US Navy Rushes To Retrieve Crashed Aircraft In South China Sea Amid Fears Of Chinese Intelligence Gains

The United States Navy is racing against time, and possibly China, to recover two aircraft that plunged into the South China Sea in late October. The fear in Washington is clear: if Beijing reaches the wreckage first, it could gain access to valuable US military technology.

The two aircraft, an F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet and an MH-60 Seahawk helicopter, went down within a span of just 30 minutes while operating off the USS Nimitz during routine missions.

Although an official investigation is still underway, US President Donald Trump hinted shortly after the incident that “contaminated fuel” might have triggered the crashes. Fortunately, all crew members survived.

What is the US Navy doing to recover the aircraft wreckage?

On Friday (November 21, 2025), the US Navy confirmed that a salvage vessel is already on the scene. “USNS Salvor (T-ARS 52), a Safeguard-class salvage ship operated by the Military Sealift Command, is on-scene conducting operations,” said Cmdr. Matthew Comer of the Navy’s 7th Fleet in Japan.

While the Navy declined to reveal the exact crash location, an unsurprising move given the sensitivity of the mission, it’s clear that the recovery is happening in one of the world’s most hotly contested waters.

The Salvor can lift up to 300 tons from the seafloor, more than enough to recover the 33-ton Super Hornet and the roughly 11-ton MH-60. But getting to them first is the real challenge.

Why these aircraft matter so much?

Neither of the downed aircraft is the newest in the US naval arsenal, but they still contain classified systems and structural technologies that Beijing would love to study.

Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center, explained the stakes: “Acquiring an airframe and surviving systems will provide valuable insights into its technological strengths and how to defeat it tactically.”

If China recovered an F/A-18, it would be a first, and a windfall for its military researchers. Analysts say such access could help Beijing refine its J-15T carrier-based fighter jets, which currently lag behind US equivalents.

Meanwhile, the MH-60 Seahawk carries sophisticated anti-submarine warfare (ASW) systems that China is trying to catch up with. Recovering such a helicopter, Schuster added, “should enjoy a high priority” in Beijing’s eyes.

For now, Western media outlets could not confirm whether China is actively attempting to locate the wreckage.

Is this a familiar tension in a militarized sea?

This dangerous race is unfolding in waters China claims almost entirely as its own, despite a 2016 international tribunal ruling rejecting those assertions.

Over the past 20 years, Beijing has reinforced its expansive maritime claims by building military installations on disputed reefs and islands, transforming them into fortified outposts.

The US, however, continues to challenge these claims through regular naval and aerial patrols intended to ensure freedom of navigation in a region through which trillions of dollars in global trade flow annually.

The current operation echoes a similar recovery in 2022, when the US retrieved a crashed F-35 from more than 12,000 feet below the surface, beating out any potential Chinese effort to seize the debris.

But Schuster warns the geography favors Beijing. “If China makes it a race, it enjoys a home-field advantage,” he said, meaning Chinese vessels could obstruct US salvage efforts if they chose.

How has China reacted to these developments?

China’s Foreign Ministry struck a dual tone after the crashes, saying it could offer “humanitarian assistance” while blaming the incidents on recurring US military activity in the region.

“The US has been flexing muscles by frequently sending military vessels and aircraft to the South China Sea,” spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

With rising great-power tensions and strategic technology at stake, the outcome of this underwater race could echo far beyond the ocean floor.