How US Navy's F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet was lost in Red Sea

A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet slipped off the hanger deck of an aircraft carrier that was deployed to the Middle East, as sailors were towing the aircraft into place in the hangar bay of the USS Harry S. Truman, on Monday. The jet was part of Strike Fighter Squadron 136.

The crew members who were in the pilot seat of the fighter jet and on the small towing tractor both jumped out before the jet and the tug went into the Red Sea.

The sailor who jumped from the aircraft sustained a minor injury, according to a defence official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the statement from the US Navy said. “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”

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The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard, the Navy said in a statement.

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable, the Navy further said.

The strike group consists of flagship Harry S. Truman, the nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64).

It is unclear whether there will be an effort to recover the jet, which costs about $60 million. The incident is under investigation.

Fighter jets are routinely towed around the hangar deck to park them where they are needed for any flight operations or other work.

The Truman has been deployed to the Middle East for months and recently has been involved in stepped-up military operations against the Yemen-based Houthi rebels. US Central Command said the military has conducted daily strikes, which have been done by fighter jets, bombers, ships and drones.

Defence