Two US pilots shot down by friendly fire over the Red Sea – DW – December 22, 2024

A US Navy ship accidentally shot down one of its fighter jets in a friendly fire incident over the Red Sea, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late Saturday.

It was the most serious incident to impact the U.S. and European military coalitions that patrol the region to prevent attacks on ships by Yemen-based Houthi rebels.

What do we know?

According to CENTCOM, the downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet with two pilots on board.

The aircraft was assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

According to CENTCOM, the jet had just flown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman when the friendly fire incident occurred.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally fired at and hit the F/A-18,” the US military said in a statement.

The two pilots survived ejecting from their plane, but one suffered minor injuries in the incident on Saturday morning.

It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg mistook a U.S. fighter jet for an enemy aircraft or missile, especially since ships in a battle group remain linked by radar and radio communications.

A comprehensive investigation has been launched, CENTCOM said.

US military leads campaign against Houthis

Around the time of the shootdown, the U.S. military said it had launched airstrikes against the Iran-backed Houthis, who had been carrying out attacks on commercial vessels in the region.

CENTCOM said warships and aircraft previously shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the rebels.

The military also bombed Houthi positions near the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Saturday, hours after a Houthi rocket wounded people in the Israeli commercial hub of Tel Aviv. More US attacks were launched early Sunday.

More than a year of attacks in the Red Sea

The Red Sea has become a hotspot of military activity over the past year as U.S. and European forces push back against the Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.

Since the conflict between Israel and another Iranian-backed militant group, Hamas, began in October 2023, the Houthis have attacked about 100 commercial vessels with missiles and drones.

During that time, the Houthis captured one ship and sank two others, killing four sailors.

Houthi fighters have also attacked Israel itself with drones and missiles, prompting Israeli retaliatory attacks.

The United States and Europe sent military groups to the Red Sea late last year to patrol the area and maintain security.

Earlier this year, another U.S. aircraft carrier group, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, experienced what the Navy described as the most intense combat since World War II.

mm/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)