The U.S. Navy is attempting to recover two planes from the South China Sea ocean floor, but U.S. experts say sensitive information could be leaked to China if the Chinese government reaches them first.
The aircraft, an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60 helicopter, crashed within 30 minutes of each other while flying off the aircraft carrier Nimitz during routine operations in late October.
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 confirmed to CNN on Friday that the salvage ship was sailing in the South China Sea, but did not say exactly where the plane crashed or where the salvage ship is currently located.
“The USNS SALVOR (T-ARS 52), a Safeguard-class salvage vessel operated by Military Sealift Command, is active in the field supporting recovery efforts,” the commander said. Matthew Comer, Navy 7th Fleet spokesman in Japan.
According to Navy documents, the Salver can lift objects weighing up to 300 tons from the ocean floor. Nimitz’s latest F/A-18 model has a maximum takeoff weight of about 33 tons, while the MH-60 weighs about 11 tons.
Although neither the F/A-18 nor the MH-60 are the newest Navy aircraft, experts say the wreck could provide useful information if it falls into enemy hands.
“Obtaining the aircraft and its surviving systems will provide valuable insight into its technological strengths and how to defeat it tactically,” said Karl Schuster, former director of the U.S. Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center.
He noted that the F/A-18 has never been in Chinese hands, but if it were, Beijing could collect information that could help improve the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) J-15T carrier-based aircraft, which is not considered as advanced as the F/A-18.
The MH-60, on the other hand, probably has a more advanced anti-submarine warfare system than China’s, Schuster said.
“China is currently prioritizing updating its anti-submarine warfare systems, so recovering the helicopters should be a top priority,” he said.
CNN has not been able to confirm whether China is trying to find the missing US military plane.
The Chinese government claims ownership of almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring international court rulings.
The current U.S. recovery effort follows a similar mission in 2022 when the Navy’s most advanced fighter jet, an F-35, crashed while attempting to land on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
The F-35 was eventually pulled out of the water at a depth of 12,400 feet (3,700 meters) by a Navy recovery team.
Over the past two decades, China has strengthened its claims by building military facilities on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea. The United States says China’s assertiveness and military buildup threaten freedom of navigation in the waterway, through which trillions of dollars worth of trade passes each year.
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.
But Schuster said Beijing has an advantage when it comes to accessing shipwrecks in the South China Sea simply because of its proximity.
If possible, he said, “if China were to enter the competition, we would expect it to enjoy home-field advantage and hinder our recovery efforts.”
China’s Foreign Ministry said after the crash that the U.S. Navy may provide humanitarian assistance if needed.
But the spokesperson also said the crash occurred during what he called a “U.S. military exercise.”
“The United States frequently sends warships and aircraft to the South China Sea, increasing tensions. This is the root cause of maritime security issues and disruption of regional peace and stability,” Spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference.
