2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in ‘friendly fire’ amid attacks on Iranian-backed Houthis

At least two United States Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday, December 22, the US military said. The shots were fired in an apparent “friendly firing” incident amid the reports of US attacks on Yemen’s Houthi rebels, backed by Iran.

Both pilots ejected safely from their stricken aircraft, with one sustaining minor injuries. However, the incident highlights the increasing dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid ongoing attacks on shipping by Iranian-backed Houthis, despite the presence of US and European military coalitions patrolling the region.

The US military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time. The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

The aircraft which was shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. It has not been made how how a Navy plane was mistaken for an enemy aircraft or missile despite the fact that they remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.

Two days ago, US had conducted airstrikes that targetted Sanaa in an attack on Houthis.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others taken hostage.