A Navy fighter jet and a helicopter crashed in the South China Sea in separate incidents on Sunday, the Navy said. Crew members from both aircraft were safely rescued.
According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter that was assigned to the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 “Battle Cats” crashed around 2:45 p.m. local time while “conducting routine operations.”
All three crew members were rescued, the Pacific Fleet said in an X post.
Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Erica Bechard / AP
About 30 minutes later, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter from the Strike Fighter Squadron 22 “Fighting Redcocks” also crashed while conducting routine operations, the fleet said. Its two crew members ejected and were rescued by search and rescue teams from Carrier Strike Group 11.
The Pacific Fleet said all crew members were in stable condition.
It said the causes of the crashes were under investigation.
