DID Press: US Navy has confirmed that an F/A-18 fighter jet and an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter operating from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz crashed in the South China Sea during routine flight operations.
In a statement released by the US Pacific Fleet, officials said the two incidents occurred within about 30 minutes of each other while the aircraft were conducting separate missions.
“The causes of both accidents remain under investigation,” the Navy said, adding that recovery operations are ongoing.
The Navy did not immediately confirm the condition of the aircrew involved in the crashes. Search and rescue teams from USS Nimitz and accompanying vessels were dispatched to the area shortly after the incidents.
The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has been deployed in the Indo-Pacific region as part of ongoing US operations aimed at ensuring freedom of navigation amid rising tensions with China in the South China Sea.
The South China Sea has become one of the most sensitive flashpoints in Asia, with frequent encounters between US and Chinese military forces over disputed maritime claims.