Key Points: A US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet fell overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman on April 28th after the aircraft carrier executed sharp evasive maneuvers in the Red Sea, reportedly to avoid Houthi fire.
-This incident follows other recent mishaps involving the Truman and highlights the persistent threat from Iranian-backed Houthis, who may be receiving enhanced capabilities like advanced Russian anti-ship missiles (P-800 Oniks) and targeting data.
-Despite ongoing US strikes, forcing the loss of a $67 million jet, even indirectly, represents a significant operational and propaganda success for the Houthi rebels challenging maritime security.
Maybe the Aircraft Carrier Is Now Obsolete?
Thanks to a dramatic evasive maneuver, a Navy warplane fell off the USS Truman and plunged into the Red Sea.
The USS Harry S. Truman, one of the United States Navy’s Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, lost an F/A-18 Super Hornet after the jet fell overboard during missile evasive maneuvers on the part of the carrier. Reports indicate that the USS Truman executed a sharp turn while in the Red Sea to avoid fire from Houthi rebels.
“USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) lost an F/A-18E Super Hornet assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136 and a tow tractor as the aircraft carrier operated in the Red Sea, April 28. All personnel are accounted for, with one sailor sustaining a minor injury,” a statement released by the Department of the Navy explained.
“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the statement clarified, adding that “Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway. The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable.”
Amazingly, the sailor in the Super Hornet cockpit at the time of the incident managed to jump out of the fighter jet before it fell into the sea and remained onboard the aircraft carrier.
Aircraft carriers can conduct zig-zag tactics and, thanks to their onboard nuclear reactors, are surprisingly nimble despite their enormous size as the largest warships. When sailing at maximum speed, sharp turns can result in dramatic course changes, complicating the targeting of the ship.
Multiple Incidents While at Sea
This latest Super Hornet loss is not the first time the USS Truman has experienced mishaps at sea, and the carrier has had several hiccups recently.
In February, the USS Truman collided with a merchant ship off the Egyptian coast. And in December, the USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, shot down one of the USS Truman’s F/A-18 Super Hornets over the Red Sea in a friendly-fire incident.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have nearly notched hits on other US Navy ships since last year. One of the most notable of these, in 2024, an American warship activated its Phalanx Close-In Weapon System to shoot down a Houthi cruise missile. The Phalanx is essentially the last line of defense for warships, and its activation indicated that the Houthi missile managed to evade the other layers of the warship’s defenses.
Burgeoning Defenses, Expanding Cooperation
In September last year, sources told Reuters that Tehran brokered talks between their Houthi ally and Russia for the transfer of ground-launched variants of Russia’s P-800 anti-ship cruise missiles.
“This Oniks/Yakhont/Yakhont-M has a range of 300 km in its default trajectory and 120 km in a low-altitude trajectory. After being accelerated by a rocket booster, the missile propels itself with a kerosene-powered ramjet motor,” the Center for Strategic and International Studies explains.
It adds that “In typical flight, the missile can reach altitudes of up to 14 km and speeds of up to 750m/s (Mach 2.2). When approaching the target, the missile descends to a 10 – 15 m altitude to avoid detection. At low/terminal altitudes, the missile’s maximum speed is 680m/s (Mach 2).”
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that Russia is providing the Houthis with targeting data, putting ships transiting those waters further at risk of attacks. The paper reported that the Houthis received Russian satellite data via Iran.
Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea have had an outsized effect on trade via that narrow maritime passageway. Estimates put global trade that passes through the Red Sea at about 12 percent. In comparison, around 30 percent of all container traffic transits those waters, underscoring the vulnerability of global trade to disruption by the Houthis.
In October of last year, Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms dealer traded to Russia for the release of Brittney Griner, a professional basketball player, tried to broker the sale of $10 million worth of small arms to the Houthis. Although the deal mainly covered AK-74 assault rifles, the Houthis reportedly expressed interest in more advanced weaponry, including anti-armor weapons and anti-aircraft systems.
Postscript
Although the new administration is prosecuting a renewed campaign of strikes against the Houthis, the ultimate efficacy of that campaign is dubious. The Houthis have weathered myriad strikes from the United States and Israel and resisted a years-long Saudi-led campaign to dislodge the rebels from their stronghold at the capital and in Yemen’s west.
However, Houthi’s offensive trend seems clearer: thanks to tighter cooperation with Iran and Russia and potentially the infusion of advanced anti-ship weaponry, Houthi offensive capabilities are not diminishing. And though the rebels have yet to land a decisive strike on an American warship, thanks to this latest Super Hornet incident, they’ve already notched a critical success.
About the Author: Caleb Larson
Caleb Larson is an American multiformat journalist based in Berlin, Germany. His work covers the intersection of conflict and society, focusing on American foreign policy and European security. He has reported from Germany, Russia, and the United States. Most recently, he covered the war in Ukraine, reporting extensively on the war’s shifting battle lines from Donbas and writing on the war’s civilian and humanitarian toll. Previously, he worked as a Defense Reporter for POLITICO Europe. You can follow his latest work on X.
