US plane shot down by "friendly fire" over the Red Sea

As noted, as a result of the incident, which the US military is calling "friendly fire", two US Navy pilots were forced to eject. They were found alive, but one of them received minor injuries.

According to US Central Command, the F/A-18 was shot down immediately after takeoff from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, mistakenly fired on and shot down an F/A-18, the Central Command said in a statement. The downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet.

It is not known exactly how the USS Gettysburg could have mistakenly identified the F/A-18 as a hostile target, given that ships in a battle group typically use integrated radar and radio communications systems.

Central Command explained that on the eve of the incident, US ships and aircraft destroyed several Houthi drones and one anti-ship cruise missile.

Since October 2023, when the war between Israel and Hamas began in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have attacked about 100 merchant ships using missiles and drones.

The Houthis say their attacks are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK, in an attempt to force Israel to end its military campaign in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked are unrelated to the conflict, including those bound for Iran.

The Red Sea Corridor has become dangerous

The incident of the downing of the American plane demonstrates the growing danger in the Red Sea corridor due to constant attacks by the Houthis on shipping, even with the region being patrolled by international military forces from the United States and Europe.

In October, the United States announced its intention to maintain a military presence in the Red Sea.