A $60 million fighter jet has been "lost" at sea at a moment American naval assets under US Central Command have been conducting bombing campaigns against Yemen's Houthis since March 15.
But as far as what's being reported from the Pentagon, the jet wasn't shot out of the sky during operations - it apparently rolled off an aircraft carrier.
The US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet "fell overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier while it was being towed on board, the Navy said in a statement on Monday," CNN reports.
Initial reports strongly suggest the mishap was caused due to the Truman carrier having to take sudden evasive action to avoid inbound Houthi fire:
A US official said that initial reports from the scene indicated that the Truman made a hard turn to evade Houthi fire, which contributed to the fighter jet falling overboard. The Houthi rebel group claimed on Monday to have launched a drone and missile attack on the aircraft carrier, which is in the Red Sea as part of the US military’s major anti-Houthi operation.
A naval crew member had been able to jump off the jet at the last minute when the accident occurred as it was being towed out of the hanger bay. One sailor reportedly sustained minor injury.
The Houthis said Monday they launched a fresh attack targeting the Truman carrier, following many other such claimed attacks. This appears to be the first time the US Navy has linked damage aboard a warship with an inbound Houthi assault (albeit somewhat indirectly). A prior incident involving 'friendly fire' against a US jet also resulted in the aircraft's loss (see below).
"The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard," a US military statement said. "Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway."
Suggests Truman carrier group is under Houthi fire more frequently (and with a greater impact) than is being publicly acknowledged. https://t.co/Vs2MZYRzJt
— Gregory Brew (@gbrew24) April 28, 2025
The aircraft has sunk in the Red Sea, at a loss of at least $60 million. The US Navy sought to emphasize Monday that the strike group and its air wing "remain fully mission capable."
This is the second known F-18 jet lost at sea related to the US patrolling regional waters in the wake of the Gaza War:
The Truman has repeatedly been targeted in attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. It made headlines in February when it collided with a merchant ship near Egypt; no injuries were reported. Another F/A-18 from the Truman was also “mistakenly fired” upon and shot down by the USS Gettysburg in the Red Sea in December ; both pilots ejected safely.
All of this brings up the possibility that US warships have suffered direct hits in the past, but the Pentagon has kept it quiet...
Amid news that an F/A-18E fighter jet made a hard turn to evade Houthi fire and fell overboard, worth noting: the Houthis have claimed direct hits on the USS Truman aircraft carrier, and Hezbollah’s Al-Manar aired footage it claims shows parts of the ship damaged and draped over. https://t.co/sbTUQLpoAp pic.twitter.com/OIOKpbYseS
— Sina Toossi (@SinaToossi) April 28, 2025
Given these 'close-calls' and mishaps due to the chaos of the fight with the Houthis - which it should be noted is military action still not approved by Congress - it is perhaps only a matter of time until a bigger, more direct clash and incident. Thankfully, no US aviators or sailors have been killed or seriously wounded so far.
