A US defence official reports that an F/A-18 fighter jet landing on the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea went overboard, prompting both pilots to eject.
The aircraft failed to stop properly after touching down on the carrier, causing it to fall into the sea. Both crew members ejected safely and were retrieved by a rescue helicopter.
According to the official, who spoke anonymously due to not being authorised to discuss the matter publicly, the F/A-18 Super Hornet experienced a failed “arrestment” — the system involving a tailhook catching deck cables to halt landing aircraft. The exact nature of the failure remains unclear.
No personnel on the flight deck were injured.
This incident adds to a series of recent losses involving Navy F/A-18 jets, each valued at roughly $60 million. The pilots inside the Super Hornet and personnel operating a towing tractor were able to leap to safety.
In a separate event last December, the USS Gettysburg, a guided-missile cruiser, accidentally downed an F/A-18 after engaging Houthi drones and an anti-ship missile. The aviators in that case also survived.
In February, the Truman was involved in a collision with a merchant ship near Port Said, Egypt.
The Truman, homeported in Norfolk, Virginia, has had its mission extended several times in response to ongoing Houthi air attacks. It was recently joined by the USS Carl Vinson, which is operating in the Arabian Sea.
This latest incident is one in a series of setbacks for the Truman during its deployment in support of U.S. air strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Separately on Tuesday, both U.S. President Donald Trump and Oman’s foreign minister stated a ceasefire had been reached with the Houthis, who allegedly agreed to stop targeting Red Sea shipping routes — a claim not yet verified by the rebel group.
Meanwhile, the Houthis are evaluating damage from Israeli air strikes that struck Sanaa, the rebel-held capital of Yemen.
