A landing mishap on the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea last week has left multiple F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets of the ship’s aircraft needing repairs. According to 2017 US Department of Defense data, an F/A-18 E/F Super Hornet costs $70.5 million.
When an E-2D Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft was attempting to land on the Lincoln on August 9, it missed the arresting wire used to stop the plane on the flight deck in a situation known in naval parlance as a “bolter”.
The Navy Times reported that the aircraft was forced to blast off the front of the ship and come around for another landing attempt, when the Hawkeye struck several other airplanes on the deck along the way.
The plane, known for its turboprop engines and big radar on top, only “made slight contact” with two Hornets sitting on the deck, US 5th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Joshua Frey said in a statement, but debris from the impact damaged two others sitting nearby.
The landing aircraft was diverted and arrived safely at the divert location. No personnel were injured. “All aircraft involved are currently being repaired in order to return the aircraft to mission readiness.”
Sputnik / ABC Flash Point Military News 2019.
