USS Nimitz: Sea Hawks and Hornets Party Like It’s 1999— Or Crash Trying
On Sunday in the South China Sea, the USS Nimitz’s airborne circus saw not one, but two spectacular midafternoon crashes less than 30 minutes apart. First, around 2:15 p.m., an MH-60R Sea Hawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 73, aka the 'Battle Cats', took an unexpected dive, sparing its three crew members thanks to a Navy rescue cameo. Not to be outdone, the F/A-18F Super Hornet from Strike Fighter Squadron 22's 'Fighting Redcocks' followed suit at 3:15 p.m., ejecting its two pilots before shamelessly embracing the ocean. All this unfolded as President Donald Trump kicked off his Asia tour with trade talks destined to be almost as messy as these crashes.
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Nothing says 'safe military ops' like two Nimitz-launched aircraft crashing half an hour apart during Trump’s Asia tour. If PR disaster was a sport, the Navy just scored gold.
The 'Battle Cats' and 'Fighting Redcocks' sure know how to drop a scene—both Navy planes crashing in the same afternoon? Someone call Spielberg for the next Air Force reboot.
South China Sea’s new reality show: Top Gun Meets Air Crash Investigators. Spoiler alert—everyone’s okay, but the jets? Not so much.
Source: Businessinsider | Published: 10/27/2025 | Author: Matthew Loh
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