Two US military aircraft crash in South China Sea: US Navy

At approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, a US. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the "Battle Cats" of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations. Search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11 safely recovered all three crew members.

Following the incident, separately, at 3:15 p.m., an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the "Fighting Redcocks" of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 also went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from Nimitz.

Both crew members successfully ejected and were also safely recovered by search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11.
Parts of the South China Sea are claimed by multiple countries, including China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan. Beijing asserts ownership over most of the strategic waterways, often defying international court rulings.

Over the last two decades, China has fortified its territorial claims by constructing military installations across the sea, directly challenging US efforts to maintain free passage through the international waterway. CNN noted that US Navy operations in the region are part of Washington's broader strategy to counter Beijing's maritime expansion.

The aircraft crashes occurred amid President Donald Trump's diplomacy tour in Asia, during which he is expected to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea for talks focused primarily on trade. Relations between the two nations had soured in recent weeks after both imposed sweeping measures on each other, following months of relative calm. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the US has reached a framework trade agreement with China, easing tensions ahead of the anticipated meeting between Trump and Xi.

The Navy previously lost two Super Hornet jets in the Red Sea this spring. According to CNN, an individual F/A-18 fighter jet costs more than $60 million. The USS Nimitz, one of the largest warships in the world, is the oldest US aircraft carrier in service and is scheduled for retirement next year.