US Navy helicopter and fighter jet crash in South China Sea
Two US Navy aircraft — a Seahawk helicopter and a Super Hornet fighter jet — crashed within half an hour during separate routine operations over the South China Sea on Sunday, according to the Navy’s Pacific Fleet.
Remarkably, all crew members were safely rescued, News.Az reports, citing CNN.
The MH-60R Seahawk went down first around 2:45 p.m. local time while operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. About 30 minutes later, an F/A-18F Super Hornet also crashed during flight operations. The Navy has launched investigations into both incidents.
The crashes occurred in the highly contested South China Sea, a region where tensions frequently flare between the United States and China. The area remains one of the world’s most strategic — and volatile — waterways, with Beijing asserting near-total ownership despite international rulings rejecting its claims.
The accidents coincide with President Donald Trump’s diplomatic tour of Asia, where he’s set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for trade talks amid efforts to ease recent tensions between Washington and Beijing.
The Navy has now lost four F/A-18 fighter jets this year, underscoring ongoing operational risks in some of the world’s most strategically sensitive regions.
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