US Navy helicopter, F-18 fighter jet crash in separate incidents in South China Sea

The Navy in a social media post on Sunday said that a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter, assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73, crashed at 2:45pm (local time) “while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.”

South China Sea – On October 26, 2025 at approximately 2:45 p.m. local time, a U.S. 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

— U.S. Pacific Fleet (@USPacificFleet) October 26, 2025

Carrier Strike Group 11 was assigned with search and rescue efforts, which safely recovered all three crew members.

Following the incident, around 3:15pm, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 went down in a separate incident in the waters of South China Sea while conducting routine operations from Nimitz.

Carrier Strike Group 11 was again assigned with search and rescue efforts and both the crew members, aboard the F/A-18F, who had successfully ejected were safely recovered, the US Pacific Fleet said in a post on X. It added that all personnel involved in the operation are safe and in stable condition.