US Navy Chopper, Fighter Jet Crash In South China Sea In Separate Incidents; Crew Safe

Last Updated:October 27, 2025, 07:04 IST

A US Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk and F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed in the South China Sea during routine USS Nimitz operations; all crew members were safely recovered.

An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter and a fighter jet (F/A-18F Super Hornet) crashed in the South China Sea. (IMAGE: REUTERS FILE)

A United States Navy helicopter (MH-60R Sea Hawk) and a fighter jet (F/A-18F Super Hornet) crashed in the South China Sea about 30 minutes apart Sunday while conducting routine operations from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.

The US Pacific Fleet in a statement said that the helicopter went down at about 2:45 pm (local time). All five crew members were safely recovered.

“Following the incident, separately, 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 in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from Nimitz," the US Pacific Fleet statement read.

The causes of the two crashes were under investigation, the statement said.

The USS Nimitz is returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after having been deployed to West Asia for most of the summer as part of the US response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The carrier is on its final deployment before decommissioning.

Shankhyaneel Sarkar

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...Read More

Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a Chief Sub-Editor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over seven years of experience during which he has covered se...

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News world US Navy Chopper, Fighter Jet Crash In South China Sea In Separate Incidents; Crew Safe

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