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A U.S. Navy F/A-18E fighter jet fell from the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman and sank to the bottom of the Red Sea, the Navy announced Monday. The aircraft was part of ongoing U.S. operations against Yemen’s Houthis.
According to an initial assessment cited by CNN, the aircraft was being towed on the carrier's hangar deck when the crew lost control during a sudden turn by the ship. The maneuver was reportedly made to avoid an incoming Houthi missile and drone attack. One sailor suffered minor injuries in the incident.
Both the fighter jet and the tow tractor fell overboard during the incident. “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway,” the Navy said in a statement. A formal investigation is underway. The aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships remain fully operational.
Despite being the largest warships in the world — measuring 330 meters (1,082 feet) long and weighing 100,000 tons — U.S. Navy aircraft carriers like the USS Harry S. Truman, which is powered by two nuclear reactors, can reach speeds of up to 54 km/h (33 mph).
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The lost jet is valued at approximately $60 million. This is not the first incident involving an F/A-18E in the region: in December, another fighter from the aircraft carrier was accidentally shot down by the USS Gettysburg, which mistakenly identified it as a threat. Both pilots safely ejected and were rescued.
The Truman also made headlines in February following a collision with a commercial vessel near Egypt, with no injuries reported.
Despite ongoing U.S. airstrikes, which the Pentagon says have targeted 800 strategic sites and killed hundreds of terrorists over the past six weeks, the Houthis have vowed to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea.
On Monday, they claimed that a recent U.S. strike hit a prison housing African migrants, killing at least 68 people. The Houthis’ patron Iran called the attack a “war crime.” U.S. officials have not confirmed or denied the claim.