Super Hornet Fighter Jet Crashes Into Red Sea As US Carrier Attempts To Avoid Houthi Attack

JAKARTA - The US Navy's F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet disappeared at sea after crashing off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Marital (CVN-75) while being pulled onto the ship, the Navy said in a statement on Monday.

A US official said initial reports from the scene indicated the carrier turned sharply to avoid Houthi fire, causing the fighter jet to fall into the sea.

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed on Monday they had launched drone and missile attacks on the carrier, which is in the Red Sea as part of a major US military operation against the Iran-backed group.

Semua personel di atas kapal telah diketahui keberadaannya, dan seorang pelayar mengalami cedera ringan, kata Angkatan Laut.

"The F/A-18E was being pulled in the hangar when the crew moved out of control of the plane. Planes and tractors of the towing crashed into the sea," the statement said.

"The sailors who pulled the plane immediately took action to get away from the plane before it crashed into the sea. Investigations are underway," he continued.

Another official in Uncle Sam's country told CNN the plane had sunk. One F/A-18 fighter jet costs more than 60 million dollars, according to the Navy.

The largest US Navy aircraft carrier in the world with a length of nearly 1,100 feet and a weight of nearly 100,000 tonnes can surprisingly maneuver for its size.

Supported by two nuclear reactors that drive the propeller's four-axes, the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers such as firelants can reach speeds of more than 34 mph.

Certain details about the turns made to avoid Houthi gunfire have yet to be released, but photos and videos of Nimitz-class ship and aircraft carriers on the Defense Department's website suggest the large ships could take large angles in high-speed bends.

Carl Schuster, a former US Navy captain, said carriers trying to evade missile attacks used "zigzag" tactics.

"Usually you perform a series of maneuvers alternating 30 to 40 degrees. Each maneuver takes about 30 seconds, but the maneuver starts sharply. It's like driving a winding car," Schuster said.

"The ship is tilted about 10 to 15 degrees towards maneuver, but the ship shifts about 100 to 200 yards from the possible destination" if the ship moves at its maximum speed, he said.

The Serang Group of Aircraft Carriers was deployed in the Middle East and was in the Red Sea at the time of the incident. The Navy stressed on Monday that its attack group and air wing were "still capable of carrying out full missions."

The aircraft carrier has repeatedly been targeted by the Houthis.

In addition, a number of incidents related to the aircraft carrier have also occurred. The ship was in the spotlight of February allu when it collided with a merchant ship near Egypt; no injuries were reported.

Another F/A-18 fighter jet from the carrier was also "falsely fired" and shot down by a USSte cruiser in the Red Sea in December. Both pilots managed to throw themselves safely.

Another Super Hornet fell off the deck of the Harry Smendal Ship in July 2022, while resupply in the sea near Naples, southern Italy, quoted from The National.

Other US Navy ships in the region have also been attacked by the Houthis. The group began attacking US warships in the region, the US Navy trying to prevent the insurgent group from attacking commercial ships bound for Israel in protest against its invasion of Gaza in October 2023.

The Harry Smen's Carrier Carrier Group consists of aircraft carriers, nine squadrons from Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers from the Squadron 28 Destroyer, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS

The group was deployed in the Red Sea after entering the US Central Command (CENTCOM) responsibilities in December last year.