Admiral James Kilby stated that approximately 62.5 tons (125,000 pounds) of ordnance were deployed by naval aircraft in Somalia.
Admiral James Kilby, the acting chief of naval operations, announced that the US Navy executed its most substantial airstrike ever launched from an aircraft carrier during a mission in Somalia earlier this year.
At a Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington on Monday, the US Navy’s leading admiral asserted that the USS Harry S. Truman and its associated strike group “launched the largest airstrike in history – 125,000 pounds (62.5 tons) – from a single aircraft carrier.”
On Wednesday, a defense official informed Business Insider that the aerial bombardment occurred on February 1 and involved 16 F/A-18 Super Hornets.
According to US Africa Command, American forces have conducted a total of 25 airstrikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Al-Qaeda’s affiliate group, Al-Shabaab, in Somalia since January.
The Truman carrier strike group, which had been stationed in the Middle East since autumn, departed the Red Sea earlier this month to participate in NATO exercises in the Mediterranean before returning to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia.
Over the past six months, it has played a crucial role in US efforts to deter Houthi fighters from attacking ships off the coast of Yemen. Kilby reported that the Truman carried out 670 strikes against the Houthis and intercepted approximately 160 enemy drones and missiles during this period.
The admiral emphasized that the Houthis “are not China, but they are a threat, and they are hunting our ships. Understanding that, not dismissing it, and being prepared is our current focus.”
The Truman’s time in the Red Sea was marked by several incidents. In December, a warship within its strike group shot down an American F/A-18 in what the US military later described as an “apparent case of friendly fire.”
In late April, an F/A-18 and a tow tractor fell overboard from the carrier’s hangar bay as the ship maneuvered to evade a Houthi attack.
Earlier this month, the Truman’s arresting cables malfunctioned during the landing of another F/A-18, causing the jet, valued at approximately $60 million, to go overboard.
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