Second fighter jet lost from USS Truman in Red Sea amid mounting setbacks in Just Over a Week

Another U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet has been lost from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman while operating in the Red Sea, marking the second such incident in just over a week, according to five individuals familiar with the matter who spoke to CNN.

Preliminary reports suggest the aircraft suffered an arrestment failure while attempting to land on the carrier. The pilot and weapons systems officer were forced to eject and were later rescued by a Navy helicopter. Both sustained minor injuries and are expected to recover, one of the sources confirmed.

The jet, which crashed into the sea, has not been recovered. At over $60 million apiece, the F/A-18 represents a significant loss in both financial and operational terms.

The mishap occurred against a backdrop of increasing threats in the region. Just hours after former President Donald Trump publicly declared a ceasefire with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the group allegedly “took a shot” at the Truman on May 6, sources said. While no damage was reported from the attempted strike, it remains unclear whether the attempted attack and the jet’s loss are connected.

This is the latest in a series of troubling incidents for the Truman during its current deployment. Just a week ago, another F/A-18 was lost after the carrier made a sharp manoeuvre to evade Houthi fire, causing the jet to fall overboard. And in December, a separate F/A-18 operating from the Truman was inadvertently shot down by the nearby USS Gettysburg, though both crew members safely ejected.

In February, the carrier was involved in a collision with a merchant vessel near Egypt in the Mediterranean Sea. The incident led to the dismissal of then-Commander Captain Dave Snowden, who was replaced by Captain Christopher Hill.

U.S. Naval forces in the Red Sea have faced persistent danger from Houthi missile and drone attacks since late 2023, with American destroyers on several occasions resorting to last-resort defences like the Phalanx Close-In Weapon System to intercept incoming missiles.

The F/A-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine, carrier-capable multirole fighter aircraft developed by Boeing. It serves as the backbone of the U.S. Navy’s carrier air wings and is capable of both air-to-air combat and air-to-ground strike missions. Introduced in the late 1990s as an upgraded version of the original F/A-18 Hornet, the Super Hornet features larger fuel capacity, improved avionics, and extended range. Each aircraft costs over $60 million and is typically crewed by a single pilot or, in the case of the F/A-18F variant, a pilot and a weapons systems officer. Known for its versatility and reliability, the Super Hornet has been extensively used in combat operations worldwide, including in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now in maritime security operations in the Red Sea.

By Khagan Isayev