A Navy helicopter and a fighter jet, both conducting routine operations from the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier, went down in the South China Sea about 30 minutes apart Sunday, the U.S. Pacific Fleet said in a statement .

The U.S. Navy MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter went down at about 2:45 p.m. local time. All three crew members were safely recovered, the Navy said.

"Following the incident, 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 while conducting routine operations from Nimitz."

U.S. Navy MH-60S Hawk helicopter, top, and F-18 Super Hornets are seen on the flight deck of the USS Nimitz off the coast of Busan, South Korea, Monday, March 27, 2023. (Fi

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