- A US Navy warship accidentally shot down an American fighter jet over the Red Sea on Sunday.
- The crew members survived, but it marks the second friendly-fire incident of the Houthi conflict.
- These incidents highlight the complex operating environment in which NATO forces have engaged.
Though there are still a lot of unanswered questions, the accidental downing of a US Navy fighter jet by an American warship in the Red Sea over the weekend underscores the risks and complexity of intense combat in a high-tempo operating environment.
The shootdown marks the second known friendly-fire incident for American and allied forces this year as they continue to battle the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In February, a German warship mistakenly targeted an American military drone, but a malfunction spared the uncrewed aircraft from getting hit.
Early Sunday morning local time, the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired on an F/A-18 Super Hornet flying above the Red Sea, downing the carrier-based fighter in what the US military said was “an apparent case of friendly fire.”
US Central Command said that two naval aviators ejected safely from the aircraft and were recovered by the Navy. It added that an initial assessment suggests one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. A two-seater F/A-18 typically has a pilot and weapons officer.
Centcom, which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said the incident “was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.” It did not respond to Business Insider’s requests for more information.
Friendly-fire engagements aren’t uncommon occurrences in combat, especially high-intensity fights.
During the Gulf War, for instance, an A-10 Warthog killed nine British soldiers when the ground-attack aircraft opened fire on their armored personnel carriers, mistaking them for Iraqi vehicles. A few years later, F-15s shot down two Black Hawks on a humanitarian mission, killing 26 people. The pilots mistook the helicopters for Iraqi targets they thought were violating a “no fly” zone.
There are numerous examples across military conflicts, a more recent incident being a US airstrike in Afghanistan that killed five American servicemembers in 2014.
Bradley Martin, a retired Navy surface warfare captain, said friendly-fire incidents are “likely to eventually occur in the complicated and rapidly changing environment of air defense.” There are a wide range of things that can go wrong.
“Friendly and enemy aircraft can be in the engagement areas. Identification systems can malfunction,” Martin, now a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, told BI. “Friendly aircraft profiles can look like threat profiles. And certainly, human error can enter into the equation. Operators may have minutes or even seconds to make a determination and, mistakes occur.”
“I think it’s important to remember that the Navy has been reacting to intense air attacks now for over a year, with more engagements in a month than we’d seen in decades,” Martin said, referring to the Navy’s tireless efforts to fend off Houthi missiles and drones.
“These have been largely successful, but with a large number of engagements comes the increased risk of mistakes and malfunctions,” he said.
And mistakes have been made, though nothing fatal. In February, a German frigate accidentally targeted an American MQ-9 Reaper drone while it was on a mission in the vicinity of the Red Sea. The missiles never reached the drone, though, thanks to a technical error in the warship’s radar system.
The German military said at the time, it engaged a drone that lacked a “friend or foe” identification and coordinated with allies in the area before opening fire. It’s unclear where the disconnect occurred, but it almost ended in the destruction of an expensive combat and reconnaissance drone.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet that was shot down was part of the air wing attached to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. The Truman and its strike group, which consists of the Gettysburg and two destroyers, entered the Middle East region earlier this month, becoming the latest assortment of Navy warships to join the conflict against the Houthis.
The F/A-18 is a multi-role fighter jet made by US defense contractor Boeing that has been in service with the Navy for decades. A single aircraft is estimated to cost around $60 million.
The military’s acknowledgment of the Red Sea friendly-fire incident came shortly after a combat bout between the US and the Houthis. Centcom said it carried out strikes against Houthi facilities in Yemen, and during the operation, its forces shot down multiple drones and a cruise missile.
It is unclear if the friendly-fire incident occurred during the operation, which took place at some point on Saturday local time. Centcom said that F/A-18s were involved in the mission.
The Houthis said that they launched eight cruise missiles and 17 drones during the battle with the US military. The rebels said this led to the downing of the F/A-18 and ultimately forced the Truman to withdraw to another part of the Red Sea.
The Houthis have spent the past year launching missiles and drones at military and civilian vessels operating in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The rebels claim they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and have stepped up their long-range attacks on Israel in recent days. US, British, and Israeli forces have carried out extensive strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
