Fighter Jet from USS Truman Lost Overboard
An F-18 Super Hornet plunged into the sea while attempting to land on the USS Harry S. Truman on May 6, just days after a similar occurrence.
A Navy fighter jet went overboard during its landing on the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on May 6, marking the second such incident in just over a week for the carrier while operating in the Red Sea.
A defense official confirmed via email to The Epoch Times that the F/A-18F Super Hornet, part of Strike Fighter Squadron 11, was landing when the ship’s aircraft arresting system failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard.
The official reported that both pilots successfully ejected and sustained only minor injuries, with no flight deck personnel harmed.
U.S. forces, including the Truman and USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Groups, have been deployed in the Red Sea and nearby Middle Eastern waters to defend against Houthi drone and missile strikes on international shipping. The carrier groups have also engaged Houthi-controlled regions in Yemen.
The Houthi terrorist organization has maintained control over Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, since 2014 amid a civil war against the internationally recognized government, controlling areas with the majority of Yemen’s population.
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Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks across southern Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis shifted their focus outward. In a show of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, they initiated a series of drone and missile strikes aimed at Israel and Red Sea shipping.
U.S. forces quickly intervened to help counter the Houthi attacks. By January 2024, the Biden administration had ordered American forces to carry out offensive strikes throughout Houthi-controlled Yemen.
After a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in January, the Houthi attacks decreased, leading U.S. forces to reduce their strikes in Yemen.
However, as the cease-fire in Gaza fell apart, the Houthis threatened to recommence their attacks.
By March 15, President Donald Trump had instructed U.S. forces to reinitiate strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
On April 28, U.S. Central Command reported the elimination of hundreds of Houthi fighters and several key commanders in airstrikes, termed “Operation Rough Rider.”
Speaking to reporters on May 6, Trump stated that the Houthis communicated to the White House their desire to cease hostilities.
“They simply do not want to fight, and we will respect that and cease the bombings, as they have capitulated,” Trump remarked.
At a press briefing following Trump’s remarks, State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce indicated that this diplomatic achievement with the Houthis would end assaults on U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways.
Houthi officials, however, have since asserted their intention to persist with attacks on Israel.
