The US has reported that it “accidentally” shot down one of its own warplanes in the Red Sea and that both pilots on board survived thanks to the ejection seat system. In the incident, it was reported that an airstrike was carried out on a missile depot and a command and control center belonging to the Houthis in Yemen.
The United States has said it “accidentally” shot down one of its own fighter jets in the Red Sea, with both pilots surviving an ejection seat crash.
According to CBS News, a statement was made by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) regarding the incident that while the operation was being conducted on the aircraft carrier “USS Harry S. Truman” in the Red Sea, an “F/A-18” fighter jet was “accidentally fired upon” from the cruiser “USS Gettysburg.”
The statement said that the two pilots on the plane escaped with the ejection seat system, but one was slightly injured during the evacuation and that the incident was evaluated as a “friendly fire incident.”
The statement said that an investigation had been launched into the incident.
In a statement made by Centcom’s X account, it was reported that an airstrike was carried out against a missile depot and command and control center belonging to the Houthis in Yemen.
The US Navy and Marine Corps have a serious problem with their F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets going off the runway due to brake failures, according to a report from 2005 by NBC. The issue originates from a $535 piece of wiring that activates the jet’s antiskid brake system. This cable, located right next to seriously heavy tie-down chains on carrier decks, is subject to chafing and failing. One of those failures drove a $30 million aircraft into San Diego Bay. Another involved a close call when a pilot was forced to abort a landing after his brakes failed during a mission over Iraq. The issues have led to urgent warnings, fleetwide inspections, and talk of a potential redesign of the Hornet’s braking system. The F/A-18 Hornet is a cornerstone of U.S. military aviation; there are more than 500 planes in service, including those flown by the Blue Angels.
