A second F/A-18 jet goes overboard the USS Harry Truman in the Red Sea

Just over a week after an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet fell overboard in the Red Sea, the Navy has lost another Super Hornet after it crashed during a difficult landing last night.  

The Navy confirmed that an additional F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed while it was attempting to land on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier hours after the U.S. agreed to halt strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen.  

The F/A-18F Super Hornet fell into the water after it attempted to land on the USS Harry S. Truman and the arresting cable failed. Thankfully, both pilots safely ejected from the aircraft before it made contact with the water. 

“On May 6, 2025, an F/A-18F Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11, was landing on the flight deck of USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) when the arrestment failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard,” the Navy stated.   

When fighter jets land on an aircraft carrier, they rely on a specialized arresting cable to hook to the aircraft and stop it. This is a tricky maneuver made particularly difficult by the fact that the carrier is moving. Nighttime landings have an additional level of difficulty.  

“Both aviators safely ejected and were rescued by the search and rescue helicopter attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11. The aviators were evaluated by medical personnel and assessed to have minor injuries. No flight deck personnel were injured,” the Navy added.  

This is the third F/A-18 Super Hornet the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group has lost in its ongoing deployment, making it one of the worst carrier deployments in recent years.

Everything started last year when, on December 21, the USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser that is accompanying the USS Harry S. Truman, misidentified an F/A-18 Super Hornet as a Houthi munition and shot it out of the sky; the crew ejected safely. Then, just a few days ago, on April 28, an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman fell overboard alongside the towing vehicle it was attached to when the aircraft carrier engaged in sudden maneuvers to avoid incoming Houthi fire; a sailor suffered light injuries during the incident.  

However, losing fighter jets was not the only issue in the USS Harry S. Truman’s deployment. In February, the aircraft carrier made contact with a merchant ship close the Suez Canal, in Egypt, resulting in some superficial damage. In response, the Navy fired the carrier’s skipper. 

“The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group and embarked air wing remain fully mission capable,” the Navy had said after last week’s loss.  

In terms of fighter jets, the USS Harry S. Truman’s air wing has F/A-18 Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler jets. The former is a pure fighter, while the latter specializes in electronic warfare missions. Both have been engaged in combat operations against the Houthis, intercepting incoming missiles and suicide drones, but also conducting kinetic strikes against the Iranian-back rebels.  

Feature Image: Sailors pre-check F/A-18 Super Hornet’s prior to flight operations on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, July 2019. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Isaac Champlain/Released)

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