US Navy's friendly fire incident exposes vulnerabilities

While defending against a missile-drone attack by Yemeni Houthi rebels on December 22, over the Red Sea, the American cruiser USS Gettysburg, escorting the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), mistakenly shot down an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft.

Fortunately, the two pilots managed to eject and were likely swiftly rescued by a helicopter. According to current reports, only one of the pilots sustained a minor injury. Two crew members indicate an F/A-18 Super Hornet in the two-seater F version, which includes a weapons systems officer and the pilot.

For months, Americans, along with allies from, among others, Europe, have been safeguarding the maritime route through the Red Sea. Missions include escorting ships, destroying drones, and countering anti-ship or ballistic missiles, as well as conducting attacks on the Houthi insurgents' infrastructure.

The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft entered service with the US Navy in 2001 as a comprehensive modernization of the F/A-18 Hornet aircraft. The US Navy sought an aircraft with significantly greater capabilities, capable of executing missions formerly designated for the F-14 Tomcat.

As a result, the Super Hornet had to be enlarged, which, combined with the requirements for a very durable landing gear and two engines, resulted in an aircraft with an empty weight of approximately 14,500 kg. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, aside from the 20 mm M61A2 Vulcan cannon, can carry weaponry on 11 pylons with a total payload of approximately 8,200 kg. The two extreme pylons at the wingtips are exclusively for missiles from the AIM-9 Sidewinder family, and only four pylons allow carrying, for instance, JDAM/-ER bombs weighing about 910 kg each.

Overall, the array is very versatile because, in addition to air-to-air missiles like AIM-120 AMRAAM, the aircraft can also carry AGM-158 JASSM or AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER cruise missiles, AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, or AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles. This essentially allows it to combat any type of target. Additionally, in the coming years, US Navy pilots might receive a long-range air-to-air missile (even over 200 km), currently known as XAIM-174B.

It is worth noting that initially, the Super Hornet also suffered from numerous issues, some of which were eventually resolved. For instance, despite increasing the fuel tank capacity by 40 percent, the range of the new aircraft increased by only 17 percent. Criticism also targeted the wing vibrations, the performance of the AESA radar and IRST system gimbal, and the faster-than-expected wear of the aircraft's airframe.

For this reason, the Americans plan to end its production in 2025 and focus on developing a more promising new design. Currently, the US Navy has over 400 units in service, which coexist with several dozen F-35Cs.