US Navy apparently shot down own plane over Red Sea

The U.S. Navy apparently shot down one of its own two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornets over the Red Sea on Sunday around 3 a.m. local time. Although one of the pilots was injured, U.S. Central Command indicated that both were safely rescued.

CENTCOM did not provide an indication of the American F/A-18's mission prior to being shot down; however, U.S. forces in the area have recently been conducting airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi militants and their facilities in Yemen as well as taking out ISIS targets in Syria.

Over the weekend, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets reportedly shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile and also conducted strikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility in Sana'a, Yemen. Days earlier, CENTCOM whacked ISIS leader Abu Yusif aka Mahmud via a precision airstrike in the Dayr az Zawr province.

A Navy official told U.S Naval Institute News that the downed F-18 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing One and embarked aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which entered the CENTCOM area of responsibility on Dec. 14.

'Another indicator of how pathetic a state of readiness our military is in.'

USNI indicated that the crew are most likely with the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

The strike group, part of Operation Prosperity Guardian, is presently focused on razing Houthi military installations and protecting merchant traffic and American vessels in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden from attack.

CENTCOM said in a statement that the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, commanded by Alaska native Captain Justin Hodges, "mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18" fighter craft that was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman, confirming that "this incident was not the result of hostile fire."

The Associated Press suggested that earlier Houthi drone and missile attacks may have been responsible for the confusion that led to the alleged friendly fire.

Yahya Saree, a spokesman for the Houhi militants, claimed without evidence that Houthis shot down the F/A-18.

Retired Army Col. Douglas Macgregor noted, "Yes, we shot down our own plane. If this doesn't put a cap on the worst Presidency of modern history, I'm not sure what does."

"This is another indicator of how pathetic a state of readiness our military is in, especially our U.S. Navy," tweeted retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

According to a 2024 Government Accountability Office report, "47 of the 49 aircraft we reviewed did not meet DOD's mission capable goals." A previous GAO report noted that between 2011 and 2021, the Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 jets under review almost always failed to meet their mission capable goal.

The Heritage Foundation concluded in its 2024 index of military strength that "as currently postured, the U.S. military is at significant risk of not being able to defend America's vital national interests."

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