[ad_1]
BEIJING – A United States Navy warplane crashed into the sea northeast of the Philippines on Monday, the second crash in a month involving aircraft from the carrier the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan.
The aircraft, an F / A-18 Super Hornet, had a mechanical problem during routine operations over the Philippine Sea in the Western Pacific, the Navy's Seventh Fleet said in a statement. In October, an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter, also assigned to the Ronald Reagan, crashed shortly after takeoff, injuring a dozen sailors.
The two aviators in the jet on Monday were plucked from the sea and brought back to the carrier in good condition, the Navy said.
The crash was the latest mishap for the Seventh Fleet, the largest American fleet deployed overseas, and a time of reckoning for the Hornet, a naval aviation workhorse that has become well known for its own good.
A hint of possible problems with the jet cam from Gen. Robert B. Neller, Commander of the Marines, in January.
General Neller said: "In fact right now we've got too many Hornets; we've got too many airplanes. "
"We need to get rid of them," he added, "because we do not have time to fix them."
According to the Navy, a new F / A-18 Super Hornet costs $ 57 million.
Last year, two of the Seven Fleet's commanders were forced out after two collisions between Navy destroyers and commercial ships resulting in the deaths of 17 sailors.
Navy investigators concluded the collisions were "avoidable" and resulted from a series of crews and basic navigational errors.
"Many of the decisions made in this incident are the result of the judgment of the Japanese government," in which seven Navy sailors died.
Two months later, another destroyer, the John S. McCain, leaving behind sailors dead.
Senator John McCain, then chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the budget cuts to the Pentagon since 2013 were among the reasons for the 17 deaths.
The fallout from the collisions was severe. The Navy's Pacific Fleet was taken in early retirement, and the commander of the Seventh Fleet was removed in connection with the accidents.
The F / A-18 Super Hornet is one of the most widely used combat fighters in the Navy, employed for recognition, close air support and precision strikes.
The Seahawk is a twin-engine assault helicopter used for submarine warfare, search and rescue and anti-ship warfare. In the accident in October, the helicopter crashed onto the deck of the carrier.
Source link
