The U.S. Pacific Fleet has confirmed the protected rescue of all personnel after an MH-60R Sea Hawk and an F/A-18F Tremendous Hornet from USS Nimitz each crashed into the South China Sea simply half-hour aside.
5 personnel, three on board an MH-60R Sea Hawk, and two within the F/A-18F Tremendous Hornet, have been recovered safely by the provider group’s search and rescue belongings, with official statements saying they’re in a steady situation.
At this early stage, solely restricted particulars can be found concerning these two incidents. The MH-60R Sea Hawk, operated by Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 (HSM-73), went down into the South China Sea first at roughly 2:45pm native time. On the time of the incident the helicopter was engaged in routine operations from the united statesNimitz (CVN 68) plane provider, which presently leads Provider Strike Group 11 (CSG 11).
Round 3:15pm native time, simply half an hour later, the F/A-18F Tremendous Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 22 (VFA-22) crashed into the ocean after each pilots ejected from the plane. The circumstances that led to the crew’s choice to eject haven’t been confirmed.
The Nimitz, the oldest plane provider within the U.S. Navy’s fleet, is approaching the tail finish of what’s anticipated to be its last operational deployment. Departing the USA in March 2025 for a routine deployment to the Indo-Pacific, the Nimitz has spent a while inside the Fifth Fleet space of duty, making a port name in Bahrain in August. The provider has since departed again in direction of the Pacific, heading by way of waters contested by the Individuals’s Republic of China.
Although the survival of all crew members is welcome information for all concerned, the lack of these two plane in shut succession is a troubling story for U.S. naval aviation after a troublesome time that has seen a number of excessive profile incidents. Investigations into the causes of each crashes will probably be launched instantly.
The official announcement was made by way of the U.S. Pacific Fleet’s social media channels, that are presently receiving restricted updates because of the U.S. authorities shutdown.
