Another $67M US Navy Fighter Jet Suffers Similar Fate As Titanic
The U.S. Navy has lost a second F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet off of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea. This is the second Super Hornet to be lost in a little over a week from the same carrier, no less. The latest incident occurred when the arrestor gear failed as the jet attempted to land leading to the pilot and weapon systems officer (WSO) ejecting over water. Gratefully, both sustained only minor injuries and were rescued by helicopter.
Perhaps it's the stress and duress of being right smack dab in the middle of a conflict with Yemen-based Houthi rebels, the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier isn't just receiving fire from the Iran-backed Islamist group, but also from the press for losing two F/A-18s in a span of a week. Neither were directly lost to enemy fire: the first loss was when a Super Hornet fell overboard while being towed allegedly because the ship was making a sharp maneuver to evade Houthi attack, whereas the second had another Super Hornet landing in the drink due to some sort of arrestment equipment malfunction.
Technically however, this is the third F/A-18 Super Hornet that the Truman has lost during its Red Sea deployment since November 2023. In December last year, the U.S. Navy was conducting airstrikes against Houthi rebels. As an F/A-18 launched from the deck of the Truman, the USS Gettysburg fired on and destroyed the aircraft, forcing its two aviators to eject. It was apparently a case of mistaken identity, but the fallout from that led to the captain of the Gettysburg to be relieved of command.
Speaking of which, the previous commander of the Truman, Captain Dave Snowden, was also relieved of his post following an unfortunate collision between the carrier and a merchant ship in the Mediterranean Sea. Maybe the Truman is cursed?
Nonetheless, the cost of losing this many jets in non-combat scenarios is adding up. Discounting the price of any mounted weapons and other hardpoint equipment at the time of the incidents, each F/A-18E/F starts at $67.4 million each, although depending on the configuration the price can skyrocket to $73 million. To put it somewhat into perspective, the three lost fighters cost more than the construction cost of the Titanic (roughly $190 million in today's money).
Photo credits: US Navy
