According to a report released by the U.S. Navy, an incident of friendly fire occurred during the operation against the Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, when the USS Truman Carrier Strike Group carried out its mission in late December last year. On December 22, seven days after entering the Red Sea, the USS Gettysburg, a cruiser, mistakenly identified two F/A-18 "Super Hornets" from the "Truman" aircraft carrier group as anti-ship cruise missiles launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen and fired surface-to-air missiles at both of them. One of the F/A-18s was shot down, while the other narrowly avoided being hit. The USS Gettysburg also targeted a third U.S. aircraft but ultimately did not fire. Both the pilot and weapons officer on the downed aircraft successfully ejected and escaped.
The investigation report stated that when the first surface-to-air missile was fired from the Gettysburg's missile tubes and headed into the air, the pilot and weapons officer on the downed aircraft initially thought the weapon was pursuing an unidentified Houthi drone that they had not yet detected. They watched the missile rise, then suddenly change direction. The pilot told investigators that when the missile came rushing toward them, he suddenly "saw his whole life flash before his eyes." Seeing no other choice, the pilot and weapons officer ejected just moments before the missile hit the plane.
At that chaotic moment, the Gettysburg also fired a missile at another U.S. fighter aircraft. The pilot on board made multiple emergency calls, but instead of ejecting, they chose to maneuver to avoid. The missile pursued relentlessly, continuously adjusting its course to close in on the aircraft, but finally passed just a few feet away from the aircraft, causing it to shake violently. Then the missile lost power and exploded in the water. Regarding the cause of the disaster, the investigation report pointed out a series of mistakes, including deficiencies in the planning process, defects in the Gettysburg's combat system, and fatigue among the crew. In the early stages of deployment, the U.S. Navy discovered a "serious degradation" in the core interoperability system of the Gettysburg, with issues involving network management, surveillance and tracking reports, identification, mutual tracking, mission execution, and weapon coordination. The U.S. Navy also released the investigation results of three other incidents that occurred during the deployment of the Truman Carrier Strike Group from September 2024 to May 2025.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850831432391819/
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