U.S. Navy Sea Hawk Helicopter, F/A-18F Jet Crash in South China Sea

Two aircraft - a MH‑60R Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A‑18F Super Hornet fighter - operated by the U.S. Pacific Fleet crashed separately over the South China Sea on Sunday.

The crashes happened during what were described as routine operations from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.

At approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, the helicopter assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 went down in the waters while flying from the Nimitz. Search-and-rescue teams launched from the carrier group recovered the three crew members, who were transported back to the ship and reported to be in stable condition.

Around 3:15 p.m., a Super Hornet from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 crashed while also deployed from the Nimitz. The two aviators aboard ejected and were recovered by search-and-rescue teams. They too were returned to the carrier and are reported in stable condition.

The Pacific Fleet said an investigation has been launched into both incidents. The service did not disclose weather data, mechanical fault details or the exact nature of the training missions at the time of the crashes.

The Nimitz carrier remains deployed in the Indo-Pacific region amid heightened maritime tensions in the South China Sea—a zone claimed in large part by China despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling against those claims.

Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated the aircraft crashed during a military exercise and offered humanitarian assistance to the U.S. following the incidents.

Chinese military analysts reached by the Global Times claimed that these incidents may reflect a decline in the readiness and operational capability of the U.S. Navy, pointing to ageing equipment, heavy deployment frequency and possible personnel fatigue.

Wei Dongxu characterized the back-to-back loss of a carrier-borne helicopter and fighter jet on the same day as evidence of declining reliability of U.S. Navy aviation assets and crew training.
Another expert, Song Zhongping, noted the U.S. Navy’s repeated naval‐air operations in the South China Sea under the “freedom of navigation” banner while facing sustained global deployment burdens.