The US military announced on Sunday that two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in what appeared to be a “mutual attack.”
The pilot was found alive after ejecting from the aircraft, and one person sustained minor injuries.
The incident shows the pervasive danger in the Red Sea corridor as Iranian-backed Houthi attacks on ships continue despite a U.S. and European military coalition patrolling the area. are.
At the time, the U.S. military was carrying out airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels, but U.S. Central Command did not provide details about the mission.
A fighter jet flies on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea on June 11, 2024. (AP)
The military said the downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter belonging to the Red Rippers, 11th Strike Fighter Squadron based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
According to Central Command, the downed F/A-18 had just taken off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. On December 15, Central Command announced that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the Harry S.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
