A US Navy F-18 fighter jet fell into the Red Sea from an aircraft carrier: $70 million at the bottom

US Navy F-18 fighter jet crashes into the Red Sea from aircraft carrier: $70 million gone to the bottom

Red Sea / US Navy.

A multi-million dollar American F/A-18 fighter jet worth about 70 million dollars ended up at the bottom of the Red Sea after falling from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. The dramatic incident occurred during a standard procedure of towing the combat aircraft from the hangar to the ship's deck.

According to the official US Navy statement, at the time of the incident, the fighter jet was being transported using a special tractor when the crew suddenly lost control of the situation. As a result, both the combat aircraft and the tractor, along with the servicemen on them, went overboard and plunged into the sea depths. One sailor was in the fighter's cockpit, while another was operating the tractor. Fortunately, both managed to leave the equipment before the fatal fall, although one of them sustained minor injuries.

The exact causes of the dramatic incident still remain a mystery. Experts are considering several versions: human error, technical malfunction, as well as possible influence of enemy fire. The aircraft carrier "Truman" has been performing an important mission in recent months to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from regular attacks by Yemen's Houthis, supported by Iran. Sources in the US Department of Defense shared with ABC News that the cause of the loss of control could have been a sudden movement of the aircraft carrier itself, caused by shelling from the rebels. However, there has been no official confirmation of this version yet.

It is worth noting that this is not the first incident involving the Truman aircraft carrier. Earlier this year, it collided with another ship, which led to the removal of its commander. Also fresh in memory is the 2022 incident when an F-35 fighter crashed while landing on the USS Carl Vinson and fell into the South China Sea, exploding upon impact with the water surface.

At present, the prospects for retrieving the expensive F-18 from the depths of the Red Sea are assessed by specialists as extremely low — this area continues to remain an active conflict zone.