Despite being the world’s foremost military power, the U.S. has faced numerous incidents of friendly fire. The latest occurred on December 22, when the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg mistakenly fired at an F/A-18F Super Hornet over the Red Sea.
The mishap unfolded at 3 a.m., according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). After the missile struck, both pilots ejected safely and were rescued. The USS Gettysburg and the Super Hornet are part of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. U.S. forces are now considering retrieving the downed aircraft.
This isn’t the first time the U.S. military has experienced such tragic errors, even with advanced friend-or-foe identification technologies.
