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Anonymous ID: 41774b Dec. 22, 2024, 9:26 a.m. No.22211035   🗄️.is 🔗kun

>>22211031

 

U.S. Super Hornet Shot Down Over Red Sea in Friendly Fire Incident

 

Two U.S. Navy aviators are safe after their two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down by an American ship by mistake, according to a late Saturday statement from U.S. Central Command.

 

The Super Hornet, assigned to aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea when guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) fired upon it, according to the CENTCOM statement.

 

“Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,” reads a statement from CENTCOM.

“This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”

 

A Navy official told USNI News the incident occurred around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday or about 7 p.m. East Coast time on Saturday. The Super Hornet was assigned to Carrier Air Wing One, and embarked aboard Truman, an official told USNI News. While the CENTCOM statement didn’t specify the squadron, the only two-seat F/A-18F squadron embarked aboard Truman are the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Va.

 

The strike group is tasked as part of the U.S.-led Operation Prosperity Guardian, the mission to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks from Yemen. Previous strike groups and independently deployed U.S. guided-missile warships have intercepted dozens of drones, guided cruise missiles and ballstic missiles as part of their mission.

 

Over the weekend, U.S. forces attacked the Yemeni capital of Sanna striking a missile storage facility and a command and control node, according to a Saturday statement from CENTCOM.

 

“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden,” reads the statement.

 

Gettysburg, homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Va., is assigned to Truman and entered the Red Sea with the carrier last week, according to the USNI News Fleet and Marine Tracker.

 

The commander of the cruiser is the air defense commander for the strike group and is responsible for detecting and defeating threats to the carrier and its escorts.

 

The cruiser has more than 100 vertical launch cells capable of firing missiles capable of intercepting a variety of threats. Officials have not yet disclosed the weapon the crew of the cruiser used in the incident.

 

Truman, its escorts and airwing deployed from Norfolk on Sept 23. Before entering the Red Sea, the strike group operated in the Atlantic off Norway and the U.K.

 

The following is the complete statement from U.S. Central Command.

 

TAMPA, Fla. – Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely over the Red Sea during the early morning hours of December 22 when their F/A-18 fighter aircraft was shot down in an apparent case of friendly fire.

 

The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman.

 

Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.

 

https://news.usni.org/2024/12/21/u-s-super-hornet-shot-down-over-red-sea-in-friendly-fire-incident-aviators-safe

Anonymous ID: 41774b Dec. 22, 2024, 9:36 a.m. No.22211080   🗄️.is 🔗kun

US Fighter Jet Shot Down Over Red Sea In Disastrous 'Friendly Fire' Incident

 

In the early morning hours of Sunday (local), two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent friendly fire incident. This comes after more than a year of war against Yemeni Houthi rebels, who have targeted international transit in regional waters.

 

The incident is highly unusual given that US and Western allied coalition ships have come under repeat drone and missile from from the Houthis, but have thus far suffered no disclosed losses. The Western coalition has reported no damage or casualties from this long-running battle, and yet it appears the first shootdown of an American fighter jet in the conflict has come by way of US aircraft carrier fire.

 

The two pilots ejected after their F/A-18 fighter was hit and have been safely rescued in Red Sea waters, with one of the pilots suffering injuries.

 

The Associated Press and ABC News are reporting the following details after official CENTCOM confirmation:

 

Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely over the Red Sea after their F/A-18 fighter aircraft was mistakenly shot down early Sunday in what military officials are calling "an apparent case of friendly fire."

 

One of the pilots has minor injuries, according to a news release from U.S. Central Command.

 

The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the aircraft, that was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman, according to the news release.

 

CENTCOM says it is investigating the incident. Again, it is clearly bizarre given the aircraft had just taken off from the same carrier strike group of which the USS Gettysburg is part.

 

"The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier," Central Command indicated.

 

The US military was conducting an assault against militants in Yemen at the time of the incident. AP details further, "The U.S. military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press."

 

There appears to have been some 'fog of war' confusion given that just prior to the friendly fire shootdown the Houthis had launched drones and a cruise missile at the US battle group. The F-18 may have been mistakenly identified by the Gettysburg warship as an inbound Houthi UAV.

 

"However, 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," the AP notes.

 

Needless to say this is highly embarrassing for the Pentagon, and will be celebrated as a major 'win' by the Iran-backed Houthis. The Houthis have clearly been able to put the US warships on the defensive, given the confusion of the battle zone and trigger-happy premature response evident in this fresh incident.

 

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-fighter-jet-shot-down-over-red-sea-disastrous-friendly-fire-incident