5 crew members rescued after Navy helicopter, fighter jet go down in South China Sea in separate incidents

Five crew members were rescued after a Navy Seahawk helicopter and a Super Hornet fighter jet went down in the South China Sea a half-hour apart in separate incidents Sunday, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said

Five crew members were rescued after a Navy Seahawk helicopter and a Super Hornet fighter jet went down in the South China Sea a half-hour apart in separate incidents Sunday, the Navy's Pacific Fleet said.

In one incident, an MH-60R helicopter assigned to the “Battle Cats” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73 went down at 2:45 p.m. local time, the Pacific Fleet said on Facebook. The squadron is based at Naval Air Station North Island on the Coronado peninsula in San Diego.

Search-and-rescue teams were deployed and safely recovered all three crew members on the helicopter, the Pacific Fleet said.

Separately, an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter assigned to the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 went down at 3:15 p.m., according to the fleet. That squadron is based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in Kings and Fresno counties, California.

Both crew members “successfully ejected” and were also rescued, the Pacific Fleet said.