Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in 'friendly fire', US Central Command says

Both were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken F/A-18 aircraft

An F/A-18 jet launched from the USS Harry S Truman was mistakenly shot down in a friendly fire incident involving the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg. AP

Two US Navy pilots were shot down on Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in more than a year of America attacking Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shooting down of the aircraft underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become over the continuing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The US military had conducted air strikes attacking Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the US Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, the US Central Command said. On December 15, the US Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Middle East, but had not specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” the US Central Command said.

It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

The Houthi group on Sunday claimed responsibility for the attack on the F/A 18. It said the group had targeted the Truman and several other destroyers. The US is yet to respond to the claim.

However, the US Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.

Since the Truman's arrival, the US has increased its air strikes attacking the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may cause renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That posting marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since the Second World War.

The US military on Saturday said it said it conducted “precision air strikes” on a missile storage centre and a command centre run by Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen's capital, Sanaa.

The US Central Command said their actions were to “disrupt and degrade Houthi operations” and defend against attacks on US Navy warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. It also said that it “shot down” several one-way drones and an anti-ship missile launched by the Houthis.

Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering any casualty or damage information.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October last year after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that killed about 1,200 people and saw about 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, according to the enclave's Ministry of Health.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis also have increasingly attacked Israel with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory air strikes.