US Navy’s F-18 falls off aircraft carrier amid Houthi attack in Red Sea

The U.S. Navy has initiated a formal investigation following the loss of a $67 million F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, which fell into the Red Sea on Monday while stationed aboard the U.S.S. Harry S. Truman. The incident occurred in the Middle East during heightened tensions, with Houthi rebels claiming responsibility for missile strikes targeting U.S. naval assets.

According to a statement from the Navy’s Chief of Information Office in Bahrain, the aircraft was being towed within the hangar bay when the tow crew lost control. Both the jet and the tow tractor plunged overboard. While one sailor sustained minor injuries, all other personnel were unharmed and accounted for.

“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the Navy confirmed. “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”

The Navy did not specify whether the incident was directly linked to any hostile actions. However, on the same day, Yemen’s Houthi forces issued a statement claiming to have launched multiple ballistic and cruise missiles toward the Harry S. Truman and other U.S. warships operating in the Red and Arabian Seas.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue targeting the aircraft carrier and all enemy warships in the region until the aggression against Yemen ceases,” the statement read.

Houthi officials said the missile barrage was in retaliation for a recent U.S. airstrike on a detention facility housing African migrants, which they claim killed at least 68 individuals and injured 47 more. They also cited a separate U.S. strike in Sana’a, Yemen’s capital, as justification for their response.

The Navy has not confirmed any connection between the reported missile attacks and the loss of the aircraft but emphasized that a full inquiry is ongoing.