THE PENTAGON — Weeks after a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down in a friendly fire incident, the Chief of Naval Operations directed all fighter jets to be outfitted with reflective belts, effective immediately.
Bypassing the standard safety investigation in favor of swift action, CNO Adm. Lisa Franchetti announced the new measure yesterday.
“My predecessor, trusting the ingenuity and stellar safety record of the Army, elected to equip our submarines with reflective belts following a collision with an underwater mountain,” Franchetti said in a press conference. “Three years later, that decision is battle-tested, and our submarines remain accident-free. I see no reason to waver on making the same choice for our fighter jets.”
