World
The US Navy is working urgently to retrieve a downed fighter jet and helicopter from the South China Sea.
The US Navy has begun a large-scale mission to retrieve two aircraft that crashed into the South China Sea, amid fears that the wreckage could expose sensitive military technology to China, CNN reported. According to the report, an F/A-18 Super Hornet and an MH-60 helicopter went down within 30 minutes of each other in late October during routine operations with the USS Nimitz. The cause has not been officially determined, though US President Donald Trump later suggested that contaminated fuel might be responsible. All crew members were safely recovered.
A Navy spokesperson told CNN that a salvage ship is now working at the site but declined to reveal the exact location. Cmdr. Matthew Comer of the US 7th Fleet said that the USNS Salvor, a Safeguard-class salvage vessel, is conducting the recovery. Documents reviewed by CNN show the ship can lift up to 300 tons from the seabed. The aircraft involved weigh far less—about 33 tons for a fully loaded F/A-18 and around 11 tons for an MH-60.
CNN stated it could not confirm whether China is attempting to locate the debris. Beijing continues to assert sweeping claims over the South China Sea, despite an international tribunal ruling that dismissed those claims. The Navy’s current mission is similar to a 2022 operation where an F-35 was successfully recovered from a depth of 12,400 feet after a crash involving the USS Carl Vinson.
China’s Foreign Ministry responded by saying it could provide humanitarian assistance if needed, while also criticizing US military activity in the region. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the incidents occurred during what he described as “US military exercises,” accusing Washington of provoking instability by frequently deploying ships and aircraft in the South China Sea.
Schuster warned that China’s proximity to the crash area could allow it to interfere with US recovery operations. The US maintains that its military presence is necessary to challenge China’s extensive territorial claims and protect freedom of navigation in one of the world’s busiest waterways, CNN added.
