U.S. Military Shoots Down U.S. Fighter Jet

A guided U.S. missile cruiser mistakenly shot down a U.S. fighter jet over the Red Sea.

The two Navy pilots were ejected safely.

“Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely over the Red Sea during the early morning hours of December 22 when their F/A-18 fighter aircraft was shot down in an apparent case of friendly fire,” U.S. Central Command (CENTOM) said in a statement. “The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman.”

“Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”

A military officer familiar with the matter said that only one pilot was involved in the incident. The other individual was a backseat weapons systems officer (WSO).

On Saturday, CENTCOM announced that it “conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory.”

CENTCOM described the actions as “deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations.”

“During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down multiple Houthi one way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea.”

Last week, CENTCOM announced that it eliminated ISIS leader Abu Yusif in Syria.

Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of CENTCOM, said in a statement, “As stated before, the United States — working with allies and partners in the region — will not allow ISIS to take advantage of the current situation in Syria and reconstitute. ISIS has the intent to break out of detention the over 8,000 ISIS operatives currently being held in facilities in Syria. We will aggressively target these leaders and operatives, including those trying to conduct operations external to Syria.”

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