Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’: US military

Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in what appeared to be “friendly fire”, the US military said.

The pilots were found alive after being ejected from their aircraft, one of which suffered minor injuries.

The incident demonstrates the wide-ranging dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis, even as US and European military coalitions patrol the area.

At the time, the U.S. military had carried out airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels, but the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.

A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP)

The military said the plane that was shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

The F/A-18 that was shot down had just taken off from the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command. On 15 December, Central Command said Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired at and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.