Three separate Navy investigations are ongoing following a December friendly fire incident in which an F/A-18 Super Hornet was shot down by guided-missile cruiser Gettysburg (CG-64) while operating in the Red Sea, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby said today.
These three reviews are running in parallel, Kilby said during the Surface Navy Association’s National Symposium, with the first investigation led by Rear Adm. Kavon Hakimzadeh, commander of Carrier Strike Group Two.
The second review is led by Carrier Strike Group Four Commander Rear Adm. Max McCoy to assess the deployed units within the Truman Strike Group, which is involved in ongoing kinetic operations in the Red Sea.
The third and final review is a safety investigation directed by Naval Safety Command, with this review led by Capt. Marvin Scott, who leads Carrier Air Wing Three.
No serious injuries resulted from the Dec. 22 incident as both aviators in the two-seat aircraft were able to eject safely, USNI News reported at the time. The F-18 was assigned to Carrier Air Wing One and deployed aboard the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), which was operating in the region alongside Gettysburg.
The Navy made no public announcement that the incident occurred and has said little in the days since. Today, Kilby declined to take audience questions on the event, citing a desire to “maintain the sanctity of the process.”
“We are learning, and we will continue to learn from this incident and the incidents that follow every single day. We learn more from our shortcomings than from our successes,” Kilby said. “Our Navy remains steadfast and prepared to protect and defend our national interests across the globe.”