According to two defense officials, a naval fighter fell overboard as the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft airline turned to avoid a fire from the Yemeni army.
The military was using a $60 million jet plane as part of a weekly campaign against the Yemeni army.
One sailor was injured in the disaster. This included the loss of vehicles used to tow aircraft across the deck. The plane and truck were sank, according to officials who were recognized as anonymous to talk about the attack.
The aircraft’s losses will be added to the increasing price tag in an effort against the Yemeni army, which includes seven MQ-9 drones shot down by the group over the past few weeks. The Yemeni army has defeated more than dozens of surveillance drones since October 2023, when it began attacking ships in the Red Sea to stop Israel’s merciless war with Gaza. They each cost over $20 million.
“The F/A-18E was actively towing in Hangar Bay when the mobile crew lost control of the aircraft,” the Navy said in a statement, Politico reported.
“The crew towing the aircraft took immediate action to remove the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”
The US Central Command has carried out more than 800 airstrikes against Yemen as part of its Operation Roughrider. This is the largest American air campaign since his operation with ISIS during President Donald Trump’s first term targeting Syrian and Iraqi terrorist groups.
Truman and his escorts – a mix of destroyers and cruisers – were to go home last month. However, Defense Secretary Pete Hegses ordered the region to expand its deployment and strengthen its attacks on Yemeni forces, while ordering another airline, USS Carl Vinson.