The good news is that the pilots are safe. There were no fatalities, but it could have been a tragic accident. We have confirmed reports of a friendly fire incident occurring in the Red Sea, where an F-18 fighter jet was blasted out of the sky. American forces have been conducting airstrikes in Yemen against Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The fighter jet was accidentally shot down by a cruise missile cruiser, which is under investigation. Both pilots were able to eject from the aircraft and rescued shortly thereafter (via USNI News):
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 ballistic missiles as part of their mission.
It might be a coincidence, but some note that this is our military under Joe Biden. Either way, let’s not gloss over the real story that the two pilots blessedly survived this ordeal. We’ll have plenty of time to rip Joe Biden apart and on much more serious matters. Still, it does feel like this was the Biden administration’s last hurrah at exhibiting shambolic qualities before leaving.
