A Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet landing on a carrier. ( Kittie VandenBosch-U.S. Navy/Getty Images)
In December, a Super Hornet from the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 at Naval Air Station Oceana was shot down in a friendly fire incident over the Red Sea.
Each F/A-18 costs about $67 million, according to Naval Air Systems Command.
One former senior defense official told Fox News Digital that the recent mishaps "deserve to be examined — especially in light of all the other extreme challenges the Navy is facing." The official added: "It’s interesting to me that the F-35 and V-22 receive extensive scrutiny from the press when a mishap occurs, yet the rates of those aircraft stand up well compared to the Navy’s Super Hornets, which somehow get a pass."
A week earlier, another jet rolled off the Truman’s deck during a towing operation. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
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In 2023 and 2024, the Navy recorded seven Class A flight mishaps each year. As of August 2025, there have been seven Class A flight mishaps, three involving F/A-18s.
The F/A-18 fleet has also experienced 82 Class B mishaps — accidents involving permanent partial disability, the hospitalization of three or more crew, or $600,000 to $2.5 million in damage — and 307 Class C mishaps, which involve injuries resulting in missed work or $60,000 to $600,000 in aircraft damage, over the past decade.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/navy-pilot-rescued-from-virginia-waters-fa-18-fleet-faces-string-recent-mishaps