A US Navy F/A-18 fighter jet was by chance shot down by pleasant fireplace over the Pink Sea early on Sunday morning, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.
The jet, which had taken off from the USS Harry S. Truman plane service on December 22, was struck by weapons fired from the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is a part of the identical service strike group. Each pilots safely ejected from the plane, with one sustaining minor accidents.
The incident occurred amid a interval of elevated army operations in opposition to the Houthis, a Yemeni militant group, who’ve been focusing on delivery routes within the area.
CENTCOM described the firing as a “mistaken” assault, noting that it’s beneath investigation.
This marks the primary time in over a yr of US army operations in Yemen {that a} crewed plane has been shot down.
Earlier incidents concerned the Houthis focusing on drones however by no means manned jets or helicopters.
On the identical day, CENTCOM reported that US forces had efficiently intercepted a number of drones and missiles fired by the Houthis at US and British property within the area.
The USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, is supplied with varied missile techniques, together with the Navy’s Customary Missiles, that are primarily used to counter Houthi weaponry. It is unclear what particular weapon was used to down the F/A-18.
The US Navy, together with British forces, has been actively engaged within the Pink Sea area whereas additionally conducting airstrikes in opposition to Houthi targets in Yemen, together with missile storage amenities and command posts in Sana’a.