Two US Navy pilots safely ejected from the fighter jet after it was shot down over the Red Sea.
According to CBS News, the US military said on Sunday, December 22, 2024, that two of its Navy pilots were shot down in an apparent “friendly fire” incident. Both of the pilots were recovered safely, with one suffering from minor injuries.
The incident occurred when the US military was carrying out a strike against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. However, the US military's Central Command did not share details about the mission.
The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement, “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, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman.”
It was also unclear how the USS Gettysburg “mistakenly” identified an F/A 18 when the ships in the area were connected by radar and radio as sources of communication.
Moreover, CENTCOM earlier on Saturday reported that the US military carried out targeted airstrikes in Houthi rebel-controlled territory in Yemen’s capital Sana in response to ongoing attacks on US Navy warships and commercial vessels in the Southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
