US Navy Fighter and Helicopter Crash Separately in South China Sea

A US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet and an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter crashed in separate incidents on Sunday in the South China Sea, the US Pacific Fleet said.

Both military aircraft had been deployed from the USS Nimitz and went down 30 minutes apart from each other during routine operations, the Navy said in a statement on Sunday.

“All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition. The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation,” it said.

According to the statement, the Sea Hawk was the first to go down at about 2.45 p.m. local time. It was assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73.

The three crew members on board were later rescued, the Navy said.

The Super Hornet, from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22, crashed at 3:15 p.m., per the Navy. The statement added that both crew members had ejected just before the fighter jet went down.

The separate incidents come as President Donald Trump engages in a diplomatic tour in Asia this week, which he kick-started with a meeting in Malaysia on Sunday.

The tour is expected to include a leg in China, where Trump is scheduled to meet China’s leader, Xi Jinping. Trade is high on the agenda as the Trump administration threatens severe tariffs on China and tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to grow.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested on Sunday that the US may hold back on plans to impose 100% tariffs on China after Trump’s preliminary talks with Beijing officials in Kuala Lumpur.

This Sunday’s fighter crash marks the US Navy’s fourth Super Hornet loss in the last 12 months. The first of the $60 million fighters was shot down last December by friendly fire over the Red Sea, while another two fell off their flight deck this spring.

All three previously lost aircraft had been deployed on the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier in the same class as the Nimitz.

The MH-60R Sea Hawk is the Navy’s most advanced variant of the Sea Hawk, which is essentially a sea-based version of the Black Hawk helicopter. Estimated to cost about $40 million, it’s built for a wide variety of missions, including finding and attacking submarines, serving as a flying command post, or conducting rescue operations.

The Nimitz, commissioned in 1975, is the Navy’s oldest aircraft carrier in service and is the lead ship of its class. The 50-year-old warship is scheduled to start its decommissioning process next year.