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U.S. ship shoots down jet in friendly fire over Red Sea, military says

AT SEA – SEPTEMBER 3: In this handout released by the U.S. Navy, An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to the Argonauts of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147 prepares to launch from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) September 3, 2013 in the Red Sea. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Nimitz along with four destroyers and a cruiser have been ordered to move west to the Red Sea, so that it can help support a US strike on Syria if requested, as a response to a alleged chemical weapons attack on its own people by the Syrian regime. (Photo by U.S. Navy via Getty Images) (U.S. Navy)
By Ben Brasch and Dan Lamothe Washington Post

A Navy fighter pilot and a weapons system officer ejected over the Red Sea after friendly fire from a warship early Sunday, according to the U.S. military.

Both survived after ejecting from their F/A-18 Hornet, according to U.S. Central Command (Centcom). Each sustained minor injuries, according to a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The U.S. military is patrolling the Red Sea to protect one of the world’s busiest commercial waterways from Iran-backed Houthi rebels who have been attacking vessels in the area for months. U.S. forces shot down Houthi weapons and struck military facilities this weekend. The Navy has had warships in the Red Sea since the war in Gaza began, regularly taking down attack drones and missiles launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen, who are protesting Israeli military operations and U.S. support for them.

The Houthis have used their base in northern Yemen to fire missiles and drones at ships, the Washington Post has reported, since Israel declared war against Hamas in retaliation for the Oct. 7, 2023, attack. (Hamas is also backed by Iran, Israel’s biggest foe in the region.)

Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’ 2023 attack, including more than 300 soldiers. It says 386 soldiers have been killed in its military operation in Gaza. At least 45,259 people have been killed in Gaza during the war and 107,627 injured, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Sunday’s friendly fire happened when the USS Gettysburg “mistakenly fired on and hit” the Hornet while the aircraft was flying from the USS Harry S. Truman, according to Centcom. The Navy was assessing Sunday whether to recover any of the jet, and how, the military official said. The official said an SM-2 surface-to-air missile was used.

“This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway,” the Centcom statement said.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on X that Yemen-based forces targeted the USS Harry Truman with drones and cruise missiles over the weekend. U.S. forces did not report damage from that operation.

The Truman and Gettysburg are part of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group, which deployed in September from southeastern Virginia.

The Gettysburg began $600 million in upgrades to lengthen its service about a decade ago and is set to be decommissioned in the 2026 fiscal year, according to a government report titled “Poor Cruiser Outcomes Demonstrate Need for Better Planning and Quality Oversight in Future Efforts.”