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In just half an hour, two carrier-based aircraft on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier crashed into the sea one after another, causing losses to the US military of more than 120 million US dollars.
The two accidents occurred on the return route of the Nimitz, at which time the aircraft carrier had been deployed for more than seven months, and the fatigue of personnel and equipment ageing problems have long been accumulated.
On the same day, U.S. President Trump was on a visit to Malaysia, where China and the United States had just concluded a tense trade negotiation.
Is it really just a coincidence? Or is there something else behind it? Is the successive crashes of the Nimitz related to China?
As early as October 17, the super aircraft carrier, which had been in service for more than half a century, flew quietly into the South China Sea, and a few days later, it arrived near Wuhan Beach waters, not far from the Chinese-controlled reef.
At the same time, the Liberation Army also issued an announcement of the South China Sea real bombing exercises, in which not only the Nimitz, but also China's Fujian and Shandong ships were active.
According to the US side, this deployment is a routine operation, but the US media bluntly said that it is a strong signal and a strategic shock to China.
But a very real problem is that this old aircraft carrier has left San Diego since March this year, and has been deployed continuously for more than seven months, far exceeding the normal cycle. The carrier-based aircraft and pilots have almost no rest time, and the entire fleet is already at the limit of fatigue.
At 2:45 pm on October 26, the first MH-60R Seahawk helicopter took off from the Nimitz and fell into the sea shortly after.
The helicopter belonged to the 73rd Helicopter Attack Squadron and carried three crew members. It was performing routine patrol missions. Although all the personnel were rescued, the weather conditions were good and the sea conditions were stable at the time of the incident, and the cause of the accident was confusing.
The U.S. military has preliminarily investigated the possibility of hostilities, saying mechanical failures, system problems, and even electronic interference are under investigation.
Just 30 minutes after the first crash, the F/A-18F Super Bear fighter, which also took off from the aircraft carrier, also crashed.
The fighter is from the 22nd attack fighter regiment, with two pilots on board firing away in the air, and the F/A-18F is the U.S. Army's main force fighter, each costing about $60 million.
Within a day, two main-powered carrier aircraft crashed into the sea, causing severe losses, and the combat force of the Nimitz was instantly reduced.
So is such an intense accident really coincidence?
The United States crashed two fighter jets in succession, and two major possibilities cannot be ruled out. On the one hand, analysts believe that it may be a combination of factors such as aging shipborne equipment, excessive fatigue of pilots, and insufficient logistics supplies.
As the oldest aircraft carrier in service in the U.S. Army, the battleship in service in 1975 had planned to retire a few years ago, just because the global deployment pressure was too high and its retirement time was delayed.
This dispatch to the South China Sea is generally regarded as a "curtain call trip" and the last attempt of the US military to maintain the presence of the aircraft carrier.
But the reality is that the aircraft carrier not only has been deployed for too long, but the fleet has also been in high pressure for a long time.
The CVW-17 aircraft are frequently operating, the pilots are tired, and the maintenance team also faces parts shortages.
According to internal reports of the US military, the ejection system of the USS Nimitz has long been aging, and some equipment needs to be returned to the factory for maintenance, but it has not been approved.
On the other hand, there is a saying that the US military has long been dissatisfied with long-term deployment and political manipulation. Creating political pressure through "accidents" to retire old aircraft carriers early and reduce overseas missions may also be a kind of "performance art."
While there is no evidence to support this claim, it is not entirely unlikely in the current context of the intense domestic military-political game in the United States.
In addition to these two possibilities, it is believed that this may be related to e-warfare, especially in the sensitive nodes of tension in the Sino-American situation, where the South China Sea airspace has always been full of “technology games.”
There is speculation that electromagnetic interference may have been encountered, causing abnormalities in the navigation or communication system.
China has been continuously improving this electronic warfare capability in the past few years. In recent years, the People's Liberation Army has invested heavily in electromagnetic suppression, anti-interference and other fields. As China's first electromagnetic ejection aircraft carrier, the Fujian ship has actual combat conditions.
But this is obviously unlikely to happen, with China possessing this capability, which is not equivalent to being related to China, and the U.S. Pacific Fleet has issued a statement stating that it is investigating but does not mention China.
It is worth noting that on the day of the incident, China and the United States just ended a tense round of trade talks, and Trump also arrived in Kuala Lumpur on the same day, preparing for an Asian visit, including boarding the George Washington aircraft carrier and a visit to the U.S. military base in Japan.
According to the U.S. plan, this is a political journey to reshape the Indo-Pacific strategic image, but two planes crashed in a row, undoubtedly putting the entire journey in the shadow.
Not only that, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Haggers also urgently announced after the incident that he would visit the Asia-Pacific five countries and participate in the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting, analyzing the general opinion that this move is to stabilize the confidence of the allies and avoid the spread of the impression of "hegemony defeat".
The incident also exposed another question: “Has the Nimitz’s combat power been severely reduced?”
In fact, the US military is currently facing the dilemma of "three-line operations".
Maintaining simultaneous force projection in three directions in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe, aircraft carrier combat groups became the tools of "feeling tired."
In June this year, the Nimitz was also deployed to the Middle East, deterring the Houthi armed forces, moving from the Middle East to the South China Sea, the aircraft carrier battle group has almost not rested, and the entire fleet has long been unbearable.
At the time when the U.S. military was busy with "show muscles", China's Fukushima ship had quietly formed a combat force.
Equipped with advanced electromagnetic ejection system, domestic carrier-based aircraft, and complete command system, the emergence of Fujian ship marks the overall rise of China's aircraft carrier power.
In contrast, even fell two carrier aircraft Nimitz number appears to be more "powerless."
The "symbolic significance" of the accident is far more remarkable than the lost aircraft, and in the eyes of global media, the U.S. military was once the "immortal" hegemon, the aircraft carrier representing its military dominance in the world.
But today, even the most basic flight safety is difficult to guarantee, and I am afraid it will shake allies’ confidence in the U.S. military.
Source of information:
2025-10-27 08:11 · World Wide Web 2 U.S. military aircraft crashed in the South China Sea