Two US Navy pilots were shot down on Sunday over the Red Sea. In what appears to be “Friendly fire,” the US military said.
Both pilots survived after ejecting from the plane. One person was slightly injured.
The incident demonstrates the pervasive dangers in the Red Sea corridor. amid continuing attacks on shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis. Although the US military alliance and Europe will patrol the area.
The US military launched airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen at the time. But the US Army’s Central Command It did not detail what their mission was.
Fighter jets maneuver on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP)
The military said the plane that was shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet that had been assigned to the service. “Red Rippers” of Fighter Attack Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana Virginia
The F/A-18 that was shot down had just taken off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, according to Central Command on Dec. 1. On Sept. 15, Central Command said Truman had entered the Middle East. But it did not specify whether the aircraft carrier and war group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which was part of the aircraft carrier strike group USS Harry S. Truman, erroneously fired at an F/A-18,” Central Command said. specified in the statement
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
