When A US Navy F/A-18 Almost Collided With USAF F-16 Jets In 2003 #shorts
6,518On April 2, 2003, a US Army Patriot missile knocked down a US Navy F/A-18 Hornet during a "Blue on Blue" occurrence, resulting in the loss of the aircraft. Two more F/A-18s took off from an aircraft carrier and headed in the same direction around 90 minutes later. Both F/A-18 Hornets were flying in formation with a half-mile gap separating them, when an enormous flash suddenly appeared near one of the Hornets, temporarily blinding the pilot. He saw the Iraqi artillery fire rocking between the two aircraft when he regained his vision. After dropping their bombs on target, both F/A-18 Hornets turned around and flew southward. The Hornets nearly collided with a group of F-16 Fighting Falcons traveling the other way as they were returning. They were forced to descend by the weather and eventually reached the same altitude as the F-16s. The F-16 pilot was heads-down, tinkering with something in his cockpit when they passed, and the Hornet pilot could see the letters and numbers on the tail of one of the F-16s as well as the reflection of the multi-function displays in his face. The F-16s never noticed the Hornets since they were only 200 feet apart as they sped by one another.
#shorts #youtubeshorts #usnavy #fa18 #usaf #f16 #2003