The U.S. 5th Fleet reported that an MH-60S Seahawk Navy helicopter, departing from the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier, crashed early on 1/7. The specific crash location remains undisclosed.

"Three of the four crew members were found and are in stable condition aboard the USS George H.W. Bush aircraft carrier. U.S. Navy assets are searching for the missing service member. The cause of the incident is under investigation," the U.S. 5th Fleet announced.

A U.S. MH-60S helicopter at Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii on 30/6. Photo: US Navy

Emergency sea landings are dangerous maneuvers, even for experienced helicopter pilots, as aircraft often have a high center of gravity and can easily capsize after hitting the water.

This marks the second U.S. military helicopter incident in the region within weeks. Earlier in June, an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter crashed near the Omani coast. Two crew members were later rescued by a Corsair unmanned vessel.

The U.S. accused an Iranian suicide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of shooting down the Apache and launched airstrikes against enemy military targets near the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation. Tehran denied the accusation and retaliated.

The MH-60 Seahawk is a U.S. Navy multi-mission helicopter, developed from the Army's UH-60 Black Hawk model. The MH-60S variant, commissioned in 2002, can be used for resupply, search and rescue, special operations support, and mine countermeasures.

As of 30/6, open-source statistics show at least 57 U.S. aircraft have been destroyed or heavily damaged since the conflict erupted in late February. This includes significant assets such as the E-3G Sentry early warning aircraft, F-35A stealth fighters, and numerous F-15E multirole combat aircraft.

Location of the Arabian Sea and Iran. Graphics: Guardian

The MH-60S incident occurred as the U.S. maintains high alert following recent fire exchanges with Iran. Despite this, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on 1/7 that indirect talks between the two countries in Qatar had progressed "very well".

These discussions were held with mediation from Qatar and Pakistan, building on a memorandum and progress achieved at a conference in Switzerland in June.

By Pham Giang (Reuters, Washington Post, War Zone)