Two US Navy aviators are safe after their F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down by mistake from an American ship in the Red Sea. The incident occurred at around 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, December 22, when the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg fired upon the Super Hornet.
The pilots were safely recovered and one of them sustained minor injuries. CENTCOM stated that the incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.
The incident happened during Operation Prosperity Guardian, a US-led mission to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks from Yemen. The USS Gettysburg, homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, was part of the strike group that had intercepted dozens of drones and missiles as part of its mission.
The US Navy has not disclosed the specific squadron or aircraft type involved, but sources indicate it was likely Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana. The USS Gettysburg has over 100 vertical launch cells capable of firing missiles to detect and defeat threats to the carrier and its escorts.
The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, which includes the USS Gettysburg, had entered the Red Sea last week. The group operated in the Atlantic off Norway and the UK before arriving in the region.
Source: https://news.usni.org/2024/12/21/u-s-super-hornet-shot-down-over-red-sea-in-friendly-fire-incident-aviators-safe