On the same night a U.S. Navy fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea, a second jet nearly suffered the same fate. An F/A-18 Super Hornet was forced to take evasive maneuvers after a second surface-to-air missile was fired from the cruiser USS Gettysburg, narrowly missing the second jet by 100 feet while preparing to land aboard the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.
A Navy official confirmed that a second SM-2 missile was fired from USS Gettysburg, and the Navy is investigating whether that missile was targeting the second jet. The Navy is also looking into whether the USS Gettysburg switched off the guidance system on the second missile. The near shoot-down of a second U.S. Navy jet has not been previously reported.
U.S. Central Command stated that the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman. However, a source revealed that the F/A-18 Super Hornet was attempting to land aboard Truman after performing a midair refueling mission for jets carrying out airstrikes over Yemen.
The pilot and weapons systems officer ejected and were picked up by a rescue helicopter with one suffering minor injuries. Neither U.S. Central Command nor the Pentagon disclosed that a second American fighter jet was fired upon by the cruiser and narrowly avoided getting shot down as well.
Navy pilots are reportedly questioning the training aboard the USS Gettysburg, calling it insufficient. The incident occurred days after the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the Red Sea and conducted strikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea. Since the friendly fire incident, there have been no more strikes against the Houthis from Truman.
