F/A-18 Jet Lost at Sea as US Aircraft Carrier Maneuvers to Avoid Ansarullah Fire

By Staff, Agencies

The US Navy lost a multimillion-dollar F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet on Monday after it was swept overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman while the vessel made a sharp evasive maneuver to dodge incoming fire from Yemen’s Ansarullah movement.

The Truman, currently deployed in the Red Sea as part of the US-led campaign against the Houthis—dubbed “Operation Rough Rider”—was executing a rapid turn when the jet, which was being towed in the hangar bay, slipped off the deck along with its tow vehicle. The aircraft, estimated to cost at least $67 million, plunged into the sea, according to an official Navy statement.

“Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard,” the statement said. The Navy has launched an investigation into the incident but emphasized that the Truman Carrier Strike Group “remains fully mission capable,” despite repeated strikes by Ansarullah.

Since launching its offensive in mid-March, the US has spent around $3 billion on its campaign targeting Yemen, striking more than 800 locations and causing the martyrdom of hundreds of civilians. The unexpected loss of the F/A-18 adds further to the financial and political cost of a campaign whose outcomes remain highly questionable.

Although CENTCOM claims the strikes have weakened the Ansarullah’s military capabilities, US media reports have cast doubt on the effectiveness of the campaign. Last month, CNN described the impact as limited, while The New York Times reported that Pentagon officials privately admitted their strikes have had little effect on the Ansarullah’s expansive, underground arsenal of drones, missiles and launch systems.

Although the US claims its military intervention is intended to safeguard maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the reality on the ground—and at sea—paints a different picture. Ansarullah has made clear that its actions are in response to the genocidal war on Gaza and are meant to pressure “Israel” to end its crimes. Far from protecting international shipping, the US Navy’s presence is effectively defending “Israeli” interests and enabling its brutal war against the people of Gaza.

The continued operations by the Yemeni Armed Forces—despite relentless bombing and foreign aggression—highlight a growing regional resistance front that refuses to remain silent in the face of war crimes. For Ansarullah, the cost of resistance is high, but the price of submission to foreign occupation and Zionist aggression is far greater.