A US official has told CNN that the US Navy lost a F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet that fell off the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman in the Red Sea during a Houthi attack on the US warship.
The Navy said in a statement that the $60 million jet 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 Navy said the sailors “took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard” and that one sustained minor injuries in the incident. The US official speaking to CNN said the F/A-18 fell overboard while the Harry Truman was making a hard turn to avoid a Houthi attack.
Earlier in the day, the military spokesman for the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, announced missile and drone attacks on the Harry Truman and its accompanying warships.
The Houthi spokesman, Yahya Saree, said the attacks were in retaliation for the US strike that targeted a migrant detention facility in Saada, killing 68, and a US bombing of a residential area of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, which reportedly caused dozens of civilian casualties.
The Houthi attack on the Harry Truman marked the second time in the past year that the US lost an F/A-18 in the Red Sea. In December 2024, the US military announced that it lost an F/A-18 in a “friendly fire” incident in the Red Sea. According to reports at the time, the jet was shot down right after a Houthi missile and drone attack, suggesting it was mistaken for a projectile fired from Yemen.
The US has also lost about 21 MQ-9 Reaper drones to Yemeni air defenses since October 2023. Each MQ-9 costs about $30 million a piece, which means the US has lost $630 million worth of drones in a year and a half. US officials have said the Houthis are getting better at targeting MQ-9s, as they’ve taken down seven in recent weeks.
While the massive US bombing campaign on Yemen has failed to deter the Houthis, it has taken a significant toll on civilians. Ansar Allah leaders have repeatedly vowed they will only stop attacks on Israel and end their blockade on Israeli shipping if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. They have offered to stop attacking US warships if the US stops bombing Yemen, but the Trump administration has shown no interest in the offer.
ABC reported the jet cost $70 million. Flushed at sea.
Our DEI military at work!
This is helpful, to a degree:
Once You Know This, Every PSYOP Becomes Obvious
Are you being manipulated without even realizing it? In this video, we unveil the Manipulation Playbook—a detailed guide to recognizing the 20 indicators of reality control used by media, corporations, and even governments to shape what you think, feel, and do.
From fear tactics and emotional scripts to the overuse of authority and timing tricks, we break down how these strategies work and how you can spot them in real-time. Using the F.A.T.E. Model, we’ll show you actionable steps to resist manipulation, think critically, and stay in control of your perspective.
This isn’t just about uncovering the lies—it’s about empowering yourself with tools to stay grounded in a world full of noise and hidden agendas.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=b3AN2wY4qAM
I saw that on Youtube some time ago. Very informative.
I have heard, from a source I trust, that as many as 10% ( !!!! ) of journalists in print & other media are CIA "sleeper" assets. In MSM all the way down to fringe & conspiracy news outlets.
Journalists who are occasionally tapped to publish Agency mis/disinformation in among their other legitimate work to sow calculated uncertainty and propaganda as the CIA deems "necessary".
Operation Mockingbird…
THE CIA AND THE MEDIA
How Americas Most Powerful News Media Worked Hand in Glove with the Central Intelligence Agency and Why the Church Committee Covered It Up
By far the most valuable of these associations, according to CIA officials, have been with the New York Times, CBS and Time Inc.
https://www.carlbernstein.com/the-cia-and-the-media-rolling-stone-10-20-1977
I forgot to mention this in my list !
That’s vanishingly unlikely, since far more than 90% of journalists in print and other media are local reporters on non-political topics, independent journalists writing about whatever they damn well please, etc.
https://www.wsws.org/en/art…
https://johnpilger.com/vide…
https://johnpilger.com/vide…
I am almost sure Pilger is the one referenced by my source about CIA interference; with some thinking Pilger’s revelations are THEMSELVES an ‘Inception’-like next level of psyops, the CIA discrediting a “whistleblower” who discredits some or all “whistleblowers”…
Nah, I don’t think Pilger was a manufacturer of psyops. He definitely had a very strong opinion about US empire, though.
Entirely possibly I'm thinking of someone else.
UPDATE : Found the name I was thinking of : Richard C. Doty.
Have you watched his films?
I have links on the last comment. I think he was from the dying breed (he has now passed) of journalists speaking truth to power.
He sounds very interesting & legit.
He makes this agent look like a complete psychopath, which he was. A very calm approach:
John Pilger interviews former CIA Latin America chief Duane Clarridge, 2015
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ER77vxxGVAY
I have to look that up. Thanks.
Doty comes up in UFOlogist circles as both an ex-Air Force intel officer confirming UFO hypotheses, AND as a very likely military / CIA asset scheming false, misleading, fake information in among any genuine discoveries and evidence about UFO/USP/USO phenomena.
Gotcha.
We swim in a sea of lies.
Yes, and some of the people in the “conspiracy business” toss in absurdities to tarnish the legitimacy of actual govt conspiracies. More psyops.
If you toss in an element of silly tin foil hat-ness, people toss the baby out with the bath water.
Indeed. “Conspiracy theory” gets a bad rap in a Texas Sharpshooter Fallacy fashion – people focus on the absurd or exceedingly unlikely ones (flat earth, fake moon landing, Paul McCartney died) while ignoring the ones that turned out to be completely true (Operation Gladio, MK-ULTRA, Operation Unthinkable, Tuskegee experiments, DNC “hack”)
And then, exactly as you said, apply “conspiracy theory” to any topic to discredit or silence discussion on unexplained facts in evidence – like 9/11, COVID, Plum Island & Lyme Disease, Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Culture wars are psyops to keep your eye off the ball and create chaos and division of the masses.
Example internationally:
Why did Republicans fund ‘transgender dance’ in Bangladesh?
The IRI’s cultural activities were conducted with explicitly subversive objectives, aiming to recruit socially excluded groups as regime change activists. They mirrored the US government’s machinations in Cuba, where, as The Grayzone reported, USAID funded rappers, artists, and “desocialized and marginalized youth” to undermine the country’s socialist government.
Since its founding in 1983, the congressionally-funded IRI has been run by Republican politicians and operatives dedicated to the cause of “democracy promotion” abroad. IRI’s Chairman, Sen. Dan Sullivan, is a vehement opponent of same sex marriage who signed on to a GOP letter calling to restrict the participation of transgender youth in sports. While many of the institute’s board members are Never Trump Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney, the board also includes Sen. Tom Cotton, a top Trump ally who strongly opposes transgender medical interventions for youth.
https://thegrayzone.com/202…
It was insured – curiously enough, by The General.
Part of a bundle: home, auto and fighter jet.
LOL
Not to worry, Trump and the congress gave the war department 1 trillion tax dollars more than they needed. Plenty to make more killing machines.
If an American aircraft carrier was in danger from a Houthi attack, I hate to think what would happen under a Chinese attack.
But don't worry, I'm sure the Navy will come up with a trillion-dollar solution, a new stealth mega carrier or something… gotta keep the MIC happy and profitable.
There were already two aircraft carriers hit by Yemen last year. The answer by the Pentagon was always to deny it ever happened, even if they had to pull out.
We'll never know for sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if this isn't the first carrier they've struck. Some years ago the Iranians managed to fly a drone over a US carrier . If that drone had dropped something as small as a hand grenade, it would still cause quite a bit of damage, even causalities. The Houthis are armed by Iran, they must have drones and missiles and who knows what else.
I’m not sure of the exact tactics but apparently flying drones low makes them quite impervious to radars, also too small to be discerned from birds or whatever, this has been attested many times with Hizbollah drones in Israel. They could also use missiles, which they are very adept at or boat-drones, which they have demonstrated publicly. Whatever the case two carriers were definitely hit and sufficiently damaged to require retreat for urgent repairs.
Nowadays, for that reason surely, the USA operates at greater distance from Yemen, and that’s probably what keeps the ships afloat… for the time being.
That's exhibit A of Butler's "Racket" for modern times: a multi-billion dollar ship that you don't need to face the pipsqueak nations and that would be immediately sunk to the bottom of the ocean against a peer or near-peer nation.
The very last thing I would ever want to see is another war. But if Iran is attacked, I'd be very curious to see how the Iranian asymmetrical naval warfare would fare against the 5th fleet.
I've read Iran has the beat coastal defenses on Earth. That was a few years ago.
They attack military ships and aircraft and we bomb civilians … the state of the “west’s” morality.
You forget that the "they" fire missiles at Israel's cities.
No, "they" didn't … only cowards bomb civilians.
The Houthis have been attacking Israeli-directed shipping and military bases, though their rockets occasionally go astray.
Correct – Ansar Allah's targets inside the ASI have been military.
The carrier made a sharp turn and the plane being towed fell into the sea.
Hard to buy into this.
Wonder if the families of a couple of airmen are going to get notices that their loved ones were killed in a "training accident" soon.
No.
I agree. The tow is capable of holding the plane at angles. Most likely, they got to close to the edge and plane fell over board. The tow will not hold a dangling plane over the side.
They're not gonna say, "A missile fired by the Houthis landed on the deck and destroyed an airplane."
They swerved to avoid a deer.
This was only reported by CNN not other outlets. Note the Navy official was not named.
The statement could only be true if it was a small boat and a passenger siting on its side while boat at high speed making a sharp turn resulting on the boat rider falling overboard…!
https://youtu.be/39F0wz0yOpI?si=IicdIe6-Fnk39nDl
lol…!
Newspaper headline: "HOUTHI DEFEATS TRUMAN"
Gold !
“Don’t kick the tires! Don’t light the fires!”…
At LEAST set the parking brake.
US and Israeli militarizes are best at attacking moms, dads, children and family pets.
Russian military puts great effort into avoiding civilian casualties.
US and Israel have no culture or honor.
There's not a single aircraft carrier in the world that makes 'sudden' moves. The tow tractor has brakes sufficient to hold it and a plane in place, and there is a second man in the cockpit to apply brakes as well. You can't tell me that a US Navy aircraft carrier was surprised to the point it had to swerve to dodge a Houthi missile and two crewmembers specifically trained in moving aircraft on a moving ship both just took leave of their senses, forgot their training, and jumped leaving a plane and a tow tractor to just fall into the ocean.
I spent too many years in uniform to think this passes the smell test; something went bad wrong and it's being swept under the rug.
On the other hand, now the Houthis can claim they scared a US Navy jet into drowning itself.
(NOTE: Could this be some sort of odd attempt to divert attention from our bombing a migrant center in Yemen and killing 60+ civilians, most of whom were just passing through to find work in Saudi Arabia?)
I think some press officer was under the impression that aircraft carriers are only a little larger than his brother in law's rowboat.
1000 + feet long and 90,000 tons on average.
Navy jets are NOTORIOUSLY s**t swimmers. Tho an A-6E Intruder did take Bronze in the 400m Freestyle at the '76 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
WRONG! If you ever served on a carrier, you would know that on a deployment the deck becomes slippery with hydrocarbons (Oils and Fuel). A tow tractor cannot overcome gravity when a ship is in a turn. Even non-skid does not help. With all tires and bakes locked the tow tractor and aircraft with tow bar attached will go right on overboard.
The same thing happened off of San Diego in the late 1980s or early 1990s. I think it was the carrier Constellation that went into a turn. A Tomcat (F-14) was under tow in the hangar bay. It started sliding and went overboard with the tow tractor and tow bar attached. The tow tractor sailor jumped off just in time to remain safely on the ship. We lost a Tomcat and tow tractor that day.
I should know as I have four worldwide deployments on CV-67 USS JFK with 505 arrested landings and 3,000 hours in the Tomcat.
Great feedback, thanks.
What is the maximum angle of a turn…?
Unsure.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn/comments/25a2hl/d_eisenhower_cvn_69_conducts_rudder_turns_during/?rdt=62500
If you ever served on a carrier, you would know that on a deployment the deck becomes slippery with hydrocarbons (Oils and Fuel). A tow tractor cannot overcome gravity when a ship is in a turn. With all tires and bakes locked the tow tractor and aircraft with tow bar attached will go right on overboard.
The same thing happened off of San Diego in the late 1980s or early 1990s. I think it was the carrier Constellation that went into a turn. A Tomcat (F-14) was under tow in the hangar bay. It started sliding and went overboard out the hangar bay door with the tow tractor and tow bar attached. The tow tractor sailor jumped off just in time to remain safely on the ship. We lost a Tomcat and tow tractor that day.
I should know as I have four worldwide deployments on CV-67 USS JFK with 505 arrested landings and 3,000 hours in the Tomcat.
I don’t remember if my brother ever did a floaton the JFK, but he was aviation ordnance in the Marine Corps from the 1970s to the 1990s. I understand that on a day to day basis, a carrier deck is the most dangerous workplace in the military.
Jet engines sucking crew in, jet blast blowing crew overboard, failures of catapult, or arresting gear. Aircraft accidents with flaming jet parts and fuel are also a factor.
I have seen men cut in half by a parted arresting cable and in other accidents losing legs.
Then there is uncontrolled fire or electrical issues penetrating bulkheads.
Yep. My brother himself got his leg broken early in his career by a 500-pound bomb that was improperly secured to a cart .
I was a civilian tech rep on 3 carriers in the 1980's; cruises back then were about 9 months long, with a "battle group" (accompanying ships) and I was told average loss on the carriers due to accidents was 6-8 men per cruise. Navy dry humor had it on the sucked in to the engine problem that a victim was "mystified" by this result.
In addition, on average we lost two aircraft and two pilots. On my last cruise we lost 5 aircraft and 115 aircrew.
Good info but we should also note the jet did not fall off the flight deck but from inside the ship in the hanger bay (as with your example). This seems odd. Also the Truman is 333 meters long at 97,000 tons. This type of immense craft does not "swerve." Seems very strange to me. (The ff. may be a little too long but interesting):
Trust me aircraft carriers list hard over in higher speed for a ship turns. I always found it uncomfortable. Nuke carriers with four propellers can generate instantaneous power and speed.
The decks list to the outside of the turn and there is centrifugal force also.
"In a tight turn, an aircraft carrier deck can list (tilt) by up to 5-11 degrees. This is primarily due to the ship's large size and the centrifugal force generated during the turn. The deck can also list more or less depending on the speed and radius of the turn."
You're right: subsequently, saw imagery of this via Col. Davis Deep Dive apr 29; the carrier shown listed incredibly due to the "hard turn." It's amazing that such a huge craft could have this kind of power for maneuvering. It's a wonder the Truman only lost one aircraft.