A US fighter jet and a helicopter have crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said.

Three crew members of the MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter were rescued after they went down with the aircraft.

Two aviators in the F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet ejected and were recovered safely after the plane "went down" while "conducting routine operations".

The fleet said the crashes happened about 2.45pm on Sunday, local time.

All five navy personnel "are safe and in stable condition," the fleet said in a statement.

The causes of the two crashes were under investigation, the statement said.

The two aircraft are based off the carrier USS Nimitz, which has been deployed in the Middle East and is returning home to Washington.

Series of mishaps

The

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