SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
By Lolita Baldor
Washington: An F/A-18 fighter jet slipped off the hangar deck of an aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East, as sailors were towing the aircraft into place on the USS Harry S. Truman on Monday, the Navy said.
The crew members in Super Hornet’s pilot seat and on a small towing tractor jumped out before the jet and the tug went into the Red Sea. According to a Defence official, the sailor who jumped from the aircraft sustained a minor injury. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel details.
An aircraft takes off from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Sanaa on March 15. Credit: US Navy/AP
“The F/A-18E was actively under tow in the hangar bay when the move crew lost control of the aircraft. The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the Navy said. The jet was part of Strike Fighter Squadron 136.
Fighter jets are routinely towed around the hangar deck to park them where they are needed for flight operations or other work. It is unclear whether there will be an effort to recover the jet, which costs about $60 million ($93 million). The incident is under investigation.
The Truman has been deployed to the Middle East for months and recently has been involved in stepped-up military operations against the Yemen-based Houthi rebels. United States Central Command has said the military has conducted daily strikes by fighter jets, bombers, ships and drones.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has already extended the Truman’s deployment by about a month.
Reuters
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