A U.S. Navy helicopter and a fighter jet crashed in separate incidents over the South China Sea during routine operations on Sunday. All the crew members from both aircraft were rescued safely.
The exact causes of the crash remain unclear. The U.S. Navy has launched an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the crash in both incidents.
The U.S. Navy, in a social media post, said that the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 crashed at 2:45 PM local time while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.
Carrier Strike Group 11 was assigned to search and rescue efforts, which safely recovered all three crew members.
Following the incident, around 3:15 PM, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter, assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22, went down in a separate incident in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from USS Nimitz.
Carrier Strike Group 11 was again assigned to search and rescue the crew members aboard the F/A-18F. Those who ejected in time were safely rescued, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a post on X, noting that all personnel involved in the operations are in safe and stable condition.
South China Sea – On October 26, 2025 at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, a U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations
— U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) October 26, 2025
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