Sailors who are grilling on board are filming blatant maneuvers in the Arabian Sea: “Tophatter” fighter jets approach the USS Abraham Lincoln. The footage also shows a maneuver that almost goes wrong.
A video showing several fighter jet maneuvers over the Aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in the Arabian Sea is currently going viral on the internet. The footage comes from sailors grilling on the deck of their ship and watching and filming the maneuvers over the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). The recordings provide rare insights into the flight maneuvers of the carrier’s F/A-18E Super Hornets.
Like the portal “airlive.net” Reportedly, at least three Tophatters fighter jets were returning from a mission. The Tophatters are the oldest active squadron in the US Navy.
The spectacular scenes included both routine and critical moments when the jets landed. According to “airlive.net” there was a “Bolter”. This is the colloquial term for a critical situation when landing in which a pilot misses the arresting cables on the deck of the aircraft carrier. The affected aircraft had to take off again immediately with the afterburner fully activated and attempt to land again on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Instead of coming to an abrupt stop, the jet rose loudly back into the sky and initiated a go-around for another attempt.

Information about critical maneuvers on the USS Abraham Lincoln
- Flight operations demonstrate the strength and precision of the F/A-18E Super Hornets.
- The proximity to the USS Abraham Lincoln offers rare insight into carrier maneuvers.
- Bolter situations: Missing the arresting ropes on deck requires lightning-fast reactions from the pilots.
- Operations are part of the “Operation Epic Fury” military campaign against Iran.
- The aircraft carrier regularly launches strike missions in the region.
- Commissioned: November 11, 1989
- drive: 2 × A4W nuclear reactors, 4 shafts, over 30 knots top speed, virtually unlimited range
The USS Abraham Lincoln is a central part of “Operation Epic Fury” in Iranwhich began at the end of February 2026. The aircraft carrier is currently operating in the northern part of the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman, carrying out strike missions.





