The acting US Chief of Naval Operations has confirmed that the US Navy recently conducted the largest airstrike ever launched from an aircraft carrier, with carrier-based aircraft dropping 125,000 pounds of ordnance on terrorist targets in Somalia.
According to Admiral James Kilby, the strike was carried out on 1 February 2025 by aircraft from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) while it was operating in the Red Sea. From: UK Defence Journal.
Kilby, speaking at a Council on Foreign Relations event, stated: “The USS Harry S. Truman launched the largest carrier airstrike in the history of the world — 125,000 pounds — from a single aircraft carrier into Somalia.”
The air operation reportedly involved 16 F/A-18 Super Hornets targeting Islamic State leadership in a series of cave complexes, resulting in the deaths of more than a dozen militants. The mission was one of many conducted by the Truman strike group during its extended deployment in the Middle East.
In addition to operations against ISIS-Somalia and Al-Shabaab, the carrier group played a significant role in defending maritime shipping lanes from Houthi missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen. Kilby said the Truman group had “engaged 160 drones and missiles”during its deployment and had conducted “670 strikes in Yemen” to counter the threat.
The deployment was not without incident. In December, a friendly fire incident saw one of the carrier’s escorts accidentally shoot down a Super Hornet. In February, the Truman collided with a commercial vessel in the Mediterranean, and in April, two separate mishaps resulted in Super Hornets falling into the sea.
The USS Truman has since departed the Red Sea and is currently taking part in NATO maritime exercises in the Mediterranean Sea before returning to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia.
