
Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea early Sunday morning in what the US military described as a “friendly fire” incident, The Associated Press reported.
Both pilots ejected from their aircraft and were recovered alive, though one sustained minor injuries, according to an announcement from the US military.
At the time of the incident, the US military was conducting strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, though Central Command did not provide details on the mission and did not respond to questions from AP.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet involved had launched from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command. Earlier this month, the US military acknowledged that the Truman had entered the Middle East but did not specify its location in the Red Sea.
“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,” Central Command said in a statement quoted by AP.
The downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
It remains unclear how the Gettysburg mistook the F/A-18 for a hostile aircraft or missile, given the radar and radio communication linking ships and aircraft within a battle group. Central Command noted that earlier, US warships and aircraft had intercepted multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile. The fast-paced threat environment has previously forced sailors to make split-second decisions.
The US strikes against the Houthis came as the Yemen-based rebels have upped their attacks in the region since the start of the war in Gaza last October, having launched drones towards Israel and targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea region.
In the wake of the uptick in Houthi attacks, the US formed a coalition, made up of more than 20 countries, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea from attacks by the Houthis.
The coalition has repeatedly targeted Houthi facilities and weapons systems in Yemen, but the Houthis have been unfazed by the strikes.