Washington DC: The US Navy lost two aircraft within 30 minutes of each other in the South China Sea on Sunday. The incident took place at a time when US president Donald Trump was in Malaysia.
Malaysia is one of the countries that borders the South China Sea and opposes China’s claims of its ownership.
Trump described the back-to-back crashes as “very unusual” and suggested a possible fuel issue while speaking to reporters on board Air Force One on Monday.
“They think it might be bad fuel. We’re gonna find out. Nothing to hide, Sir,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question.
The two aircraft were conducting routine operations over disputed waters, which China claims in its entirety. Five crew members were involved, all of whom have been safely rescued. Both aircraft were deployed from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the US Navy’s Pacific Command confirmed.
An MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter was the first to go down around 2.45 pm local time. All three crew members were recovered safely. Barely 30 minutes later, at 3.15 pm, a $60 million F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet also crashed while conducting routine operations from the USS Nimitz. Two crew members ejected from the plane and were later recovered.
“The Sea Hawk is assigned to the “Battle Cats” in Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73. The Super Hornet was part of the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22,” US Navy officials confirmed.
It is not known what kind of armaments the two aircraft were carrying.
China’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, has said Beijing would be willing to assist in any rescue and recovery operations.
China “will provide necessary aid from a humanitarian perspective if the U.S. asks”, spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a press conference on Monday.
He also criticised US operations in the region, accusing Washington of carrying out regular displays of military force in the South China Sea, increasing risks to maritime activity, and undermining regional peace.
This is the fourth F/A-18 that the Navy has lost this year. At the time of the incident, the USS Nimitz was returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington state after having been deployed to the Middle East for most of the summer as part of America’s response to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on commercial shipping. The carrier was on its final deployment before being decommissioned.
First commissioned in 1975, the Nimitz is the US Navy’s oldest serving aircraft carrier and is slated for retirement in 2026.
Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are the biggest ships in the Navy, measuring nearly 1,100 feet from bow to stern. They can operate continuously for 20 years without refueling, thanks to their onboard nuclear power plants.
