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By Amira El-Fekki
Middle East News Reporter
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The U.S. Navy on Thursday released its report into the loss of three F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman during its strike group's deployment to the Middle East last fall.
The fighter jets were lost due to malfunction, a friendly fire shootdown, and a defensive evasive maneuver, according to the Navy's investigation. The aircraft carrier itself also collided with a merchant ship during the same deployment, part of a military campaign against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group was sent to secure vital international shipping lines in the Red Sea from September 2024 to May 2025. No personnel were killed or seriously injured during the incidents.
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"Despite the challenges, the Sailors of the Harry S. Truman Strike Group demonstrated adaptability, professionalism, and complete commitment to the mission throughout the deployment," Admiral Jim Kilby, vice chief of naval operations, said in a press statement.
Why It Matters
The newly released investigations reveal serious failures in leadership, training and equipment management, resulting in avoidable losses of valuable aircraft. The incidents also highlight the intensity of operations against the Houthis who attacked the strike group with ballistic and anti-ship missiles and one-way attack drones.
The U.S. and Houthis signed a ceasefire agreement in May, effectively ending weekslong Operation Rough Rider in which the U.S. did not succeed in stopping attacks by the Yemeni militant group that had disrupted Red Sea navigation since the outbreak of the 2023 Gaza war.
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What To Know
On December 22, 2024, an F/A-18F Super Hornet was accidentally shot down by the USS Gettysburg over the Red Sea. A Navy investigation found that gaps in training, coordination and force support across the Carrier Strike Group led to the misidentification and near miss of another aircraft.
Super Hornets from the USS Harry S. Truman conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, while USS Gettysburg operated near the carrier. Its commander mistakenly took the fighters for anti-ship cruise missiles, and ordered his crew to fire two SM-2 missiles without further verification, according to the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI), which published parts of the report on Friday. The crew of the first Super Hornet ejected before it was hit, and the second jet evaded destruction when the missile was deactivated.
On February 12, 2025, USS Harry S. Truman collided with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M near Port Said, Egypt. The Navy deemed the collision avoidable and relieved the commanding officer.
On April 28, a towing tractor and attached F/A-18E Super Hornet slipped off the carrier and sank into the Red Sea after falling from a hangar while the Harry S. Truman was evading an incoming Houthi ballistic missile.
The investigation cited a brake failure worsened by poor coordination between bridge, flight deck and hangar control. The investigation noted that the hangar bay’s non-skid coating was insufficient, making the deck slippery.
Then on May 6, an F/A-18F Super Hornet was lost when the carrier’s arresting wire failed to catch the aircraft. Witnesses reported a loud explosion and saw sparks and flames as the jet went overboard, while below deck, the crosshead ejected from the sheave damper, ‘spinning like the Tasmanian devil’ in what was described as an ‘entirely preventable’ mishap, according to USNI.
The incident caused minor injuries to an unknown number of crew, the loss of a $60 million Super Hornet, and resulted in over $207,000 in repairs, USNI reported.
In April, the cost of the U.S. military offensive against Houthis reached $1 billion within three weeks, with limited impact, according to CNN. The U.S. has also lost several multi-million-dollar MQ-9 Reaper drones shot down by Houthis.
What People Are Saying
Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jim Kilby in a press statement Thursday: "The Navy’s sustained combat operations in the U.S. Central Command area of operations for the past two years demonstrated our battle effectiveness and ability to maintain freedom of navigation. As we reflect on these incidents and ongoing improvement efforts, the Navy remains laser-focused on producing battle ready Sailors and forces to ensure the Navy provides our nation with the most lethal, combat-credible, and ready force possible."
A Navy report stated about the May 6 incident, according to USNI: "This mishap was entirely preventable had the commanding officer and air department on USS Harry S. Truman simply complied with the requirements of the aircraft launch and recovery equipment maintenance program (ALREMP). While the investigating team highlighted several factors that contributed to the eroding standard within V2 Division on Harry S. Truman, the hard reality is that multiple individuals at all levels of leadership were complicit in allowing the ALRE Maintenance Program to degrade to the level of abject failure."
A senior Navy official told reporters Thursday, according to USNI: "I assure you that accountability actions were taken across all the operators involved in this. I don’t feel an obligation to publish those results to the world."
What Happens Next
U.S. Navy officials say appropriate accountability measures have been implemented to address the incidents. Disciplinary action included revoking an individual’s watch qualification and requiring requalification under administrative procedures.
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