The U.S. Navy has lost another F/A-18 Super Hornet in the Red Sea—its second in just over a week—after a failed landing attempt on the USS Harry S. Truman on Tuesday.
Four people familiar with the situation told CNN that the jet ran into problems while trying to land, and both the pilot and weapons officer had to eject. They were picked up by a rescue helicopter and suffered only minor injuries. The fighter jet, however, sank into the sea and has not been recovered.
The Navy is still investigating what went wrong. Two of the sources said the problem had to do with the arresting gear, a system that helps jets stop when landing on a carrier. The jet was lost just hours after Iran-backed Houthi rebels reportedly fired at the Truman, despite President Donald Trump saying earlier in the day that a ceasefire was in place. It’s unclear if the two events are connected.
An F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet landing on the deck of the US Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, during a NATO vigilance activity NEPTUNE SHIELD 2022 (NESH22) on eastern Mediterranean Sea on May 23, 2022. (Photo by ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump announced the U.S. will stop bombing Houthi rebels after the group agreed to halt attacks on ships in the Gulf of Aden. Trump said the Houthis had “capitulated,” ending a campaign that began in response to repeated strikes on commercial and U.S. naval vessels.
The Truman has faced several serious issues during its time in the region, as just last week it lost an F/A-18 Super Hornet overboard while making a sharp turn to evade Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Navy personnel lost control of the jet while towing it inside the hangar bay, causing it—and a tow tractor—to fall into the sea and injure one sailor. (RELATED: ‘Accident Waiting To Happen’: Feds Ignored DC Death Trap For Years Despite Dozens Of Near Misses With Planes, Choppers)
The Truman collided with a merchant ship near Port Said in February and was involved in a friendly fire incident in December when the USS Gettysburg mistakenly shot down a U.S. jet. Trump redesignated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist group in January and ordered continued strikes in response to their attacks on regional shipping.
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