European coalition forces patrolling the area.
The U.S. military conducted airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen at the time, but the U.S. Central Command did not specify what their mission was.
Fighter jets maneuver 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 belonging to the ‘Red Reaper’ 11th Strike Fighter Squadron at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
The downed F/A-18 had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command. On December 15, Central Command announced that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify that the aircraft carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
Central Command said in a statement, “The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, a member of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally opened fire and struck an F/A-18.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
