Storm knocks $67m US fighter jet off aircraft carrier into Mediterranean

The incident on the USS Harry S Truman is now under investigation

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kelsey Trinh)

A Navy fighter jet “blew overboard” from the deck of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier into the Mediterranean during bad weather.

The $67m F/A-18 Super Hornet, which is featured in the new Tom Cruise movie Top Gun: Maverick, can fly at speeds of up to 1,190mph and weighs 32,000 pounds, but that was still not heavy enough to prevent it from ending up in the ocean, the Navy says.

The accident happened while the carrier was conducting an at-sea replenishment which was then “safely terminated” the service said in a statement.

“One sailor received minor injuries while conducting operations during the unexpected heavy weather,” the Italy-based US 6th Fleet said in a statement. “The Sailor is in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery.”

Officials did not give exact details about where the incident took place, but on 6 July the US Department of Defense tweeted that a Super Hornet had broken the sound barrier “over the Ionian Sea”, which is between Italy and Greece.

The Navy added that the “details and cause of the incident are under investigation,” but that the aircraft carrier and the air wing onboard “remain fully mission capable.”

Officials will now review options for recovering the fighter jet, according to Navy Times.

The USS Truman and its strike group have been deployed in Europe since December 2021 and officials have not announced when it will return to the US.

The Super Hornet is built by Boeing, which describes it as the “newest highly capable, affordable and available tactical aircraft in US Navy inventory.”

In 2019, Boeing was handed a $4bn contract to build 78 more Super Hornets which are expected to be delivered in 2024.