The U.S. Navy said in a statement Tuesday that it has recovered two aircraft that crashed into the South China Sea while flying from the USS Nimitz in October.
According to the Navy, on Dec. 5, a contract ship’s unmanned system was used to lift aircraft – an F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60 helicopter – from a depth of 400 feet (122 meters).
Neither ship is the newest in the Navy’s fleet, but experts say the wreck could have yielded useful information had it been in enemy hands.
“All involved brought significant expertise to the table that allowed us to safely and successfully return these aircraft to U.S. control,” said Lt. Col. Christopher Andersen, head of the salvage mission, said in a statement:
Parts of the crucial South China Sea, sandwiched between China and several Southeast Asian countries, are claimed by multiple governments, but Beijing has ignored international court rulings and claimed ownership of nearly the entire strategic waterway.
Over the past two decades, China has strengthened its territorial claims by building military facilities on disputed islands and reefs. The United States argues that China’s assertiveness and military buildup threaten freedom of navigation and free trade.
U.S. forces maintain a steady presence in the region to push back against China’s sovereignty claims and support U.S. allies and partners.
The two planes crashed within 30 minutes of each other in late October during routine operations from an aircraft carrier.
The official cause of the crash has not been announced, but US President Donald Trump suggested to reporters shortly after the accident that contaminated fuel may have been to blame. All crew members were rescued.
The Navy said in a statement Tuesday that the investigation into the crash continues.
“All recovered aircraft parts are being transported to designated U.S. military facilities in the Indo-Pacific region for further analysis,” the Navy said in a statement.
The latest recovery effort follows a similar mission in 2022 when an F-35 fighter jet, the Navy’s most advanced fighter jet, crashed while attempting to land on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
The F-35 was eventually pulled out of the water below 12,400 feet (3,700 meters) by a Navy recovery team.
