The U.S. Navy appears to have shot down one of its two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets over the Red Sea around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday. One of the pilots was injured, but U.S. Central Command said both were rescued safely.
CENTCOM did not reveal the mission of the American F/A-18 before it was shot down. But in addition to eliminating ISIS targets in Syria, U.S. forces in the region have recently carried out airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi militants and their facilities in Yemen.
Over the weekend, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets were
reportedly They shot down several Houthi drones and anti-ship cruise missiles, and also carried out attacks on missile storage and command and control facilities in Sanaa, Yemen. A few days ago, CENTCOM beaten ISIS leader Abu Yousif, alias Mahmoud, carried out precision airstrikes in Deir as-Zawr province.
Navy personnel
said The U.S. Naval Research Institute released news that the downed F-18 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing 1 and aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. entered CENTCOM's area of responsibility on December 14th.
“It's another indicator of how badly prepared our military is.”
USNI indicated the crew was likely a Red Ripper from the 11th Strike Fighter Squadron from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
part of strike group
Operation Prosperity Guardianis currently focused on destroying Houthi military facilities and protecting commercial and American shipping in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and the Gulf of Aden from attack.
CENTCOM said in a statement that the Ticonderoga-class missile cruiser USS Gettysburg is commanded by sailors from Alaska.
Captain Justin Hodgessaid that it “accidentally fired and hit” an F/A-18 fighter jet flying from the USS Harry S. Truman, and confirmed that “this incident was not the result of hostile artillery fire.”
Associated Press
proposed It claims earlier Houthi drone and missile attacks may have been the cause of the chaos that led to the alleged mutual attack.
Yahya Salih, a spokesman for the Houthis, claimed without evidence that the Houthis shot down the F/A-18.
Retired Army Colonel Douglas McGregor
noticed“Yes, we shot down our own plane. If this doesn't end the worst presidency in modern history, I don't know what will.”
“This is another indicator of how dire the readiness of our military, especially the U.S. Navy, is.”
tweeted Michael Flynn, retired US Army lieutenant general.
According to A 2024 Government Accountability Office report found that “47 of the 49 aircraft we examined did not meet the Department of Defense's mission capability goals.” Previous GAO report noted that from 2011 to 2021, the Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 jets under consideration almost always missed mission-capable targets.
heritage foundation
concluded The 2024 Armed Forces Index states that “in its current position, the U.S. military is at significant risk of failing to protect America's vital national interests.''
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