Military loses FA-18 overboard…

[Saturnguy]

The Harry S Truman loses an FA-18E Super Hornet and tow tug overboard in the Red Sea…

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/04/28/navy-fighter-jet-red-sea/83333990007/

Second FA-18 lost, the USS Gettysburg has a friendly fire incident in December 2024.

Seven MQ-9 Reaper drones have been shot down also…

https://www.militarytimes.com/news/...shot-down-7-us-reaper-drones-in-recent-weeks/

$60 million each for the Super Hornets, $30 million for the Reapers…

 

[Astro14]

From what I’ve read so far - the Hornet was being moved from the Hangar Bay - which means it was likely being positioned on an elevator.

Normally, the aircraft are chocked and chained down with a great number of chains, and the ship is free to maneuver without fear of anything sliding off. However, the tractor has limited traction, as do the brakes of the F-18 when the ship goes into a high speed turn and leans as a result.

If the ship was evading an inbound missile, then I could see how this would happen. Glad that the sailors who were moving the aircraft were rescued and are OK.

The ship is quite maneuverable, considering it weighs over 100,000 tons loaded out. Here is a sister ship in a high speed turn. US Navy Official Photo

 

[RhondaHonda]

Oopsies. Glad nobody was killed.

 

[Pablo]

Cut off the Chinese tech to the Houthi.

 

[loneryder]

From what I’ve read so far - the Hornet was being moved from the Hangar Bay - which means it was likely being positioned on an elevator.

Normally, the aircraft are chocked and chained down with a great number of chains, and the ship is free to maneuver without fear of anything sliding off. However, the tractor has limited traction, as do the brakes of the F-18 when the ship goes into a high speed turn and leans as a result.

If the ship was evading an inbound missile, then I could see how this would happen. Glad that the sailors who were moving the aircraft were rescued and are OK.

The ship is quite maneuverable, considering it weighs over 100,000 tons loaded out. Here is a sister ship in a high speed turn. US Navy Official Photo

View attachment 276231

That deck looks like the banking at Taladega.

 

[AJB0009]

My son just sent me a text:
"It's like when you're carrying your plate to the table, you sidestep someone else, and a potato rolls off your plate...except the potato costs tens of millions of dollars".

 

[Bottom_Feeder]

So what does the Navy do in a case like this? Try to retrieve it so no one else does?

 

[Astro14]

My son just sent me a text:
"It's like when you're carrying your plate to the table, you sidestep someone else, and a potato rolls off your plate...except the potato costs tens of millions of dollars".

It’s a bit like that, except that the potato usually has between six and 18 tie down chains securing it to the plate.

The airplanes get chained down with six immediately after parking. 12 for regular ops, and 18 for overnight or heavy weather. They’re substantial chains, too.

 

[Astro14]

So what does the Navy do in a case like this? Try to retrieve it so no one else does?

Typically, yes. This is not the first time a new airplane was lost off the flight deck.

For example - The Soviets tried very hard to get the F-14 that slid off the deck of the Kennedy in 1976. The jet was armed with an AIM-54 Phoenix and the Russians really wanted that airplane and its missile.

More recently- https://news.usni.org/2022/08/08/na...r-hornet-blown-off-deck-of-uss-harry-s-truman

 

[Saturnguy]

Worse

1965 A-4 Skyhawk with nuclear weapon aboard rolls off the USS Ticonderoga…

Pilot was KIA…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_Philippine_Sea_A-4_incident

 

[JimPghPA]

Better to maneuver to avoid incoming and loose something, compared to not maneuvering and taking a hit.

Equiptment, even when new, is expendable. And in the total picture it's wise to keep that attitude.

 

[JimPghPA]

Just a guess, I'm thinking that an evaluation will be done to see if the aircraft could be recovered by any unfriendly. If so, an underwater team will be assigned to destroy it.

 

[Saturnguy]

The real reason the plane was lost…

 

[Vil_Riker]

I thought these things had air defense entourage.

 

[Mazomopar]

"Who's the U boat commander..."

 

[gfh77665]

I would have thought it would float for a little while, maybe not?

 

[Hohn]

From what I’ve read so far - the Hornet was being moved from the Hangar Bay - which means it was likely being positioned on an elevator.

Normally, the aircraft are chocked and chained down with a great number of chains, and the ship is free to maneuver without fear of anything sliding off. However, the tractor has limited traction, as do the brakes of the F-18 when the ship goes into a high speed turn and leans as a result.

If the ship was evading an inbound missile, then I could see how this would happen. Glad that the sailors who were moving the aircraft were rescued and are OK.

The ship is quite maneuverable, considering it weighs over 100,000 tons loaded out. Here is a sister ship in a high speed turn. US Navy Official Photo

View attachment 276231

When I was serving at the PACOM HQ, the rumor was that the latest carriers could push nearly 50 knots and had to slow down to avoid leaving the rest of the fleet in the dust.

Imagine that speed with 100k tons displacement. Mind boggling.

 

[Astro14]

I would have thought it would float for a little while, maybe not?

No. Seconds, tops.

 

[Astro14]

I thought these things had air defense entourage.

What does that even mean?

 

[y_p_w]

When I was serving at the PACOM HQ, the rumor was that the latest carriers could push nearly 50 knots and had to slow down to avoid leaving the rest of the fleet in the dust.

Imagine that speed with 100k tons displacement. Mind boggling.

Aren't they steam turbines fed by nuclear powered boilers? I recall the Enterprise had eight reactors but they transitioned to just two in the Nimitz-class. But that puts out a lot of steam. Everything else in the fleet trying to catch up is going to be powered by marine turbines unless maybe it's escorted by subs.