A US Navy helicopter and a fighter jet went down Sunday during separate routine operations over the South China Sea, and all crew members were safely rescued, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said.
The Navy has launched an investigation into the cause of both incidents.
The Navy said on social media Sunday evening that a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 went down around 2:45 p.m. local time “while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.” Search-and-rescue crews rescued three crew members, the Navy said.
After the incident, at 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 also went down while conducting routine operations from Nimitz. Both crew members successfully ejected and were safely recovered, the Navy said.
Bracketed by China and several Southeast Asian nations, parts of the vital South China Sea are claimed by multiple governments, but Beijing asserts ownership over almost all of the strategic waterway, in defiance of an international court ruling.
Over the last two decades, China has fortified its territorial claims by constructing military installations across the sea, directly challenging US efforts to maintain free passage through the international waterway. US Navy operations are also part of Washington’s broader strategy to counter Beijing’s maritime expansion.
The aircraft crashes come amid President Donald Trump’s diplomacy tour in Asia, where he’s expected to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week for talks focused primarily on trade.
Relations between the two nations had soured in recent weeks after both slapped sweeping measures on the other following months of relative calm. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the US has reached a framework trade agreement with China, easing tensions before the highly anticipated meeting between Trump and Xi.
The crashes come after the Navy lost two Super Hornet jets in the Red Sea this spring. An individual F/A-18 fighter jet costs more than $60 million, according to the Navy.
The USS Nimitz, one of the largest warships in the world, is the oldest US aircraft carrier in service and will be retired next year.
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