For the second time in just over a week, a U.S. Navy fighter jet from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has been lost in the Red Sea, according to USA TODAY.
A defense official confirmed an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the sea while attempting to land on the carrier on May 6. The pilots ejected and suffered minor injuries.
On April 28, a F/A-18E Super Hornet was “lost at sea” after it fell off the Truman as sailors towed the aircraft into the hangar bay, the Navy said. One person sustained minor injury in that incident.
The Truman Carrier Strike Group has been deployed to the Middle East, working for several month to aid strikes against Iran-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen.
Here’s what there is to know about the Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornet, and how much money has now been lost at sea.
An F/A-18E Super Hornet is pictured after landing on board the USS Eisenhower.
What is a FA-18 Super Hornet fighter jet?
The Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet was first developed by McDonnell Douglas Corporation in 1978 as an all-weather supersonic, twin-engine, carrier-capable combat aircraft. The F/A designation stands for fighter and attack aircraft.
The F/A-18E and 18F models — E is single-seat, F is two-seat — entered fleet service in 2001, replacing the F-14 Tomcat, which retired in 2006, according to AeroTime. It was a major upgrade across the mission spectrum, from air superiority to fighter escort and air defense suppression and day/night precision strike, according to Naval Air Systems Command. The Blue Angels have flown the F/A-18 Super Hornet since 1986 but transitioned to the F/A-18E/F models in 2020.
How much does a F/A-18 Super Hornet cost?
According to Naval Air Systems Command, the cost of a F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is $67.4 million. However, costs of the speedy fighter jet — it hits speeds of Mach 1.6 — can reach $73 million, making it among the top 10 most expensive fighter jets in 2025, according to aviation news outlet AeroTime. Costs if the specific aircraft depend on the variants/models and “blocks,” which are numbers that show minor equipment variations or upgrades.
In March 2024, the U.S. Navy secured a deal to acquire 17 F/A-18 Super Hornets from Boeing for $1.1 billion. By the end of 2026, the Navy is set to procure the following: Ten F/A-18F Super Hornets, five F/A-18E Super Hornets and two F/A-18F Super Hornets, among other technical data components.
The contract came following numerous stalled negotiations between the U.S. Navy and Boeing, with cost a major factor.
Lori Comstock is a New Jersey-based journalist with the Mid-Atlantic Connect Team.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What is F/A-18 Super Hornet cost? U.S. Navy jet lost from USS Truman