DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said.
Both pilots were found alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shooting underlines how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become due to continued attacks on shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis, despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.
The U.S. military had been carrying out airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen at the time, though the U.S. Army Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.
The downed F/A-18 had just flown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, Central Command said. On December 15, Central Command acknowledged that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but had not specified that the aircraft carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally fired at the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
Receive the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletter
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
According to the Army’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 at 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, especially since ships in a battle group remain connected by both radar and radio communications.
However, the Central Command said warships and aircraft had previously shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has historically given sailors just seconds to make decisions.
Since Truman’s arrival, the US has increased its airstrikes against the Houthis and its rocket fire in the Red Sea and surrounding area. However, the presence of a group of American warships could prompt renewed rebel attacks, such as what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as the most intense battle since World War II.
On Saturday evening and early Sunday, US warplanes carried out airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the Yemeni capital that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the attacks as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility.” without explaining.
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without providing information on casualties or damage. In Sanaa, the attacks appeared to mainly target a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis did not acknowledge that the plane was shot down in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have attacked about 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023 after Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and took 250 others hostage.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The Houthis seized one ship and sank two in a campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or have failed to reach their targets, including Western military vessels.
The rebels claim they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to end Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis are also increasingly targeting Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory attacks with Israeli airstrikes.