US embarrasses itself again after $570 million fighter jet falls into Red Sea from ship

 

Washington: A multi-billion dollar US fighter jet has fallen into the Red Sea from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. The Navy said a sailor was injured in the accident. In 2021, the $67 million fighter jet and the tractor it was towing fell from the ship into the sea. While towing an F/A-18E in the hangar bay, the movement crew lost control of the aircraft and the aircraft and tow tractor fell into the sea, the Navy said in a statement.

The Navy said the crew took immediate action to evacuate the aircraft before it fell into the sea and one person was injured. The Navy said an investigation into the incident is underway. Details of the aircraft's recovery operations have not been released. The second F/A-18 operating from the Truman was lost. The accident occurred just six months before its service life.

The incident comes after the USS Gettysburg guided-missile cruiser accidentally shot down another aircraft late last year. The Truman is one of two US aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East. The US military has been conducting strikes since mid-March to end a threat to shipping in the region posed by Yemen's Houthi rebels. The incident comes as the US military continues to conduct airstrikes in the region.