Experts analyze two U.S. military aircraft crashed in the South China Sea # [U.S. aircraft crashed in the South China Sea in a row]
According to foreign media reports, two U.S. Navy military aircraft crashed in the South China Sea on the 26th, with no casualties. Military experts interviewed by the Global Times said that the two consecutive crashes of the US aircraft carrier in one day were abnormal, but not without warning. The US military frequently provokes and causes trouble in the South China Sea, and the ship and aircraft personnel have been in a state of high tension for a long time, which can easily lead to operational errors and lead to accidents. They believe that an increase in such incidents may accelerate the retirement process of the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier.
According to Agence France-Presse, the first crash involved a MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. According to a statement from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet, the helicopter crashed into the South China Sea during routine operations on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. The statement said the three crew members of the helicopter were rescued by a search and rescue team. Half an hour later, a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet also crashed in the South China Sea during a routine mission on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier. The two crew members on board successfully ejected and escaped and were safely rescued. According to the U.S. Navy,"All personnel involved are safe and stable." The cause of the two accidents is under investigation."
Zhang Junshe, a military expert, said in an interview with the Global Times on the 27th that it was no accident that the United States crashed a carrier-based fighter jet and a helicopter in the South China Sea in one day. The U.S. military has maintained a high-intensity combat readiness in the South China Sea, Asia-Pacific and the world for a long time, and has continued to make military deployments to maintain its hegemonic position and its role as an "international police". Long-term high-pressure operation makes the U.S. military's strength tense and personnel exhausted, and the risk of accidents naturally increases. He believes that the accident is probably related to factors such as operational negligence or excessive fatigue.
Military expert Song Zhongping also held similar views in an interview with the Global Times on the 27th. He pointed out that the US military has long used the so-called "freedom of navigation" as an excuse to frequently show off force in the South China Sea in an attempt to demonstrate its military presence. On the surface, the United States is still maintaining a strong posture as a "military hegemon", but in fact, even with 11 aircraft carriers, the US military is unable to cope with such arduous tasks. Song Zhongping analyzed that the US military aircraft carrier shoulders global deployment and multiple tasks, and has long carried out high-intensity operations and training in the Middle East and other regions. In addition, some officers and soldiers are slack and war-weariness, resulting in increased security risks. "So it's shocking that two crashes occurred on the same day, but not surprising."
Zhang Junshe pointed out that another important reason for the two plane crashes in the United States in one day was that the U.S. high-level officials had long instilled in the military the so-called awareness of "fierce competition with China," and some even advocated "war with China." In this context, US aircraft carriers frequently go to the South China Sea to show off their force, and relevant commanders have repeatedly publicly declared that they want to "show their strength to China." "This continued confrontational mentality has invisibly exacerbated the tension among US officers and soldiers. In addition, the U.S. military frequently conducts highly practical drills against China in the South China Sea. U.S. military personnel have a guilty conscience and are afraid of being counteracted by the Chinese side. When they are highly nervous, they are prone to operational mistakes, which can lead to accidents."
It is worth noting that at the beginning of this year, two aircraft of the U.S. Navy’s Truman aircraft carrier crashed into the Red Sea while carrying out missions in the Middle East. Zhang said that when the U.S. military faced a Houthi armed strike, the Houthi armed forces repeatedly launched missiles near the U.S. Navy’s naval vessels in the Red Sea, the U.S. military was in a highly tense state, and operational errors were expected.
Zhang also believed that the U.S. military had two flight accidents on the same day in the South China Sea, which may also be related to the recent US government shutdown and failure to issue military spending. The U.S. military morality is low, heartless focus on battle preparation missions. Public reports show that many U.S. soldiers and their families go to banks loans, or to the street rescue stations to receive relief food. This has greatly impacted the mental state of the U.S. soldiers, claiming that the world's most powerful U.S. has not sent military vessels, the U.S. officers are angry and low morale, in this case also easy to accident. "
Song Zhongping believes that the crash of two US fighter planes in one day is also related to the sharp decline in the combat effectiveness and support of the aircraft carrier Nimitz itself. According to reports, the "Nimitz" nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is the second nuclear-powered aircraft carrier of the US military and the second in the world. It is the first ship of the 10 "Nimitz" class aircraft carriers of the US military. According to the plan, this aircraft carrier, which has reached its design life of 50 years, is about to retire.
“While the aircraft carrier strike group appears to be deterrent enough, according to the U.S. military’s plans, the ship is about to retire.This arrangement reflects the overall technical condition of the ship and there are a number of problems with its equipment,” Song Liangping said.
He further analyzed that the occurrence of these two accidents will further accelerate the pace of decommissioning the USS Nimitz. Because the U.S. military does not intend to upgrade this aircraft carrier, it will directly retire it to make room for the Ford-class aircraft carrier. "Therefore, the US military may start negotiations as soon as possible, and even arrange the retirement of the USS Nimitz in advance." (Global Times-Global Network Reporter Guo Yuandan)