On Sunday, December 22, it was reported that the U.S. Navy accidentally shot down one of its own F/A-18 carrier-based aircraft from the air group of the nuclear aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. This incident occurred while responding to an attack by Yemeni Houthis, and both pilots survived but sustained injuries.
It has now come to light that a new detail underscores the absurdity of this incident – the "friendly fire" came from the USS Gettysburg, which can be considered one of the best guided missile cruisers in the U.S. Navy based on certain parameters. This was reported by the portal The War Zone.
The authors of this publication decided to provide a detailed account of how this episode involving the downing of their own F/A-18 occurred, highlighting the absurdity of the situation in every detail.
To begin with, it turned out that this U.S. Navy "Hornet" was shot down precisely when it was taking off to ensure air defense and intercept the kamikaze drones of the Yemeni Houthis. This raises the question of how American sailors could confuse their own aircraft with an enemy target, especially since the F/A-18 was theoretically moving directly toward the Houthis' UAVs, not the other way around.
Furthermore, it appears that this F/A-18 was not shot down during takeoff, but rather while it was on patrol, specifically during an essential mid-air refueling.
Additionally, the authors of TWZ mention that, according to unofficial reports, another U.S. Navy aircraft almost fell victim to "friendly fire," but they currently lack sufficient confirmation regarding this episode.
Meanwhile, it is particularly concerning that the mass "friendly fire" incident was initiated by the USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser that has undergone several upgrades during modernization, making it one of the best guided missile ships in the U.S. Navy.
In other words, the American military will need to investigate whether it was the training of their sailors that failed or if the equipment on the recently modernized guided missile cruiser was at fault.