In the South China Sea
US fighter jet and helicopter crashed
Updated 10/27/2025 – 7:58 a.mReading time: 1 min.
They took off from a US aircraft carrier for a routine mission. But a fighter plane and a helicopter crashed in quick succession.
A fighter jet and a military helicopter that took off from a US aircraft carrier crashed in the South China Sea within a short period of each other.
All crew members were rescued and are in stable condition, the US military’s Pacific Fleet said on Platform X. The cause of both incidents is being investigated.
After taking off from the aircraft carrier “USS Nimitz”, the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter crashed during a routine mission on Sunday afternoon at around 2:45 p.m. (local time). The three crew members were rescued.
Subsequently, at around 3:15 p.m. (local time), the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the South China Sea. He was therefore also on a routine mission. Both crew members were rescued.
The US military did not provide any information about where exactly in the South China Sea the two crashes occurred. The US Navy is regularly deployed in international waters in the South China Sea – also with the stated aim of maintaining freedom of navigation in the area through which important trade routes pass.
China claims practically the entire South China Sea as its own. However, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also claim territory there. The USA and China’s neighbors accuse Beijing of increasing militarization in the region. The International Arbitration Court in The Hague rejected Beijing’s territorial claims in 2016. But China ignores the ruling.
