Another US military jet has crashed, causing both pilots to make an emergency ejection into the San Diego Harbor.
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At Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington, the EA-18G Growler electric jet had just taken off. It was going through various drills when disaster struck. Footage shows the military jet plummeting out of the sky, crashing into the bay below.
Thankfully, both pilots of the aircraft were able to evacuate safely. They were seen to be under canopy, landing in the bay below. Footage from local CCTV shows them conscious, being rescued by a charter boat shortly after the military jet crashed. Both pilots are reported to be well, and recovering in hospital.
The captain of the sports fishing vessel that recovered the pilots of the crashed military jets spoke to the media about the experience. He had taken a few people out on a fishing trip when he heard the military jet take off. However, it sounded louder than normal. He looked to see two people falling under parachutes.
He then spotted the EA-18G Growler as it crashed into the bay. "All I could see was a plume of water and mud and muck, 70 to 80 feet tall," he said. He rushed out there and pulled them aboard.
The exercises were being done around Shelter Island in San Diego Bay. Navy spokesperson Cmdr. Beth Teach reports that they were performing something called a 'Go-around maneuver.' This requires the two pilots to land and take off again in a short time.
$80 Million Electronic Military Jet Lost
For reasons that are unclear at this time, something went wrong with the military jet, causing it to crash. The aircraft cost around $80 million each for the US military. The US military procured 160 of them between 2006 and 2016.
The only other country to own these revolutionary military jets is Australia, which purchased 13 of them at $125 million. However, they lost one to fire.
The EA-18G Growler is a military jet designed for electronic warfare. It is equipped with AIM-120 missiles, AGM-88 HARM missiles, and AGM-154 JSOW glide bombs. However, the main function of the military jet that crashed was defense suppression.
Through various jamming pods on the aircraft, it can adversely affect enemy defenses.
