Friendly fire over the Red Sea

Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down on Sunday over the Red Sea in what the U.S. military described as an apparent “friendly fire” incident. This marks the most serious event to impact U.S. forces in over a year of operations targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Both pilots ejected safely and were recovered, with one sustaining minor injuries. The incident highlights the growing dangers of the Red Sea corridor, where attacks on shipping by Iranian-backed Houthi forces persist despite the presence of U.S. and European military patrols.

At the time of the incident, U.S. forces were conducting airstrikes against the Houthi rebels. The downed aircraft, an F/A-18 Super Hornet, had launched from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, which entered the Middle East in mid-December. Central Command later confirmed the Truman’s strike group was operating in the Red Sea.

According to a statement, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64), part of the Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18. The aircraft, a two-seat Super Hornet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia, was brought down during the incident.

It remains unclear how the USS Gettysburg misidentified the F/A-18 as a potential threat. Battle group ships are typically interconnected via radar and radio communications. Central Command noted that earlier in the day, U.S. warships and aircraft intercepted multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile, emphasizing the high-pressure environment where sailors often have just seconds to react to incoming threats.