US military accidentally shoots down one of its own fighter jets

22 December 2024, 10:17

Two US Navy pilots were shot down on Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent "friendly fire" incident, the US military said.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries.

The Houthis have since acknowledged the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.

But the shootdown underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The US military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels at the time, though the US military's Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

Read more: Soldiers quit the Armed Forces in their droves despite Labour pay rise

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

On December 15, Central Command acknowledged that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but had not specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

"The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," US Central Command said in a statement.

From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

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.

Trump was 'right' to call out Nato on defence spending, says Keir Starmer

Since Truman's arrival, the US has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area.

However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D Eisenhower saw earlier this year.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.

Israel's ground offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say.

The tally does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors.

Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate US and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.