"The command investigation into the late December 2024 friendly fire incident, which Business Insider reviewed prior to its release on Thursday, reveals that the warship's crew mistook two Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets for anti-ship cruise missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen. In a catastrophic failure, the cruiser USS Gettysburg launched surface-to-air missiles at both F/A-18s, shooting down one and nearly hitting the second."
"Early on December 22, just seven days after entering the Red Sea, the Gettysburg accidentally shot down a Super Hornet from the Truman's air wing in what the US military described as "an apparent case of friendly fire." Both aviators, the pilot and the weapons officer, ejected safely from the roughly $60 million fighter, part of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11), the "Red Rippers.""
A US Navy warship mistook two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets for Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles over the Red Sea in late December 2024. The cruiser USS Gettysburg launched surface-to-air missiles, shooting down one Super Hornet and narrowly missing a second. Both aviators from the downed jet ejected safely. A third friendly aircraft was targeted but not engaged. The strike group had entered the Red Sea in December after deploying in September to counter Iran-backed Houthi attacks on shipping lanes. The incident exposed critical failures in identification and engagement procedures and constituted friendly fire.
Read at Business Insider
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