New Delhi: A US Navy ship accidentally shot down a F/A-18 F Super Hornet in a case of friendly fire, forcing the two pilots to eject in the Red Sea late Saturday evening, a statement by the American Central Command said, adding that the pilots were safe.
“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), which is a 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,” the statement from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
The two pilots were safely recovered, with one suffering minor injuries. An investigation is underway, it said.
On 15 December, the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group came under Central Command’s area of responsibility, according to its statement.
The Carrier Strike Group includes the flagship, the USS Harry S. Truman with nine aviation squadrons, the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser, the USS Gettysburg, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, the USS Stout (DDG 55), and the USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109).
The Central Command’s area of responsibility includes Yemen. Just before the statement of friendly fire, CENTCOM announced that it had carried out “precision airstrikes” against a missile storage facility in Sanaa, Yemen, which is under the control of the Houthi rebel group.
“CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden,” said the CENTCOM.
The statement added: “During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down multiple Houthi one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea.”
F/A-18 Super Hornets were a part of the operation along with other assets of both the US Air Force and Navy. The CENTCOM statement did not mention what other assets were used in the strike.
The Houthis, backed by Iran, have been disrupting shipping in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since Israel launched its retaliation to the 7 October 2023 attacks carried out by the Hamas group.
The Houthis have used uncrewed aerial vehicles to attack commercial ships linked to Israel, the US and the UK. Earlier this year, it had attacked a ship carrying goods to India.
The Indian Navy has been involved in patrolling the region since the Houthi strikes against merchant shipping began in November last year. In March, the Indian Navy rescued crew members of a commercial vessel that was attacked by Houthi missiles.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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