The U.S. Navy has lost an F/A-18 Super Hornet after intense winds and heavy rains blew the jet off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
The carrier was undergoing an at-sea replenishment in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Navy Times.
All crew members have been accounted for and one sailor had minor injuries but is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, officials with the U.S. Naval Forces Europe said in a news release.
The 6th Fleet officials said that the carrier and its airwing are mission capable despite the incident, with officials considering options for recovering the Super Hornet, the Navy Times reported.
The Truman strike group deployed from Norfolk in December, 24 days before Christmas, WVEC reported.
The deployment has been extended, but it was not announced for how long.
The F/A-18 Super Hornet is “an all-weather, twin-engine, mid-wing, multi-mission, carrier-suitable tactical aircraft. In its fighter mode, the F/A-18 is used primarily as a fighter escort and for fleet air defense; in its attack mode, it is used for force projection, interdiction and close and deep air support,” according to the Navy, WVEC reported.
It was first used in 2002 to enforce a no-fly zone in Iraq. It can reach speeds of Mach 1.8, according to Fox News.
The cost of the aircraft is estimated at $57 million, Fox News reported.
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