US Navy releases reports on operational mishaps involving USS Truman

The United States Navy has released the findings of its investigation conducted into the lapses during the last year’s operations against Houthi rebel groups, which included downing of a Fighter/Attack-18F Super Hornet in a friendly fire in the Red Sea by one of its aircraft carrier groups.

The aircraft was shot down by a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, United States Ship Gettysburg, as reported by The War Zone, a US-based defence publication.

The downed aircraft belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron 11, nicknamed the “Red Rippers”, operating under Carrier Air Wing 1 from the USS Harry S. Truman.

The F/A-18F -- a twin-engine, carrier-based, multirole fighter aircraft of the US capable of ground and surface strike missions-- was conducting a routine aerial-refuelling mission.

  According to the Navy’s investigation, USS Gettysburg was operating in the Red Sea, where Houthi rebel forces had been launching cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and kamikaze drones at US and allied ships.

These threats often fly low and fast, similar to the radar profile of a returning aircraft. The crew misidentified the Super Hornet as a potential hostile threat while operating in a “high-stress, high-tempo” environment and launched an SM-2 surface-to-air missile in self-defence.

The wingman remained airborne, while both crew members of the downed jet ejected safely and were recovered by the Navy. One aviator sustained minor injuries, but both were evaluated by medical teams and later released, the War Zone reported earlier.

The report noted that, “a lack of integrated training opportunities between USS Gettysburg and the Carrier Strike Group, lack

of forceful backup on the cruiser, and lack of cohesion across the Carrier Strike Group contributed to the misidentification, and subsequent engagement, of the friendly aircraft and near miss of another. There were no personnel casualties or major injuries,” the war zone said.

The incident highlighted the harsh reality of modern naval warfare. Even the most advanced identification systems can fail when human judgment is strained under constant threat.

Several other incidents had occurred over the last year, for which the US Navy has now released reports.

According to The War Zone, the US Navy’s investigation also revealed some other mishaps that occurred during the same deployment. In one case, another F/A-18F from the Truman strike group was damaged after a mishandled landing attempt.