U.S. Navy Fighter Jet and Helicopter Crash in South China Sea

The U.S. Navy says a Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed in the South China Sea on October 26, 2025.
The U.S. Navy says a Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet crashed in the South China Sea on October 26, 2025. A U.S. Navy helicopter landing on USS Nimitz on January 18, 2020. (Photo by MARIO TAMA / Getty Images via AFP)

The U.S. Navy said a Navy fighter jet and a helicopter crashed in South China Sea on Sunday. The separate incidents happened about 30 minutes apart in waters that China says fall under its sovereignty using what it calls the “nine-dash line.” “All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition,” U.S. Pacific Fleet said.

According to the U.S. Pacific Fleet, at 2:45 p.m. local time on Sunday, a Sea Hawk helicopter went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting what the Navy called routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

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by Edwin Shri Bimo

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