Super Hornet Shot Down By Friendly Fire, Crew Safe
A Red Rippers Super Hornet was downed by a U.S. Navy missile on Saturday off Yemen.
U.S. Navy photo by Seaman Jared M. King/Wikimedia
Two naval aviators safely ejected from their F/A-18 Super Hornet when the aircraft was shot down over the Red Sea in a friendly fire accident by the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg Saturday. “Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement. “This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.” The Navy has not elaborated on the mishap except to say that the combat tempo in the region is the most intense since the Second World War.
The incident occurred about 7 p.m. EST Saturday. The aircraft was reportedly assigned to the "Red Rippers" of the Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia and was operating from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. The carrier group is in the Red Sea protecting merchant shipping from Houthi attacks based in Yemen. More details as they are made available.
