Did a US fighter jet destroy a submarine? The photo raised questions
An image of a broken submarine and the inscription "Sub Buster" were seen on a US F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet. The symbol may indicate the crew's participation in an anti-submarine strike. However, which vessel was targeted, what weapon was used, and where the attack took place have not been identified in open-source materials.
Did a US fighter jet destroy a submarine? The photo raised questions
According to The Aviationist, photographer Jeff Roxas captured the aircraft on October 1, as the VFA-41 squadron returned to Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. The aircraft in question is a fighter with side number 102 and US Navy Bureau Number 168491.
The squadron, known as the "Black Aces," operated from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
In the photos, several rows of small bomb silhouettes are visible on the front section of the aircraft. The submarine symbol is painted separately from them, in front of the side number.
This silhouette resembles a Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine in its appearance. However, it is impossible to reliably determine the type or name of the vessel from the simplified drawing. The Aviationist also presented this interpretation as a likely option.
So far, the claim that the aircraft struck a submarine specifically with an anti-ship missile has not been confirmed. The photo shows the symbol on the fighter, not the attack itself. It is also unknown whether the target was at sea, at a pier, or undergoing repairs at the time.
Therefore, there is not enough ground to call this event the first such victory in history.
The War Zone publication also published a photo of a board listing the weapons expended by the VFA-41 squadron during the operation. It indicates that the unit used a total of 421 missiles and bombs.
In particular, the list records 173 GBU-38/B JDAM guided bombs, 41 AGM-154 JSOW standoff weapons, and 10 AGM-84K SLAM-ER cruise missiles.
Although the SLAM-ER was developed based on the Harpoon anti-ship missile, it is designed for high-precision strikes against both land and sea targets. According to the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), it can be launched from F/A-18 family aircraft.
However, the presence of the SLAM-ER in the squadron's report does not mean that this specific missile was used against a submarine. The weapons expenditure belongs to the entire unit, and it has not been disclosed which aircraft used which weapon against which target.
The F/A-18F is a two-seat version of the multi-role Super Hornet fighter. It is used for air-to-air combat, surveillance, reconnaissance, and high-precision strikes.