The $60M mishap adds to an increasingly expensive price tag in the administration’s effort against the Iran-backed group.

The U.S. has had numerous encounters with Houthi fighters targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea since 2023. U.S.-led bombing strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen began in January 2024. Those efforts have intensified under the Trump administration.

The F/A-18E Super Hornet fell off the USS Harry S. Truman as sailors were towing the aircraft into the hangar bay, according to the Navy.