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A U.S Sea Hawk helicopter and an F/A-18 fighter went down during routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea on Sunday, the U.S. Pacific Fleet. All crew members were recovered, it said. Why It Matters The South China Sea is a a vital shipping lane for international trade and is rich in oil, gas and fisheries and is also a flashpoint between China and several of its neighbours. China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, overlapping with claims of U.S. ally the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei. Since 1979, the U.S. Navy has routinely sent ships and aircraft to challenge what Washington deems excessive maritime claims and it maintains its presence in the disputed sea to uphold the lawful use of the waterway and international airspace, including the rights of freedom of navigation and overflight. The U.S. and its allies, including the Philippines, often carry out naval exercises in the sea, exercising freedom of navigation in international waters, and Chinese warships often keep tabs on the war games and occasionally confrontations take place. A US Navy USS Shoup (DDG86), left, and Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) frigate JS Noshiro. center, maneuver with Philippine Navy BRP Jose Rizal, not shown, during the Philippines United States Japan Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity off a disputed South China Sea shoal on Friday, March 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila) What To Know A U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 73 went down at 2:45 p.m., local time on Sunday, the Pacific Fleet said in a post on X. It did not say why the helicopter went down but said search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11 safely recovered all three crew members. Half an hour later, the fighter jet, also conducting routine operations from the Nimitz, went down in the sea. “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,” it said. Both crew members successfully ejected and were also safely recovered by search and rescue assets assigned to Carrier Strike Group 11, the Pacific Fleet said. All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition, it said adding: “The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation.” The Pacific Fleet made no mention of any reason why the two aircraft went down just half an hour apart and nor did it mention the presence of any ships or planes from any other countries being in the area at the time. The aircraft went down as President Donald Trump was arriving in Malaysia at the start of an Asia tour that is expected to include a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday. On August 13, 2025, China said its forces “expelled” the USS Higgins from near the contested Scarborough Shoal after challenging the Arleigh Burke–class destroyer as it was conducting a freedom-of-navigation operation. The U.S. Seventh Fleet dismissed China’s claim as false. On October 20, 2025, Australia accused a Chinese air force fighter jet of an “unsafe and unprofessional” maneuver during a on interaction over the South China Sea. China accused Australia of having illegally entered Chinese airspace. Such close encounters raise the risks of an accident sparking an armed clash, according to the United States and its allies. In 2016, an international arbitral tribunal rejected China’s sweeping South China Sea claims but China has ignored the ruling. What Happens Next Trump is expected to meet Xi on the sidelines of an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum summit in South Korea on Thursday. Trade is expected to dominate their agenda but security issues including the South China Sea and the independent island of Taiwan are also likely to be raised.
