Latest news with #SuperHornets
Business Insider
07-05-2025
- General
- Business Insider
A US Navy aircraft carrier in the Red Sea fight just lost a third Super Hornet. The $60 million jet went overboard on landing.
Another F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fell off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and into the Red Sea on Tuesday, a US defense official confirmed to Business Insider. It's the second fighter jet lost from the Truman in a little over a week, and the third of the carrier's deployment. Super Hornets are estimated to cost roughly $60 million apiece. The F/A-18F was landing on the flight deck of the Truman on Tuesday when the arrestment failed, causing the fighter jet to go overboard, the official said. Both the aviators safely ejected and were rescued by an MH-60S Seahawk helicopter. Navy aircraft carriers have catapults for launch and arresting gear for recovery. The thick cables help aircraft quickly decelerate on landing. It's unclear what exactly failed during Tuesday's recovery. "The aviators were evaluated by medical personnel and assessed to have minor injuries," the official told BI, adding that "no flight deck personnel were injured." CNN first reported on the incident, which was the latest in a series of mishaps for Truman and its strike group. On April 28, an F/A-18E and a tow tractor fell off the Truman and into the Red Sea after a move crew lost control of the aircraft. A sailor who jumped from the cockpit just before the fighter jet went overboard was lightly hurt. In February, the Truman collided with a large commercial vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, resulting in the firing of the carrier's commanding officer. And in December, the missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the Truman's strike group, shot down a Super Hornet in what the US military described as "an apparent case of friendly fire." Both aviators ejected safely. The Truman has been deeply involved in combat operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. However, Tuesday's incident came as President Donald Trump said that the US would end a seven-week-long intensive bombing campaign against the rebels.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
US Navy loses $60 million fighter jet after it falls into Red Sea
It was a rough start to the week for the Department of Defense. On April 29, sailors aboard the USS Harry S. Truman witnessed a $60-70 million fighter jet vanish into the Red Sea after they 'lost control' of the F/A-18E Super Hornet and its towing tractor. The incident occurred as personnel were moving the aircraft into the carrier's hangar bay, with initial reports indicating the mishap began after the Truman took an unexpectedly hard turn to avoid drone and missile attacks from Yemen's Houthi rebels. The US Navy reported only one minor injury in a statement. 'Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,' the Navy explains, before adding that 'an investigation is underway.' Super Hornets (often referred to in the military as 'Rhinos') come in two variants: the F/A-18E and F/A-18F. The F/A-18E involved in Monday's costly debacle is a single-seat aircraft primarily used in air-to-air combat and air-to-ground missile strike missions. This enables its pilot to operate weapons and flight systems simultaneously, offering a massive logistical upgrade to the US military's previous generation of Tomcat fighter jets. Super Hornets are substantially bigger than their Hornet predecessor. At 20 percent larger and roughly 7,000 lbs heavier, Super Hornets carry 33 percent more fuel to enable an increased mission range of around 41 percent. Those souped-up stats make for one of the most powerful and versatile fighter jets in the world. An F/A-18E's cruising speed is around 555 mph, but the aircraft can top out at 1,190 mph at 40,000 ft if needed. Its maximum speed is about 806 mph (Mach 1.06) at sea level with a range of 1,458 miles while armed with its two AIM-9 missiles. The (now one Super Hornet-short) USS Truman has been deployed in the Middle East for months, and was most recently directed to assist in increased military operations against Houthi rebel forces. US Central Command previously stated the military is conducting daily strikes against Houthi targets using a combination of bombers, ships, drones, and fighter jets. The USS Truman was initially slated to return to port earlier this year before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a one-month extension of duty.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Don't Think Aliens Are Real? These 7 Reasons Might Change Your Mind
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Are aliens real? We don't know for sure, but we want to believe. Outer space is a vast expanse that we have so much more to learn about, which is why it's hard to flat-out deny the possibility that other intelligent lifeforms exist. If life can exist—and persist—in seclusion, and in some of the harshest conditions on Earth (just look at tardigrades), it's likely that other interplanetary lifeforms have evolved and acclimated to conditions in space, too. As the renowned science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke once said, 'Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.' Several discoveries and theories from some of the greatest minds in science point to the likelihood that there's something beyond us in the universe, so there's a pretty decent chance we have neighbors somewhere in the ether. It's time to consider the evidence—here are seven solid reasons for believing aliens are among November 14, 2004, a training mission near San Diego became one that Commander David Fravor will never forget—and remains one he still can't explain. Fravor recalls seeing a Tic Tac-shaped object that moved much faster than the capability of any known weaponry that currently exists. 'We're flying brand new Super Hornets. It was an air defense exercise—two good guys against two bad guys,' Fravor said in a History Channel video interview. Everything seemed normal until the USS Princeton called upon Fravor and company for a real-world task. Changing course, it wasn't long before Fravor and the other pilots saw something strange: what appeared to be a sunken plane or submerging submarine moving erratically right under the water's surface. 'It's white, it has no wings, it has no rotors, I go 'holy, what is that?''' Fravor said. The UFO had no windows, and it's reported that infrared monitors failed to pick up on any exhaust fumes. Fravor says it wasn't long before his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to get a closer look. As Fravor began descending toward the water, the craft surfaced, rapidly ascended, and began mirroring Fravor's flight pattern. Then, in an instant, it zipped past the nose of Fravor's jet and disappeared. When Fravor and the other pilots got back to the USS Nimitz, they shared their experiences with the rest of the crew. Shortly afterward, another pilot took off in search of the UFO—and succeeded. This pilot managed to get a lock on the Tic Tac, which happens to be the footage seen here. The Navy has officially released the footage (after it had originally been leaked), but says the public was never supposed to see it in the first place. See the original post on YoutubeIn November 1944, several members of the U.S. Air Force saw what would come to be known as 'Foo Fighters,' a name borrowed from the 'Smokey Stover' comic strip. The Foo Fighters were described as a type of mysterious aircraft that glowed red and could zip and turn through the skies with incredible ease. Lt. Fred Ringwald, who happened to be a passenger in a night fighter that was flying over the Rhine Valley, was the first to see the lights. Airmen reported seeing between eight and ten of the aircraft lined up in a row. Concerned that they might be enemy aircraft, the group checked with the ground radar team, who hadn't registered any odd activity. One of the pilots turned his aircraft around in preparation for a fight, only to find the lights had vanished as quickly as they appeared. The sightings didn't stop there, though. In mid-December 1944, a different pilot saw what was described as a display of flashing red and green lights that created a T-formation, which also disappeared as quickly as they came. Several more sightings ensued, and although people tried to come up with explanations for them—the airmen were suffering from 'combat fatigue,' the lights were a result of some kind of weird weather phenomena, they came from some new, groundbreaking Nazi technology—they still remain a mystery. See the original post on YoutubeAvi Loeb, an impressively credentialed scientist who taught at Harvard and chaired the university's Astronomy Department, has put forth an interesting, but seemingly far-fetched, hypothesis: the asteroid Oumuamua is actually space debris from an alien structure or a defunct alien spacecraft. Coming from anyone else, this might seem crazy. But again, Loeb knows a thing or two about the machinations of space. While truthers are soaking up the Oumuamua theory, however, Loeb's colleagues are highly disappointed and upset that he's posited what they're calling an 'insult [to] honest scientific inquiry.' A March 2021 study by Arizona State University astrophysicists posits that the object is a nitrogen iceberg broken off from a Pluto-like planet in a distant star system. In part, it would explain how reflective the object is. Loeb countered that the chunk would have had to originate on a planet with an unrealistically high density. So the jury's still out on this mysterious chunk of space March 21, 2022, NASA confirmed the number of exoplanets is over 5,000, and we can expect that figure to only grow as we improve technology that's able to probe the nether regions of space. This means there are thousands of known planets that haven't been explored at length and several more awaiting discovery that could be comprised of environments with the ability to sustain life. Who's to say one (or multiple) exoplanets aren't already home to intelligent extraterrestrial beings? See the original post on YoutubeIn 2007, the Department of Defense (DoD) created a program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) to study 'space-related phenomena that could not be easily explained, usually involving the appearance of high-speed, unidentified aircraft,' per New York Magazine's Intelligencer. The covert program was headed by military intelligence official Luis Elizondo, who sought to investigate reports of UFO encounters. A decade later, Elizondo quit working at the Pentagon and confirmed AATIP's existence to the New York Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute was founded by Carl Sagan and Jill Tarter, two astronomers who believe there's more to interplanetary life than us. SETI's mission is 'to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe and the evolution of intelligence.' The Institute works with NASA and the National Science Foundation as a research contractor to pool resources and explore the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. Aside from optical and radio wave signals, SETI uses a laser detection system to look for signs of alien technology. Yep, an entire scientific organization that seeks to find other intelligent life in the universe actually exists. You Might Also Like 30 Anti-Aging Foods for Women That'll Keep You Feeling Young A Definitive Ranking of Popular Potato Chip Brands
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
RMAF to provide advanced air combat training for Kuwaiti fighter pilots?
If the plan to acquire 30 ex-Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF) 'legacy' Hornets for the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) is approved by the Trump administration, the RMAF could emerge as a key training provider for the Middle Eastern air force. Twentytwo13 has learnt that as part of the deal, the RMAF would provide 'post-graduate' air combat 'courses' for the KAF. While details have not been confirmed, it is believed that this will include a whole spectrum of capabilities, including defensive, and offensive air operations. This could be split further into air combat manoeuvring (1 v 1, 2 v 1, multiples v 1), defensive counter-air, close air support (CAS), offensive counter-air, suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), denial of enemy air defences (DEAD), precision bombing, low-level strike, anti-shipping, and interdiction/strike. It is also learnt that this is being offered to Kuwait as part of the KAF Hornet acquisition package. The deal would work in the Kuwaitis' favour as they transition to their new Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, under their force modernisation programme. However, the acquisition of the ex-KAF Hornet stocks could still be axed by United States President Donald Trump. On Jan 29, Twentytwo13 reported that Trump, who took office about three weeks ago, could scupper the deal in retaliation to Malaysia aligning itself with BRICS. He could still use it as leverage to pressure Malaysia to exit the trade bloc. Malaysia was accepted as a BRICS 'partner country' along with neighbours Thailand and Indonesia, in October 2024. The US has the final say on the deal since the F/A-18C/D Hornets were built by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing). On Feb 1, Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said the acquisition of the ex-KAF Hornets is expected to be finalised this year, once all the documentation between the KAF and the United States is settled, 'soon'. 'So far, the procurement of the 30 aircraft is in the final stages of discussions following KAF's green light, after both parties agreed in principle with our intention to obtain the aircraft immediately,' Adly added. Kuwait purchased 39 legacy Hornets in the mid-1990s, soon after the first Gulf War. In 2018, it finalised a deal worth USD1.17 billion for 28 of the more advanced Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, to replace the C/Ds. However, the RMAF's plan to acquire KAF's legacy Hornets stalled after some delays, brought on by the political imbroglio in Kuwait, and production issues with the Super Hornet's manufacturer, Boeing. Delays in the delivery of the Super Hornets to Kuwait affected RMAF's planned acquisition of the legacy Hornets. The project has been on the slow burner since 2021. The Kuwaiti Super Hornets are now expected to be fully operational by 2027. Under the proposed RMAF-KAF deal, the Kuwaitis would set up a detachment of the their old Hornets, complete with an as-yet unspecified number of airframes, spares shop, and support infrastructure. A similar arrangement is used by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, the United States, to train their Boeing F-15SG Strike Eagle fighter pilots. The RSAF maintains a 'semi-permanent' detachment in Idaho – dubbed Peace Carvin V. It has a similar detachment at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona for its Block 52+ Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds, under the Peace Carvin II programme. While the Hornet and Super Hornet are essentially different aircraft, with only about 20 per cent commonality (despite being visually similar), the tactics and procedures used can be applied fleet-wide. The RMAF operates a number of different aircraft, including the Russian Sukhoi Su-30MKM Flanker, and Korea Aerospace Industries' FA-50M Fighting Eagle, that will soon replace the ageing BAE Systems Hawk 108/208s. The initial batch of 18 FA-50Ms are expected to be delivered in October 2026. This arrangement will provide the Kuwaitis with a wealth of experience in fighting 'dissimilar' aircraft in what is known in the fighter community as 'DACT' (Dissimilar Air Combat Training). The RMAF will function as an 'advanced, post-graduate training centre' for the Kuwaitis, flying 'adversary' or 'Red Air' duties against the Kuwaiti pilots. The RMAF conducts DACT sorties over three instrumented 'ACMI' (Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrument) ranges – the first in the west of Penang over the sea, the second over Gerik until Cameron Highlands, and the third, south of Kuala Terengganu, until Chukai. Systems monitoring is done in two 'TACT' (Tactical Air Combat Training) centres – Butterworth and Kuantan, Pahang. The aircraft flying these sorties will be fitted with 'ACMI' pods. Each pod will record all the flight and weapons release parameters and feed the information via telemetry to the 'TACT' centres. The stored information will be played back during the extensive debriefs, providing aircrew with a 'God's eye' view of each engagement. Main image: RMAF
