The US lost an F-18E Super Hornet jet fighter on April 28th when the aircraft, under tow in the hangar deck of the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), fell into the sea, along with the tractor that towed it. There was only one minor injury to a crew member who apparently was injured when jumping from either the tractor or the F-18.
The aircraft and the tractor were lost at sea. A critical question is whether this was simply an accident or if the cause of the aircraft and tractor loss was due to an attack launched by the Houthi rebels in Yemen. CNN reported that the plane fell off when the carrier made an unexpected hard turn because it was evading a threat, either a Houthi cruise missile or an armed drone.
There have been more than 170 attacks on US warships in the Red Sea by the Houthis.
The F-18E Super Hornet is a single seat twin engine carrier capable jet fighter. The hangar deck is below the flight deck but, apparently, there are no barriers to prevent an aircraft from rolling off the deck into the sea.
The Truman carries both F-18E single seat and F-18-F tandem-seat fighters, along with other aircraft and helicopters. Overall the Truman typically carries around 90 aircraft. The carrier can accommodate more than 6,000 personnel.
The lost aircraft was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-136. The aircraft is valued at $67 million. The pilot was not onboard the aircraft at the hangar deck level. Instead, a support crew member was in the cockpit as the plane was being moved (probably to the flight deck, but this is not certain).
CNN is the first news outlet that carried a story based on word from an unnamed administration official who said that the F-18 and the tow tractor were lost when the carrier made a hard turn, causing the tow operator to lose control of the F-18. The news organizaition said the carrier made the unexpected hard turn because it was evading a threat, either a Houthi cruise missile or armed drone.
The Houthis claimed they targeted the Truman with both missiles and drones. Yahya Sare’e, the group’s spokesman, said in a televised statement that the Houthi Air Force and Naval Forces carried out a joint operation using cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones. CENTCOM, which manages the anti-Houthi operation in the Red Sea, has not disputed the Houthi claim.
US aircraft carriers do not operate on their own. They are supported at sea by a Carrier Strike Group. The Truman is backed up by Carrier Strike Group 8. In the Red Sea this included three Arleigh Burke Class Destroyers and one Ticonderoga Class cruiser, the USS Gettysburg (CG-64).
The destroyers and the Gettysburg’s role is to protect the carrier from missiles, aircraft and drones; all have the well-regarded AEGIS air defense systems and other anti-missile and drone capabilities. The deployment featured around two thirds of Destroyer Squadron 28. The AEGIS destroyers and the cruiser also have advanced radar, so they ought to be able to detect incoming threats including small drones.
If the story of the hard turn is true, then it appears that the incoming threat was not detected until it was quite close to the Truman, and the Truman made an evasive maneuver to try and avoid the threat. One explanation could be that the incoming threat was a cruise missile or anti-ship missile flying at low altitude, hard to see for radar because of radar clutter.
The Persian Gulf and Red Sea areas are impacted by radar ducting, where atmospheric layers trap and guide radar waves. Ducting can create radar holes or skip zones, making a missile or aircraft undetectable.
There is no information that any of the AEGIS-equipped ships responded to the alleged Houthi attack, or even if there was such an attack. CENTCOM has neither confirmed nor denied the Houthi alleged attack, nor has the command supported the CNN Report that the Truman made a hard, evasive turn at sea causing the loss of the F-18E.
The other issue of note is that if the Houthis were able to target the Truman, they needed a means to locate it. Most if not all of the Houthi coastal radars have been destroyed by US bombing raids. It is unlikely the Truman could have been tracked directly by the Houthis. It is known that Iran maintains radar ships that support the Houthis, and these could have spotted the Truman fairly easily. Alternatively, overhead satellite tracking by Russia or China cannot be ruled out.
Iran uses dedicated spy ships with radars and also uses commercial ships for spying activities. It would not be at all difficult for commercial ships operating in the Red Sea to spot a large carrier task force and relay the task force coordinates to Houthi operators.
The Houthis have a wide range of Iran-supplied anti-ship missiles, cruise missiles and drones. If the reports are true that the threat to the Truman was a low flying object, it could have been a cruise missile such as the QUDS-4. The QUDS-4 has a range of around 2,000 km (1,243 miles) and is powered by a small turbine jet engine.
Its origin is the Iranian Soumar cruise missile, itself a knock-off of the Russian Kh-55. This is the same type of cruise missile that was used to attack Saudi oil installations at Abqaiq and Khurais in September, 2019. Whether this missile can hit a moving ship is unknown.
The United States relies on its aircraft carriers for its expeditionary capability around the world. While less important in Europe where the US has access to plenty of air bases, in other regions the carriers are of great strategic importance.
In recent years, especially as China’s anti-ship capabilities have grown, many are questioning whether US aircraft carriers can survive in conflicted areas, such as around Japan and Taiwan. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has said publicly that Chinese hypersonic missiles could sink the entire US carrier force in 20 minutes.
It follows that if a third-rate power such as the Houthis (obviously with outside help) can threaten US carriers in the Red Sea with decidedly inferior weapons, then the ability to protect carrier operations is a major issue that cannot be avoided.
Asia Times senior correspondent Stephen Bryen served as staff director of the Near East Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and as a deputy undersecretary of defense for policy. This article was first published on his Weapons and Strategy Substack and is republished with permission.
