US Navy trying to pull crashed aircraft from bottom of South China Sea
By Brad Lendon, CNN
(CNN) — The US Navy is trying to recover two aircraft from the bottom of the South China Sea that US experts say could yield sensitive information to China if Beijing were to get to 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 operating off the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz during routine operations in late October.
No official cause has been given for the crashes, but US President Donald Trump suggested to reporters shortly after the incidents that contaminated fuel may be to blame. All crew members were rescued.
The Navy confirmed to CNN on Friday that a salvage ship was operating in the South China Sea, while not revealing the specific location where the aircraft crashed or where the salvage ship is now.
“USNS SALVOR (T-ARS 52), a Safeguard-class salvage ship operated by Military Sealift Command, is on-scene conducting operations in support of the recovery efforts,” said Cmdr. Matthew Comer, a spokesperson for the Navy’s 7th Fleet in Japan.
The Salvor is capable of lifting objects weighing up to 300 tons off the seafloor, according to Navy documents. The maximum takeoff weight of the newest F/A-18 models on the Nimitz is about 33 tons while the MH-60 weighs around 11 tons.
While neither the F/A-18 nor the MH-60 are the most modern of the Navy’s aircraft, experts say the wrecks could yield useful intelligence if they fall into the hands of an adversary.
“Acquiring an air frame and surviving systems will … provide valuable insights into its technological strengths and how to defeat it tactically,” said Carl Schuster, the former head of the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.
He noted that an F/A-18 has never fallen into Chinese hands, but if one did, Beijing could gather information that could help it improve People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) carrier-based J-15T jets, which are not considered as advanced as the F/A-18.
Meanwhile, the MH-60 carries anti-submarine warfare systems that are likely more advanced than China’s, Schuster said.
“China is now prioritizing the upgrading of its anti-submarine warfare systems. So, recovering that helicopter should enjoy a high priority,” he said.
CNN cannot confirm whether China is making any attempt to get to the lost US aircraft.
Beijing asserts ownership over almost all of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international court ruling.
The current US recovery effort follows a similar mission in 2022, when an F-35 jet, the Navy’s most-advanced fighter, crashed while attempting to land on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson.
The F-35 was eventually pulled up from 12,400 feet (3,700 meters) of water by a Navy recovery team.
Over the past two decades, China has fortified its territorial claims by constructing military installations on contested islands and reefs in the South China Sea. The US says China’s assertions and military buildup threaten freedom of navigation in the waterway, through which trade worth trillions of dollars passes every year.
US forces maintain a steady presence in the region to push back on Chinese sovereignty claims and support Washington’s allies and partners.
But Schuster said Beijing has an edge on getting to wrecks in the South China Sea just based on proximity.
“If China makes it a race, it enjoys homefield advantage, if you will, and can be expected to impede our recovery efforts” if possible, he said.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry said after the crashes that it could offer humanitarian assistance to the US Navy if needed.
But a spokesperson also said that the crashes occurred during what he called “US military exercises.”
“The US has been flexing muscles by frequently sending military vessels and aircraft to the South China Sea. This is the root cause of security issues at sea and disruption to regional peace and stability,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing.
The-CNN-Wire
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