A guided-missile cruiser, the USS Gettysburg, accidentally downed an F/A-18 fighter jet over the Red Sea.
In a friendly fire incident, the US Navy’s USS Gettysburg shot down its own F/A-18, the Pentagon revealed shortly after publicizing a successful bombing raid on purported Houthi targets in Yemen.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed early Sunday that the F/A-18, which had launched from the USS Harry S. Truman, was downed. Both pilots ejected and were rescued, although one sustained minor injuries.
This occurred concurrently with US and British air strikes targeting alleged Houthi missile storage and command facilities in Sanaa, aiming to hinder Houthi operations, according to a previous CENTCOM announcement Saturday night.
“During this operation, CENTCOM forces also intercepted multiple Houthi one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea,” the US military reported.
“The operation involved US Air Force and US Navy assets, including F/A-18s,” it added.
The US military later acknowledged that the USS Gettysburg “inadvertently engaged” the F/A-18, without specifying the weapon used. An investigation into the incident is underway. The cruiser’s commander is also the air defense commander for the strike group, responsible for identifying and neutralizing threats.
For the past 14 months, American forces, alongside allies, have been conducting Operation Prosperity Guardian to safeguard merchant shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from Houthi threats. While the group claims to have downed several MQ-9 Reapers, the loss of the F/A-18 to friendly fire marks the first loss of a crewed US aircraft in the operation.