NEW YORK, December 24. /TASS/. Another US fighter jet narrowly avoided being shot last week, on the day when the USS Gettysburg guided missile cruiser downed an F/A-18 fighter jet in an apparent friendly fire incident, Fox News reported on Tuesday citing unnamed sources.
According to the report, second F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter was flying a few kilometers behind the downed aircraft when a surface-to-air missile was fired at it. The plane crew had to perform several maneuvers to dodge it.
"The cruiser almost shot down two friendly jets," one source was quoted as saying.
Fox News said US navy pilots were angry about the incident and questioned the training aboard the USS Gettysburg, calling it "insufficient."
According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the incident occurred during airstrikes on Houthi facilities last week. The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit an F/A-18 fighter jet flying off the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. Both pilots were rescued with one of them sustaining minor injuries.
In turn, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement reported that the fighter jet was downed as a result of their attack on the US Navy task force.