F/A-18E Super Hornet Lost in Red Sea as USS Harry S. Truman
An F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 was lost overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) while operating in the Red Sea on April 28. According to the US Navy, the aircraft was being towed inside the hangar bay when the tow team lost control, causing both the fighter jet and the tow tractor to fall into the sea.
All personnel involved were safely accounted for, with only one Sailor sustaining minor injuries. The U.S. Navy has launched an investigation into the incident to determine the exact causes.
Despite the loss of the aircraft, the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, which includes nine squadrons from Carrier Air Wing 1, three guided-missile destroyers, and the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), remains fully mission capable.
Key Role in Red Sea Operations
The USS Harry S. Truman is currently at the center of U.S. military operations in the Red Sea, a region facing increased instability due to attacks by Houthi rebels based in Yemen. Since the beginning of 2025, the carrier group has been engaged in “Operation Rough Rider,” an initiative aimed at securing vital international shipping lanes and curbing Iranian influence in the area.
Daily missions from the Truman include airstrikes and Tomahawk missile launches targeting Houthi military facilities, seeking to neutralize threats to commercial and naval vessels navigating the Red Sea — one of the world’s most important maritime corridors.
It is the second Super Hornet lost by Harry Truman in less than six months. In December 2024, an F/A-18F was shot down by a cruise missile launched by the destroyer USS Gettysburg while flying in the Red Sea.
The two crew members of the supersonic jet ejected safely, with one of them suffering minor injuries.
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Ricardo Meier
Creator of the website that started in 1996 as a magazine. He also writes on Brazilian websites AUTOO, MOTOO and MetrôCPTM.
