A US Navy helicopter and a fighter jet crashed during separate routine operations on Sunday, October 26, over the South China Sea. According to a CNN report, all crew members were safely rescued in the incident. The Navy has launched an investigation into the incidents.
According to the US Navy, a helicopter MH-60R Seahawk, which was assigned to the Battle Cats crew of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, crashed around 2.45 pm on Sunday afternoon (US local time), while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. The Navy further stated that three members of the Navy were searched and rescued.
Another incident with the Navy occurred at around 3.15 pm on the same day as an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter, which was 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.
The aircraft crashes come amid US President Donald Trump’s diplomatic tour in Asia, where he’s expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week for talks focused primarily on trade.
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.