The United States military has reported a serious case of “friendly fire” in the Red Sea, where two US Navy pilots were mistakenly shot down by their forces on Sunday.
The incident, which marks a significant threat to troops amid escalating tensions with Yemen’s Houthi rebels, left one pilot with minor injuries, though both were safely rescued after ejecting from their aircraft.
The downed aircraft, an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, had launched from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.
According to the US Central Command (Centcom), the fighter jet was hit by a guided missile cruiser, the USS Gettysburg, which was part of Truman’s strike group.
Centcom acknowledged the error in a statement, describing the incident as a tragic mishap while emphasising that investigations were underway to determine how the mistake occurred.
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“It wasn’t immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile,” the military added, noting that vessels in a battle group typically maintain coordinated radar and radio communication.
The mishap occurred during an intense period of conflict in the region. US warships and aircraft had earlier intercepted multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the Iranian-backed rebels.
Centcom revealed that US forces had conducted airstrikes targeting Houthi positions, including a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” around Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, and the port city of Hodeida.
The Red Sea corridor has increasingly become a hotspot for violence, with the Houthis targeting approximately 100 merchant vessels since October.
The rebels claim their attacks aim to pressure the US and its allies to end Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships struck have had no connection to the conflict, with some even en route to Iran.
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