The U.S. navy confirmed moments ago that an F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman and Carrier Air Wing 1 has been lost overseas during a towing operation in the carriers hanger bay. The super Hornet is a single seat fighter from the Knight Hawks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 136.
The aircraft was being towed around the hanger when the tow crew lost control of the aircraft and tractor and both were lost overboard.
“Sailors towing the aircraft took immediate action to move clear of the aircraft before it fell overboard. An investigation is underway.”
-Statement from the Navy
Stock photo showing an F/A-18 and one of the towing tractors.
According to the statement no sailers were lost however one was injured in the incident. The carrier and her strike group remain mission capable and will continue operations in the Red Sea. For the past months the Red Sea has been the site of major operations against Houthi forces who have attacked international shipping. US forces have struck upwards of 800 targets over the course of the last month.
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On Friday, the US stuck at an the oil port at Ras Isa in one of the largest attacks in the group since the current U.S. administration launched its strikes.
Satellite images released afterwords show the extent of the damage. I screenshot from a news report on the strike.
From CENTCOM:
“U.S. forces took action to eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorize the entire region for over 10 years.”
The strike destroyed several oil storage tanks as well as a number of oil transport trucks. Also destroyed was the equipment to load and unload oil into ships.
Images showing the aftermath of the attack.
The Houthis claim the strike killed 74 people and injured another 171 others. They aired footage afterwords on their al-Masirah satellite news channel of the site showing blown up trucks and corpses strewn about the area. The Houthi denounced the strike as a “completely unjustified aggression.”
CENTCOM declined to answer specific questions on civilian casualties however said that “this strike was not intended to harm the people of Yemen.”
This strike will likely have far reaching consequences for the Houthi as well as the people of Yemen. The U.S. is looking at this strike as a message to those who continue to supply the Houthis even through the sanctions. Iran is the biggest supporter of the group, however they also have done business with China and Russia.
The Ras Isa port was an important economic point for the country (as well as the Houthi group). The port is located in the Hodeida governorate along the Red Sea and is just off Kamaran Island which has seen heavy U.S. strikes in recent days.
Image from @Tankertrackers showing the site.
Twitter group @TankerTrackers has recently reported that vessels that were in the port at the time have been held under threat of violence from the Houthis who demand they not leave without unloading their cargo. They also note that the GALAXY LEADER (9237307) vessel is still being held in the port. The cargo vessel was hijacked on November 19, 2023.
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The U.S. has accused a Chinese Satellite company of aiding the Iranian backed Houthi rebels with its targeting of ships in the Red Sea. The U.S. State department has said that data and imagery from the satellite firm is directly being used to target and attack US and international shipping.
Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited.
Tammy Bruce said that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited, is the company helping the Houthis.
“We can confirm the reporting that Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company Limited is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests,”
Tammy Bruce State Department Spokeperson told Fox News. She later continued,
“China consistently attempts … to frame itself as a global peacemaker … however, it is clear that Beijing and China-based companies provide key economic and technical support to regimes like Russia, North Korea and Iran and its proxies,”
GCR reached out for a statement from the company named here however after a day I’ve heard nothing back yet. Will update if they respond to me directly.
Middle East image from satellite.
In a statement to other media outlets this was the statement from the company.
“In our global operations, we strictly comply with relevant laws, regulations, and industry standards both in China and internationally. With a mature business model and high-quality services, we are committed to contributing Chinese expertise and solutions to the advancement of the global remote sensing industry,”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian claims that China has played a positive role in easing tensions in the region.
The Houthis have carried out a number of attacks on international shipping through the area, using missiles, drones and attempted hijacking. These attacks have been ongoing since the October 7th 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, the war in Gaza afterwords has been a brutal one, claiming the lives of many and destroying whole swaths of Gaza. The Houthis along with other Iranian backed proxy groups have shown support for Palestinian Hamas (the Iranian backed Palestinian liberation group fighting Israel) in various ways. The Houthis in Yemen have disrupted international shipping and regularly launched ballistic missiles at Israel. Hezbollah has also joined with regular rocket attacks. These attacks drove Israel to invade L Lebanon in October 1st 2024 . Iran itself has also launched several large scale attacks on Israel.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00. However a dollar from even half of my Facebook followers would be a life changing amount of money for me and for this page.
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F-35C’s with Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) and EA-18G “Growlers” with Electronic Attack Squadron 136 (VAQ-136), both attached to Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2).
April 14, 2024
Yesterday video footage was sent to me showing some footage taken in the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) confirming that the ship had arrived at the Gulf of Oman. The USS Carl Vinson has joined the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in carrying out strikes against Houthi targets in western Yemen.
The USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) spotted entering the Gulf of Aden., passing to the north of Socotra Island. She was spotted by satilites of the European space agency.Location of USS Carl Vinson when photographed by satellites.
Media in Yemen is reporting Houthi areas receiving nearly daily strikes by US forces.
Aftermath of one of the strikes outside of Sanaa.
Targets have included Houthi weapons manufacturing and storage as well as platforms for launching these weapons. Also radar, and air defense systems as well as high level officers in the Houthi organization.
Thank you for reading. I hope you get as much out of what I’m doing here as I get out of making these reports. If so I would invite you to join my Patreon. Doing that would help me more than I can describe. I’ve kept it as cheap as possible to become a member. It’s only a $1.00.
Today the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet released several images showing the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) on their final deployments before her planned 2026/2027 decommissioning.
However, while the Nimitz is a good looking ship the rare part was one of its escorts in Carrier Strike Group 11 (CSG 11). Included in the pictures was USS Michael Monsoor (DDG 1001). One of only three commissioned Zumwalt-Class Stealth Missile Destroyer.
The Zumwalt-class Michael Monsoor, along with the Nimitz and the rest of CSG 11 are currently on deployment in the Pacific Ocean region.
Also included in the image are Arleigh Burke-Class Guided-Missile Destroyers; USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG l54), USS Gridley (DDG 101), and USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee (DDG 123) And U.S. Navy Replenishment Tanker, USNS John Lewis (T-AO-205).
To the future… and beyond.
The Zumwalt class was originally designed with littoral operations in mind and they were given a pair of Advanced Gun System (AGS) for their main guns. The AGS was designed for shore bombardment fire missions in support of ground operations however the ammo was very expensive (estimated at $800,000 to $1,000,000 per round in 2016) and only one ammo type was designed so now the gun has no ammo and the weapons is useless. The navy will eventually replace the guns with other systems like large Vertical Launch Cells for the navy’s hypersonic missile currently being tested by the USS Zumwalt. The AGS was designed around the time of the battleships being decommissioned. The navy was nervous about giving up its ability to carry out shore bombardment so the AGS was designed. The now canceled round that would have been fired by the AGS is the Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP) a rocket assisted precision GPS guided 155mm high explosive warhead that could fire 100 nautical miles.
USS Michael Monsoor.
Zumwalt’s odd shape came from the SC-21 (Surface Combatant for the 21st Century) research and development program started back in 1994. The program came up with many interesting designs such as the DD-21 or the destroyer for the 21st century, which has the distinctive hull now used by the Zumwalt class.
I see a bit of inspiration from the French La Fayette-class stealth frigate in both ships.
Concept art for the DD-21. The ship was thought up as a capable land, air and sea attack ship for the 21st century. This design went on to inspire the Zumwalt class. .
Aside from the DD-21 the SC-21 had several other interesting ideas I found in my research. One was called an arsenal ship. A massive floating missile platform with as many as 500 VLS cells loaded with Tomahawk cruise missiles. The ship was to be controlled by either a small crew or remotely piloted by crew members on one of the other ship. Todays navy thinking would have an aegis equipped cruiser other ship manually controlling this ship or possible one of the AWACS or AEW planes.
Concept art for the Arsenal ship.
The role this arsenal ship would have played is largely filled by the U.S. submarine fleet at the moment as the four oldest of the ballistic missile SSBN subs have been converted to the SSGN configuration. This change took the Trident missile cells and changed them out their nuclear payload for smaller but more numerous cruise missiles.
Tomahawk test-fire from USS Florida. 2008.
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The past couple days have seen a rise in the already complicated tensions between the United States and Iran. US president Donald Trump threatened that bombs would fly “like they have never seen” unless Iran agreed to come to negotiations regarding Irans nuclear capabilities. The threat comes as a number of B-2 Spirit long-range strategic bombers were not so quietly flown to Diego Garcia, an island strategic airbase located on the Indian Ocean.
“If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” Trump told NBC News over the weekend, adding “it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before.”
6 US Air Force B-2 “Spirit” shown here on satellite imagery taken in the last day.
This remote airbase has long been used to station bombers for strikes into the Middle East region. The bombers arriving highlights a recent buildup of US military forces in the Middle East, mostly air and navy assets. Two US carriers were ordered to the region, the USS Harry S Truman already in the area as well as the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) which will arrive in the upcoming weeks.
Stock image. Carrier and her strike group.
Iran neglected to the offer of direct negotiations with the US however said they are open to indirect negotiations. While they claim to not be pursuing nuclear weapons right now, they say that if they are targeted for attack by the U.S. or Israel they would be forced to pursue nuclear weapons. They also made threats against the multiple US forces in the Middle East and furthermore claimed they would attack any base used by the Americans to attack Iran. This was likely to dissuade America’s allies from allowing America to launch attacks from their airbases. While Irans capabilities are obviously miles behind what the US can bring to a fight, that doesn’t make them completely toothless. Iran has massive stocks of missiles and drones, including ballistic missiles. One specific threat was made by an unnamed Iranian official and reported by Tehran Times. The threat was towards the Diego Garcia airbase which is around 3700km away from southern Iran. Irans longest range missile has a reported range of around 2500km meaning they would need to decrease the payload in these missiles to cut off some of the weight and extend ranges. On top of that IRGC Navy Commander Admiral Alireza Tangsiri suggested on March 29 that Iran may close the Strait of Hormuz if the United States and Israel attack Iran. And of course threats have been leveled towards Israel threatening another missile attack if they were targeted.
Trump sent a letter on March 5th to Iran that brought up the discussion of negotiations over Irans nuclear projects however president Trump also demanded that Iran curtail its missile program and stop supporting terror groups in the region (Hamas, Houthis, Hezbollah, etc). I A senior Iranian military official stated on March 29 that Iran will “never negotiate” on its missiles or the “capabilities” of the Axis of Resistance.
The U.S. Department of Defense has ordered the USS Carl Vinson(CVN-70) to the Middle East after its current deployment ends. All this is with the backdrop of a nonstop U.S. offensive on Iranian backed Houthi terrorist in Western Yemen,ongoing for over a week.
USS Carl Vinson Transitions the Philippines Sea Jan. 2 2022.
Currently the USS Carl Vinson along with her CSG have been assigned to the 7th fleet in the East Asia region but will leave for the Middle East soon. The CSG is expected to take two-three weeks to arrive when it will join the USS Harry S. Truman already in the region. The Truman has been carrying out daily strikes on Houthi targets. Truman’s deployment was scheduled to end soon but was extended at least a month, possibly longer.
Recent footage showing operations from the USS Harry S Truman Strike group as they carry out strikes against the Houthis.
The USS Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group is at last sighting made up of Ticonderoga-Class Guided missile cruiser USS Princeton (CG 59)as well as the Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114).
Makeup of the Carl Vinsons Air Wing.
The USS Carl Vinson was the Navy’s test bed for integrating 5th generation fighter jets into the Carrier Air wing. Specifically adding F-35C’s Lightning II which are capable of being launched from the Carrier. The F-35’s are a great addition to the fleet, adding an impressive Multi-Mission capable airframe to an already dominant group of war fighting planes. The officers of the Carl Vinson noted that the F-35 paired really well with the electronic attack capabilities of the EA-18G Growler. Using them together in combined operations made for a hard to beat team, heavy jamming and EW mixed with the amazing stealth of the F-35.
Last night the U.S. launched a wave of airstrikes across Houthi controlled territory in Yemen. Videos released by US Central Command social media showed F/A-18 Super Hornets launched from the USS Harry S. Truman carrying a number of munitions, mostly Joint Standoff Weapons or JSOW’s, a glide bomb capable of being launched outside of the range of standard air defenses. Also involved in the attack on Houthi positions was the USS Gettysburg (CG-64), a Ticonderoga-Class Guided missile cruiser and apart of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group. An unidentified destroyer also took part in the attack.
The Houthis, showing solidarity with Hamas during their war with Israel started attacking any shipping in the Red Sea with connections to the US, Israel or their allies. While the U.S. navy was sent to defend Freedom of Navigation in the Red Sea, two ships were sunk and more received damage with over a hundred ships being targeted. Hundreds of drones and missiles were shot down and 2 sailers were killed. These attacks stopped once the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has been signed but the Houthis threatened to start again, earlier this week.
Video shows the USS Gettysburg (CG-64) and an unidentified Arleigh Burke Guided Missile Destroyer launching a TLAM (Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missile) during last nights attack. Right now there are 3 Arleigh Burke’s in the CENTCOM area and it could be any of the 3. The USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), the USS Stout (DDG-55), and the USS Sullivan (DDG-68).
The U.S. and UK previously struck Yemen during the last U.S. administration, however this strike was carried out by the U.S. military alone. It is the Trump Administrations first strike against the Houthis. Secretary of State Marco Rubio made sure to point out that these strikes were not one off retaliation strikes as carried out by the last administration.
We’re not going to have these people controlling which ships can go through and which ones cannot, and so your question is, How long will this go on? It will go on until they no longer have the capacity to do that.
Secretaey of State Marco Rubio.
Video shows a strike on a target in Houthi territory.
Last nights attacks were reported to have struck neighborhoods in Sanaa’s northern Shouab district and at least 4 strikes on the Eastern Geraf neighborhood that holds the Houthi headquarters for its political bureau as well as other military facilities.
Other strikes were reported in the southwestern Dhamar providence and the capital of the area, also called Dhamar. No specific target is known in that region.
Irans response to the strikes was a statement from foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, who posted on Twitter and urged the U.S. tj stop its airstrikes, and said that Washington could not dictate Iran’s foreign policy. An Iranian General, Hossein Salami denied that Iran was backing the rebel group. Iranian weapons shipments have been coming into Yemen for sometime, the Houthis would not survive without financial and military help from Iran.
After reaching out to The Navy as well as CENTCOM’s press office the only response I received so far was from the navy who referred me to several social media post and directed me to contact CENTCOM, who has yet to respond to my inquiries. This was the response even the larger media company’s were receiving so no surprise there. Mainly I’m interested in post strike assessment as well as what was targeted specifically. I assume missile and drone production and storage but there is really no way to know as the Houthis aren’t saying. When I know more, so will you.
The U.S. has launch a wave of airstrikes on the Houthi sites in Yemen with confirmation that at least some of the strikes struck in Sanaa.
“Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom,”
US President Donald Trump during the strike. He also said,
“Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our troops and Allies. ”
And..
“No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.”
While Houthi attacks in international shipping had stopped since the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas todays attack is in response to a statement put out by the Houthis two days ago saying that any Israeli or U.S. linked ship that came close to Yemen would be attacked in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e said on Twitter that the Houthi threat to attack these ships would be in place until Israel resumed Gaza crossings, as well as aid delivery’s into the region.
Houthi militants had spent over a year, since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 7th, 2023 attacking any ship with (and some without) any link to Israel and the U.S. with several ships being damaged by anti-ship ballistic missile or drone attacks. The U.S., in response, deployed several CSG’s (Carrier Strike Groups) into the region to counter this Houthi threat. US carrier aircraft conducted a number of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. Currently the Harry S. Truman is deployed to the area, having resumed her deployment after some repairs from an accident that occurred in the Suez.
A Houthi anti-ship ballistic missile. The Houthis were the first to fire an ASBM in anger.
This video shows the strikers launching from the USS Harry S. Truman. A mix of F/A-18 Super Hornets for air cover as well as for the actual strike task. These are accompanied by growlers who will cover all electronic warfare and jamming.
Cue up “Danger Zone”
This short video shows the strike on Sanaa. Houthi sources claim 13 killed and another 9 wounded. They also report an additional strike north of Sanaa near the border near Saudi Arabia.
U.S. President Trump issued a direct warning to Iran for their support to the Houthis, promising to hold them “fully accountable” for the actions of the Houthis, Irans proxy. This comes two weeks after a letter was sent from the U.S. to Iran offering a path to restarting bilateral talks.
Today, at around 10:15 PDT A US navy Boeing EA-18G Growler Electronic Attack Jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 135 crashed while taking off at NAS (Navel Air Station) North Island. The pilot and copilot are both unharmed as they ejected into the San Diego harbor and were picked up. The crew were originally picked up by a sport fishing charter boat the M/V Marietta, before being transferred to a Customs and border patrol craft according to radio calls made in the area that were recorded. The customs patrol boat transported them back to shore where they are now receiving medical attention at UC San Diego Health.
With the crew being recovered emergency crews will respond to the wreckage to investigate as well as clean up and debris and fuel from the crash. According to radio calls from the area there is a large amount of fuel and the navy has dispatched response teams.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.
CCTV Video shows the EA-18G Growler coming in down in a quick descent. Essentially falling out of the sky. The camera barely catches it.
The aircraft had traveled to San Diego for ongoing exercises, leaving its home airbase at NAS Whidbey Island in Washington State. It’s unknown if the aircraft was taking part in the Bamboo Eagle 25-1 exercise currently taking place in the pacific.
NAS Whidbey Island
Bamboo Eagle is a massive event focused on a possible high stakes conflict in the Pacific Ocean with China. Being led by the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center in Nellis it has brought dozens of not hundreds of military aircraft to the region for this combined arms operation with the U.S. and several key allies.
Video taken from twitter user San Diego web cams shows footage from their livestream as well as the radio calls that happens after the crash.
The EA-18G Growler is the U.S. Navy’s Electronic Attack aircraft that began to replace the EA-6B Prowler around the late 2010s. Based on the airframe of the F/A-18(E/F) It has since then become an integral part of the carrier air wing. The Growler swapped out the Super hornets main cannon with a strong AN/APG-79 AESA Radar. The plane has 9 weapons hard points but will almost always have 5 of those hard points taken up by ALQ-99 Tactical Jamming pods. The hard points that are left open are usually equipped with either AIM-120 AMRAAM for air threats or more likely AGM-88 HARM Anti-Radiation Missile that track enemy radar signals. The two wingtip rails that would usually hold AIM-9X sidewinders was replaced for AN/ALQ-218 passive radar warning receivers to detect enemy radar.
While mostly known for jamming enemy radar enemy communication can also be jammed by the Growlers suite of comms jamming systems.
Australian EA-18G Growler
While the growler with its jamming pods can defeat all current air and surface threats it comes up against its future is always in question as new and more advanced radars are developed and fielded and it’s jamming pods become out of date. The airframe is only as good as its equipment that needs to be updated in the near future.
Author note.
We here at GCR respect and appreciate any aircraft and crew capable of the roles of SEAD and DEAD. Suppression and destruction of enemy air defense is one of the most important roles in the always critical task of establishing aerial supremacy. The Growler holds a special place in my heart as did the Prowler that came before. Hats off to all of today and yesterday’s Electronic Attack Planes as well as the F-4 that carried out the insane Wild Weasel missions.
If you are somebody with knowledge of this story contact Scott at GCR. My contact info is on the Website and I would love to talk on or off the record regarding this story.
Global Conflict Reporting 
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