In yet another major setback for the US Navy, its second F/A-18 Super Hornet operating from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was lost in the Red Sea after a similar incident was reported on April 28, 2025.
CNN first reported the crash on May 6, citing five unidentified informed sources. At the time of writing this report, the incident had not been officially acknowledged by the US Navy or the US Central Command (CENTCOM). Details about the accident are currently scarce, and an investigation has been launched.
According to reports, the aircraft in question was a two-seater F/A-18F Super Hornet belonging to the Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-11, also known as the Red Rippers.
Leading defense publications in the United States have since confirmed the incident based on their communication with US officials. The preliminary reports suggest that the aircraft crashed during an attempted night-time landing on the aircraft carrier, as the aircraft’s hook could not catch the carrier’s arresting wire.
“The arrestment failed, causing the aircraft to go overboard. Both aviators safely ejected and were rescued by a helicopter assigned to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 11,” an unidentified defense official told USNI News. “The aviators were evaluated by medical personnel and assessed to have minor injuries. No flight deck personnel were injured.”
The pilot of the aircraft ejected safely along with the weapon systems officer. The crew was subsequently rescued by the MH-60 Seahawk squadron HSC-11 helicopter and was found to have sustained minor injuries. The two-seater Super Hornet has reportedly crashed into the sea and has not been recovered by the Navy.
This is the second such loss of the Super Hornet in the Red Sea.
On April 28, another aircraft was lost when the USS Harry S. Truman, on a deployment to the Red Sea, did an evasive maneuver in the face of fire from Yemen-based Houthi rebels.
This sharp turn resulted in the aircraft going overboard. “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 US Navy said in a statement at the time.
Before that, in December 2024, another Super Hornet was shot down by the US missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (part of the Truman carrier strike group) in a case of friendly fire. CENTCOM notified at the time that the Super Hornet, assigned to USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea when it was struck.
According to the US Navy, a single F/A-18 fighter plane costs about $60 million, which means that the service has lost about $180 million worth of fixed-wing aircraft in less than six months.
This is in addition to several MQ-9 Reaper drones shot down by the Houthis, and the millions of dollars of interceptors expended to eliminate cheaper missiles and drones fired by the Houthis in the past year.
It is also pertinent to note that on May 6, 2025, the US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement with Houthis, mediated by Oman. The agreement was confirmed by Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi, who stated that neither side would target the other. However, reports suggest that the Houthis fired a shot at USS Harry S. Truman a few hours after the ceasefire was announced.
At this point, the EurAsian Times could not confirm whether the Super Hornet’s crash and the alleged Houthi attack on the carrier were related.
Super Hornet Losses Must Concern The Navy
While there is paucity about the latest incident, all three Super Hornet losses reported in the last six months are directly or indirectly linked to the US military campaign against the Yemen-based Houthis, who are purportedly backed by Iran.
The aircraft has been regularly deployed to bomb Houthi targets inside Yemen using munitions such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs), AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW), and GBU-53/B Stormbreaker glide bombs, to name a few.
While the F-35C Lightning II, with its stealth and advanced sensor capabilities, is also in service with the US Navy, the Super Hornet remains the backbone of the service due to its versatility, greater numbers, and operational reliability.
The F-35C’s role is now growing within the US Navy, but it cannot replace the Super Hornet’s volume or range (~500 nm combat radius) in high-tempo operations like those in the Red Sea.
The Super Hornet is a multi-role fighter used for air superiority, strike missions, and close air support, operating from aircraft carriers like Truman. Famously featured in the movie Top Gun: Maverick, the Super Hornets are vital to the US Navy’s global operations, as demonstrated by the effort to increase their firepower.
Earlier this year, the US Navy officially coined the term “Murder Hornet” to refer to the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets equipped with a formidable combination of five AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) and four AIM-9X Sidewinders. This powerful configuration, aimed at enhancing operational effectiveness, was among the key developments highlighted in the Navy’s 2024 year-in-review factsheet.
In April 2024, the “Murder Hornet” variant was first seen in action while conducting operations in the Red Sea region. A top US Navy commander revealed last year that the improved loadout instantly boosted capability and firepower, particularly in the Red Sea, where operations have grown more crucial.
The F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from the USS Harry S. Truman have targeted weapon storage and command facilities in areas like Sanaa and Yemen’s coast on multiple occasions since March 15, 2025. Since the latest bombing began, the US has reportedly conducted 800-100 strikes on Houthi targets as part of a broader campaign ordered by Donald Trump to counter Houthi threats to international shipping and its attacks on Israel.
The frequent losses of Super Hornets don’t augur well for the Navy, as it is its primary carrier-based fighter jet. As of early 2024, the US Navy had approximately 420 active Super Hornets in service, three of which have now been lost.
The US Navy was previously known to be grappling with a strike fighter shortfall for years, primarily affecting its carrier-based fighter fleet with poor availability rates of the Super Hornet, older aircraft retiring, and delays in the F-35 program.
However, that shortfall has largely been reduced now. In March 2024, it signed a contract for 17 additional Block III Super Hornets for $1.3 billion, with deliveries expected only by spring 2027.
Nonetheless, losing three jets in six months, even if <1% of the fleet, impacts squadrons like VFA-11 and VFA-136, especially during high-tempo Red Sea operations.
Notably, the US Navy has been transitioning from its old Super Hornets, which entered service in 1999, to new and upgraded Super Hornets, along with the fifth-generation F-35C Lightning II carrier-capable fighters. The service has been contemplating slowly stopping the purchase of the Super Hornets altogether. Thus, the latest order is likely the last for the aircraft that has been a symbol of American force projection globally.
Boeing had initially planned to end production in late 2025 after delivering the last of 76 Super Hornets ordered by the Navy, as announced in February 2023.
However, the additional order extended the timeline. Production could have been further extended to 2027 if an international customer, such as India, had placed an order. Still, India selected the Rafale M for its carrier-based fighter needs, reducing the likelihood of additional orders.
The US Navy’s F/A-XX, a sixth-generation carrier-based stealth jet, is expected to replace the F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet in the US Navy in the mid-2030s (a timeline that could be further pushed. So, until that happens, the service needs to maintain a robust fleet of Super Hornets to take on the adversaries globally.
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