A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet was lost at sea after it fell from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier while being towed aboard, according to a statement from the Navy on Monday.
An official indicated that initial reports suggested the Truman executed a sharp turn to evade Houthi fire, which led to the jet falling overboard. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a drone and missile attack on the aircraft carrier, which is currently operating in the Red Sea as part of a significant US military campaign against the Iran-backed group.
All personnel on board have been accounted for, with one sailor reported to have sustained a minor injury. The Navy’s statement noted, ‘The F/A-18E was actively being towed in the hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft, resulting in both the aircraft and tow tractor falling overboard.’
Immediate actions were taken by the sailors to clear the area before the aircraft went overboard, and an investigation is currently underway. A second US official informed CNN that the aircraft has since sunk. The cost of an individual F/A-18 fighter jet exceeds $60 million, as per Navy reports.
US Navy carriers, the largest warships globally at nearly 1,100 feet long and displacing almost 100,000 tons, are surprisingly agile for their size. Nimitz-class carriers like the Truman, powered by two nuclear reactors driving four propeller shafts, can achieve speeds over 34 mph. While specific details regarding the Truman’s evasive maneuver remain undisclosed, images and videos on the Defense Department’s website demonstrate that these massive vessels can tilt significantly during high-speed turns.
Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, explained to CNN that carriers typically employ a ‘zig-zag’ strategy to avoid missile attacks, executing a series of alternating 30- to 40-degree turns, each taking about 30 seconds, with the initial turn being quite sharp, akin to riding in a zig-zagging vehicle.
The vessel tilts approximately 10 to 15 degrees during the turn, resulting in a displacement of about 100 to 200 yards from any intended target if traveling at full speed, according to reports. The Truman Carrier Strike Group is currently stationed in the Middle East and was operating in the Red Sea at the time of the event.
The Navy reiterated on Monday that the strike group and its air wing are ‘fully mission capable.’
Multiple attacks
The Truman has faced multiple attacks from the Houthis, making headlines in February when it collided with a merchant vessel near Egypt, fortunately without any reported injuries. Additionally, an F/A-18 from the Truman was mistakenly engaged and shot down by the USS Gettysburg in the Red Sea last December, with both pilots safely ejecting.
Other US Navy vessels in the area have also been targeted by Houthi fire. In early 2024, a US destroyer in the Red Sea activated its Phalanx Close-In Weapon System, its final defense against missile threats, when a Houthi-launched cruise missile came within a mile, mere seconds from impact.
The Houthi attacks on US warships escalated after the US Navy intervened to prevent the group from striking commercial vessels bound for Israel in response to its invasion of Gaza in October 2023. Recently, the Trump administration has intensified airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, leading to retaliatory threats against US naval forces from the rebel group.
The Houthi-controlled armed forces in Yemen declared earlier this month that ‘Yemen will not cease its support operations for the Palestinian people until the Israeli aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted,’
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