US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea; US says it was 'friendly fire'
Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in what the military is calling a "friendly fire" incident.
The accident was the most serious incident yet since American troops began targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels there more than a year ago. It underscores just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite U.S. and European military coalitions patrolling the area.
What happened?
The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command.
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"The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," Central Command said in a statement.
FILE - An F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet takes off from the flight deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) aircraft carrier during operations in the southern Red Sea, on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (Photographer: Christopher Pike/Bloomberg via Ge
The military described the plane as a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
The military had been conducting airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, but Central Command did not elaborate on the mission.
What happened to the pilots?
Both pilots survived after being ejected from their aircraft after it was hit. One of them suffered minor injuries.
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How did this happen?
It wasn't immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.
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But Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.
Houthi attacks in Red Sea
The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.
The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
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The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.