US fighter jet and helicopter crash in South China Sea

WASHINGTON – A U.S. fighter jet and a military helicopter went down in the South China Sea within a short time of each other after taking off from an aircraft carrier, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said on Sunday.

All crew members were rescued and are in stable condition, the fleet said in the post on X, adding that the cause of both incidents was under investigation.

The MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter went down around 2:45 p.m. local time on Sunday during a routine operation shortly after taking off from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the Navy said. All three crew members were rescued.

About half an hour later, at 3:15 pm, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet also crashed in the South China Sea while on a routine mission. Both crew members were rescued.

The exact location of the crashes in the South China Sea was not disclosed. The U.S. Navy regularly operates in international waters in the area, saying its presence is meant to help maintain freedom of navigation in a region that encompasses major global shipping routes.

China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has taken increasingly aggressive actions in the area in recent years. It has ignored a 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court that it has no legal or historical basis for its expansive claims.

The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the area, which is believed to be rich in natural resources and is a major shipping lane.