A US fighter jet and military helicopter crashed in the South China Sea on Sunday in what the US Pacific Fleet described as a “routine operation” involving the USS Nimitz carrier strike group.
A two-man F-18 fighter jet carrying five crew members and an MH-60R multirole helicopter “went down in the waters” of the disputed waterway in separate incidents during a routine exercise by the US Navy's Carrier Strike Group 11, according to the US Pacific Fleet. All personnel were recovered safely.
“The causes of both incidents are currently under investigation,” it said in a Facebook post on Monday.
The accidents, which occurred within 30 minutes of each other, occurred in one of the world's most disputed waterways, where tensions remain between the Philippines and China over maritime claims.
Beijing maintains its sovereignty over the energy-rich waters despite a 2016 ruling by a UN-backed court that rejected its claims.
The Southeast Asian nation has stepped up efforts to push back China's sweeping claims, holding naval exercises with allies including the US as it relies on multinational cooperation to strengthen maritime security.
At 1,092 feet tall, the USS Nimitz is one of the U.S. Navy's nuclear-powered supercarriers and is designed to deploy squadrons of fighter jets at short notice at sea, serving as a projection of U.S. military power overseas for long periods of time.
Now in the South China Sea after a three-month stint in the Middle East, the 50-year-old carrier is expected to return to the US for decommissioning following the Asia leg, USNI News reports. , Kenneth Christian L. basilio
