"USN F/18 downed by friendly fire" Topic

Crew ejects ok.

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Someones career just came to a screeching halt.

Aren't they supposed to have a "squawk box" to identify as friendly ?

There had to be dozen steps jumped over to have this happen

Crew members safe, that is the main thing.

Saw this story, always another possibility.

"Holy

A US Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet was just shot down over the Red Sea…

Navy is saying it was "friendly fire" and our own ship somehow shot them down. Possible this is a cover story and the Houthis shot it down. We used F/A-18s for strikes against them just hours ago."

All I can say is "Why?"

Let us hope it was a case of the downed plane flying into the path of outgoing ordinance.

My understanding is that the F18 was taking off as part of a strike on the Houthis and the Houthis launched a combined missile and drone strike against the battle group. Sounds like someone on the Gettysburg mistook the F18 popping up on radar as a drone. I was never in the Navy but I assume squawk boxes can be detected by opposing forces and would be turned off to prevent any Houthi air defenses that might exist from having more warning.

The report I read indicated Gettysburg was under attack by several missiles and a drone swarm at the time. We'll have to see what the tapes show, but if the F/A-18 was being flown aggressively and had gotten in amongst those tracks it is possible her track ID got confused with one of the "Vampires" or that the system locked on to the F/A-18 in error. Good news is the crew got out OK and were rescued.

This (or worse) is bound to happen eventually in this environment. The Iranians have suffered no consequences for their on-going attacks against the USN and have succeeded in disrupting global trade by shutting down the Suez / Red Sea to commercial shipping. The Houthis are being directed by Iranian ships in the Red Sea, these attacks will continue until those ships are removed or neutralized. Until then our ships and aircraft will continue to be needlessly placed in harm's way.

Our sailors deserve better leadership.

Inch I agree.

🤔 Drones dangerous? But we are told that they pose no threat when over our own shores. So they just become potentially dangerous when they are NOT over our shores? So are our sailors really only mistaking small airplanes, swamp gas, stars, Venus, for drones? Our military personnel are only correct about drones overseas?

Subject: Coast Guardsman lashes out as White House brushes off claims vessel was trailed by 12 to 30 drones during patrol


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Inch High +1

smithco +1

Inch High +1

The good thing is the crew it alright.

The USN has a real-world mission going on. They have not seen this much action since WWII. They are saying.

But unfortunately, when the kimchi hits the fan, 💩 happens. Even with high tech, SOPs, etc.

How could this have been prevented ? My first thought is the current admin shouldn't have given billions of dollars Iran. Then they could not support all the other terrorists in region. Including the Houthis … Along with the USA has a lack of real leaders in charge.

Here is a little background on what the Iranians have been doing in the Red Sea: link

Reminds me of the scene in Hunt for Red October where the commander* of a US carrier complains about having his aircraft and Russian aircraft all searching the same airspace, and that it was a recipe for mistakes and thus disaster. The movie used actual footage of an aircraft crash on the flight deck of a carrier to set up his point.

*Played by the always effective Fred Thompson.

When you're filling the air with everything you've got, there's a good chance you're gonna hit something you shouldn't.

And, yes, thanks to God that the crew are okay.

A revolution in Iran couldn't come any sooner. Would save a lot of lives, there and in the rest of the Middle East. My one concern is what any sleeper cells of theirs which have come across our borders will do when the Ayatollah falls. They may just lash out at the West, even if the fall is entirely internal.

War ain't brewing, folks. It's already hot. We're just pretending it's not being served.

Not to be flippant, but it really only was a matter of time before there was a friendly fire incident of some kind.

Yes that is probably true … in these situations sometimes mistakes do happen sadly.

I remember even troops being lost during many types of combat training exercises.

Dud grenade goes off at the range – one died.

RB-15/rubber boats capsized – some drowned.

Aircraft went down – some died.

APCs rolled over – some died.

APCs swimming across a river and one sinks – some died.

Dud grenade goes off at the range – one died.

There was a horrific grenade accident in Canada in the 1970s that killed six:

An Investigation into the 1974 Valcartier Cadets Grenade Incident

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Some interesting claims that the Sov- er, Russian air defense forces shot this down.

There was a horrific grenade accident in Canada in the 1970s that killed six:

I was at ROTC Advance Camp at Ft. Lewis, WA., 1978. There was a dud on the grenade range. As my unit was going thru that training.

The OIC an 0-3 was EOD qualified and had served in Vietnam. So, after we were all pulled back off the line out of holes/pits. Time was waited as was SOP. The OIC went forward with one of the Range NCOs. It was not too long afterwards we all heard an explosion from the impact area.

I guess the OIC tried move it ? It went off. He was hit in the stomach. And probably killed immediately or not very long afterwards.

The NCO came running back yelling about the CPT was hit, etc., etc. He must have been hit by some of the shrapnel. His one arm was bleeding profusely. With blood dripping on the ground as he moved.

The medics went into action. And more medics arrived shortly afterwards in an ambulance. I remember seeing the stretcher come back with a green wool Army blanket totally covering all the OIC's body. But the feet, his black boots. Were the only things exposed.

I may be wrong, but I thought I saw blood being absorbed into the blanket in over his abdomen.

The NCO got immediate aid from the medics. But was eventually alright …

The OIC an 0-3 was EOD qualified and had served in Vietnam.

It seems extra sad to survive Vietnam and die in a range accident! :(

Yes we all thought the same … And of course, felt very bad about the incident. I would like to think he is with his comrades from Vietnam in Valhalla.

A blurb in the news a few days ago that the German Navy almost shot down one of our fighters the week before. The Germans locked on, but an equipment malfunction on the ship prevented any ordnance from being deployed.