The denial contradicts previous reports from Oct. 5, including a claim from a US official that Yemen's AnsarAllah shot down an aircraft from the HSM-48 squadron using a surface-to-air missile. Flight-tracking data near Yanbu, Saudi Arabia, had shown a helicopter broadcasting emergency code 7700 before its altitude dropped to zero. While previous reports stated a P-8A Poseidon and a Saudi air ambulance were dispatched to the site, CENTCOM maintains no crash occurred over 1,000 km from Yemen.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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CENTCOM Denies US Navy Seahawk Crash in Red Sea
War15 days ago
Military personnel and aircraft throughout the Middle East are fully accounted for and safe, according to a statement from US Central Command on Tuesday. The command rejected reports from Iranian state media and other sources claiming a US Navy MH-60R Seahawk crashed in the Red Sea after transmitting an emergency code, describing the reports of a downed aircraft as false.
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