Latest news with #VFA11
Fox News
07-05-2025
- General
- Fox News
Second Navy fighter jet goes overboard from Truman aircraft carrier, pilots ejected
Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected while attempting to land a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier on Tuesday, resulting in the aircraft being lost in the Red Sea, the second such incident in a week, Department of Defense officials said. An F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, was landing on the flight deck of USS Harry S. Truman "when the arrestment failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard," the official told Fox News Digital. NAVY DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL WARSHIP TO CURB ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, DRUG SMUGGLING AT THE SOUTHERN BORDER Both pilots in the aircraft ejected and were rescued. The warplane went overboard into the sea and has not been recovered. "The aviators were evaluated by medical personnel and assessed to have minor injuries. No flight deck personnel were injured," the official said. The incident occurred just over a week after another F/A-18F Super Hornet went overboard on the USS Truman. TRUMP'S USE OF WARSHIP FOR BORDER ENFORCEMENT A 'SMART' USE OF MILITARY FORCE, EXPERT SAYS The $67.4 million aircraft was lost when it was actively under tow in a hangar bay when the crew lost control of the aircraft . Sailors towing the aircraft took "immediate action" to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard, the Navy said. At the time, officials said the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, a coalition of U.S. warships deployed to the Red Sea, and an air wing remained fully mission-capable. CLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The strike group comprises the Truman aircraft carrier and nine squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 28, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg. The carrier has been operating in the Red Sea, where it has launched strikes against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists based in Yemen. On Tuesday, Trump announced a ceasefire with the terror group.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
Second $70 million fighter jet from USS Harry S. Truman crashes into Red Sea
A second multi-million dollar fighter jet has fallen off the USS Harry S. Truman and plummeted into the Red Sea. A U.S. F-18 fighter jet went overboard on Tuesday after tipping off the flight deck, according to officials. The two-seater F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, went off the deck as it was landing around 9:45 p.m. local time and crashed into the sea, sources told NBC News. The two aviators aboard suffered minor injuries after ejecting from the failed landing, in which the aircraft failed to catch the wire, known as a 'failed arrestment.' Both members of the crew ejected before the jet plunged into the water and were recovered by a rescue helicopter. Based on initial reports, the tail hook appeared to fail to hook the wire that slows down the aircraft, which continued to accelerate toward the bow and went into the water, sources told the news outlet. It is the second time in recent days that the aircrafts, which costs up to $70 million, have been lost in the Red Sea. Last week, another fighter jet fell overboard from the Truman, which has been aiding U.S. strikes against Yemen's Houthi fighters. On April 28,the jet slipped off the hanger deck of an aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, as sailors were towing the aircraft into place in the hangar bay. A quick-thinking sailor was able to narrowly escape a fighter jet just moments before it fell into the Red Sea. The unidentified sailor was inside the cockpit of an F/A-18 fighter jet when it slipped off the hanger deck, reported Business Insider. Navy officials have previously said the move crew 'lost control' of the Super Hornet fighter jet and that one sailor was injured in the incident. But, a U.S. defense official revealed that the sailor - who was slightly injured - bailed out of the cockpit as soon as it became clear that the fighter jet was going to go overboard. Yet it remains unclear how much time past between the sailor escaping the plane and it falling into the water. The defense official noted that it is standard procedure for a sailor to be in the jet's cockpit when the aircraft is being moved in case the crew needs to use the emergency brake or steer. Fighter jets are routinely towed around the hangar deck to park them where they are needed for any flight operations or other work. It is unclear whether there will be an effort to recover the jet, which was a part of Strike Fighter Squadron 136. The incident remains under investigation. The USS Truman has been deployed to the Middle East for months and was recently involved in stepped-up military operations against the Yemen-based Houthi rebels. U.S. Central Command has said that the military has conducted daily strikes, which have been done by fighter jets, bombers, ships and drones. The Truman's deployment has already been extended once by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth by about a month. Last month, US airstrikes in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa killed at least eight people, according to Houthi rebels.
