Fact Check: Was American F-22 'Raptor' Shot Down by Houthis Over Red Sea?

America's involvement in guarding shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi rebel attacks since December has led to a fair number of misleading or false stories, exaggerating the successes of the Yemeni rebel group.

The Houthis, who have been targeting vessels in response to the conflict between Israel and Hamas, have made false claims before, including that they had targeted the U.S.S. Eisenhower earlier this month.

As the U.S. continues to defend trade and military positions in the Red Sea, a claim appeared online this week suggesting that an American F-22 jet had been shot down by the rebels.

The Claim

A post on X, formerly Twitter, by user US Civil Defense News/@CaptCoronado, on June 17, 2024, viewed 660,500 times, said: "Update: Yemen Houthis forces in Yemen shot down an American F-22 fighter jet over the Red Sea!! More details coming!!"

The Facts

This claim began appearing on Russian and Arabic social media networks slightly before the English language post was published on X.

None of these posts credited this report to a source or included any other evidence such as filmed footage that could substantiate the story.

A United States Air Force spokesperson also told Newsweek that the claims were false.

"Although we cannot comment on the specific location of any aircraft platform operating within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility due to operational security, the Iranian-backed Houthi militia's claims are false, and no U.S. aircraft have been shot down across the region," the spokesperson said.

This is also not the first time that a dubious story about F-22s being shot down over Yemen has spread online. A similar claim was reported in January, alleging that an F-22 had been shot down by Houthi rebels. The accompanying footage, however, was the wreckage of a Russian fighter in Ukraine from 2022, as reported by Check Your Fact.

Newsweek has found no reference to F-22 sightings in the Red Sea since U.S. military forces, predominantly the U.S. Navy, intervened to protect maritime vessels. It is understood no F-22s have been in operation as part of this protection.

As reported by Business Insider, while Houthi surface-to-air missiles posed a threat to U.S. aircraft in January, U.S. Central Command was able to destroy the missiles before they posed a threat.

Furthermore, F-22 stealth fighters are well-protected by anti-radar capabilities, and have been touted as among the most sophisticated and powerful fighters in the world.

The F-22 is an all-weather, stealth fighter aircraft developed for the U.S. Air Force. It can perform both air-to-air and air-to-surface strikes, but is optimized for the air dominance role. Houthi strikes have largely been anti-ship missiles, with no successful reported strikes on aircraft, let alone a vehicle as capable as the F-22.

Considering the claim's provenance, the lack of sources to support it, the denial by the United States Air Force, and no other evidence that F-22s are operating in the Red Sea, we are confident that this claim is false.

The Ruling

False.

There is no evidence to support this claim and no reference to any such encounter in the Red Sea.

There are no records of F-22s being deployed as part of U.S. operations against Houthi rebels, the unsourced rumors are thought to have started on Russian social media channels, bearing a remarkable resemblance to another identical and unfounded claim published in January.

The United States Air Force has denied that any U.S. aircraft have been shot down in the region.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team