Two US Navy pilots were shot down while flying over the Red Sea on Sunday in an apparent “friendly fire incident,” according to the US Military.
Both pilots ejected from their aircraft and were recovered alive after a ship in the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group mistakenly fired a missile at the F/A-18 Superhornet, the Associated Press reports.
The plane had just taken off from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and was fired upon with a guided cruiser missile from the USS Gettysburg, according to Central Command.
An explanation for the friendly fire incident was not included in the statement from Centcom.
The ships are part of the same battle group and would be linked by both radar and radio communications, the AP report makes note, adding to the confusion as to what happened.
The carrier group is targeting Houthi rebels — and has shot down multiple drones and anti-ship cruise missiles launched by the rebels in the Red Sea region, according to Central Command.
The USS Harry S. Truman had entered the Red Sea region as early as Dec. 15 after previously being moved to the Mediterranean in November, according to USNI News.
On Saturday night and into Sunday morning, the US conducted airstrikes in the mountain region near Yemen’s capital city Sana’a, upwards of 140 miles from the Red Sea coast.
The Houthis have attacked roughly 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict which began in October 2023.
Many of those ships are not related to the conflict, according to the Associated Press.