The U.S. Pacific Fleet said two U.S. Navy planes had sunk in the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other. Speaking to reporters on board, Air Force One on Monday, during his flight between Malaysia Malaysia and Japan, president Donald Trump called the two consecutive crashed very unusual and indicated a potential fuel problem.
“They think it might be bad fuel. We’re gonna find out. Nothing to hide, sir,” Trump said in response to a reporter’s question.
The two planes were performing normal flights in the water which the Chinese claim to be theirs. There were five crew members who were all safely rescued. Both the airplanes were launched out of the carrier USS Nimitz.
The helicopter MH-60R Navy Sea Hawk of the U.S. Navy crashed in the waters of the South China Sea at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time Sunday. All the three members of the crew were safe.
Only 30 minutes after this, at 3:15 p.m., another fighter jet, a $60m F/A-18 Super Hornet, crashed as well, in the course of regular operations, out of the USS Nimitz. Two of the crew members were thrown off the plane and recovered afterwards.
In the Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73, the Sea Hawk is attached to the Battle Cats. The Super Hornet belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron 22 known as the Fighting Redcocks. The foreign ministry of China said that Beijing would be happy to provide support in any rescue and recovery mission.
In a Monday, press conference, spokesperson Guo Jiakun declared that China will offer required assistance in a humanitarian standpoint in the event that the U.S. requests them to.
He also seized the chance to comment on the U.S. actions in the area, accusing Washington of conducting frequent shows of military power in the South China Sea, putting the lives of the maritime activity in danger and disrupting the peace of the region.
Pacific Fleet, the largest fleet command in the world, made an announcement that all its staff were safe and in good condition. They also added that both incidences were being investigated.
The navy has lost this fourth F/A-18 of the year. The USS Nimitz was in the process of returning to its home port in Naval Base Kitsap in Washington at the time of the incident involving a response of the U.S. to the attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen on commercial shipping. This carrier was on its last voyage before it was decommissioned.
The Nimitz is the oldest aircraft carrier still in service to the U.S. Navy , commissioned in 1975, and is planned to retire in 2026
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