Official U.S. Navy announcements or policy documents

Second U.S. Navy Jet Escapes USS Gettysburg's SM-2 Missile by 100 Feet Over Red Sea

Dec 24, 2024, 05:57 PM

A second U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet narrowly avoided being shot down in a 'friendly fire' incident over the Red Sea. The incident occurred on the same night that another F/A-18 was downed by a missile fired from the USS Gettysburg, a guided-missile cruiser. The second jet, which was flying a few miles behind the downed aircraft, was forced to take evasive maneuvers after a second surface-to-air missile, identified as an SM-2 missile, was launched from the USS Gettysburg. The missile missed the second jet by just 100 feet as it prepared to land on the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. The Navy is investigating whether the second missile was targeting the second jet and if the USS Gettysburg's guidance system was switched off. The incident has not been previously reported, and it has raised concerns among Navy pilots about the training aboard the USS Gettysburg.