The disaster of the oldest aircraft carrier in service in the United States, the Nimitz, became a disaster. The U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet on 26th that the two aircraft carried by the carrier crashed in the South China Sea on the same day. Relevant statistics show that in recent years the U.S. Navy Air Force's major accidents have continued, which reflects the evil consequences of the U.S. military's fatigue.
The two crashes were less than an hour apart.
According to the statement of the Pacific Fleet, about 2:45 p.m. on October 26 local time, a MH-60R "Sea Eagle" helicopter belonging to the 73rd helicopter offshore strike squadron crashed in the South China Sea during a "routine operation" when taking off from the Nimitz aircraft carrier. The aircraft's three pilots were successfully rescued. At 3:15 p.m. on the same day, the same F/A-18F "Super Bear" fighter aircraft, which took off from the aircraft carrier, also crashed in the South China Sea while carrying out "routine operations".
According to the Pentagon regulations, flight accidents are divided into four major categories according to the severity grade, the most severe grade A refers to the death of pilots, permanent complete disability or direct loss costs of more than $2 million (US Air Force standard) / $2.5 million (US Army and U.S. Navy standard). This "Nimez" lost in the South China Sea MH-60R "Sea Eagle" helicopter, the U.S. Army purchased a single model of about $40 million; the latest purchase price of "Super Big Bear" fighter aircraft is up to $75 million.
Relevant statistics show that the Class A accidents of the US Navy have been significantly high this year. The U.S. Navy has already reported 12 Class A incidents in fiscal year 2025 (as of Sept. 30), up significantly from nine in fiscal year 2024 and seven in fiscal year 2023. The website of the U.S. Naval Institute counted several major crashes of the U.S. Navy this year: On February 12, an EA-18G "Growler" electronic attack aircraft of the U.S. Navy crashed near the North Island Naval Air Station, and the crew successfully ejected. Sustained only minor injuries; On April 28, the USS Truman aircraft carrier deployed in the Red Sea made an emergency turn to avoid missiles launched by Houthi armed forces in Yemen, causing an F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet on board to crash into the sea and cause one person to be slightly injured; On May 6, another F/A-18 on the USS Truman aircraft carrier crashed into the sea due to an arresting system failure during landing at night. This was the second Super Hornet lost by the aircraft carrier in a week and the third lost by the U.S. Navy in less than a year after exchanging fire with the Houthi armed forces; On July 30, a U.S. Navy F-35C stealth fighter jet crashed during a training flight near California, the second F-35 crash in 2025 after a U.S. Air Force F-35A fighter jet crashed in Alaska in January; On August 20, a U.S. Navy F/A-18E crashed into the sea during a routine training flight off the coast of Virginia.
Military expert Zhang Junshe 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 one day in the South China Sea. The US military has long maintained a high-intensity combat readiness in the South China Sea, the Asia-Pacific and around the world, and has continuously made military deployments to maintain its hegemonic status and "international police" role. Long-term high-pressure operation has strained the US military's troops and exhausted its personnel, and the risk of accidents naturally increases accordingly. He believes that the accident is likely related to factors such as operational negligence or excessive fatigue. Another expert told the Global Times that the drop in pilot training time may also be one of the reasons for the accident. The Pentagon report confirmed that pilot training time is declining for both the U.S. Navy and Air Force. For example, the average flying time for US military pilots in 2022 is only about 130 hours, far below the 200-hour standard.
The Last Journey of Nimitz.
The two successive crashes also made the Nimitz aircraft carrier's disappearance very embarrassing.The U.S. Navy Association website said that the aircraft carrier is currently carrying out its last deployment during its service period, it departed from the west coast of the United States on March 26 and after completing its seven-month deployment, is currently on its way back to the U.S. mainland, entering the South China Sea on October 17.
The Nimitz is currently the oldest aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy. It served in 1975 and has been representing the peak of the U.S. Navy for half a century, but long-term high-intensity deployment has also caused the aircraft carrier's equipment to be severely damaged, and in recent years it has repeatedly exploded equipment aging, system failure problems, such as in November 2021, "Nimitz" just completed repair after-exit testing, found that the aircraft carrier's nuclear power device has "little material defects" and was forced to return on November 9 in Washington State's home port; in 2022 the aircraft carrier is too much of these second-hand parts because the drinking water system is contaminated, so the old manufacturer no longer serves, but
In contrast to the conventional powered aircraft carrier, how long the "Nimitz" can serve is largely determined by the life of its nuclear reactor. According to the original design, the theoretical maximum life of the carrier's nuclear reactor is only 50 years, so the U.S. Navy needs to carefully inspect its nuclear reactor every year. In November 2024, the "Nimitz" was identified as "compliant with the airworthiness and combat readiness standards" after the U.S. Navy's review, allowing it to continue its service, and the official retirement time was postponed to 2026, but limited to the life of the nuclear reactor, and its actual deployment time was limited to 2025 only. In March this year, the Pentagon announced that it would be deploying the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to
The U.S."Stars and Stripes" newspaper said that after returning to the United States, Nimitz will be relocated to the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia in April 2026 to dismantle reusable equipment and materials, and then transfer them to Newport The News Shipyard began a 30-month process of removing nuclear fuel and deactivating the reactor.
Reflecting the long-term dilemma of the US Navy
Whether it is the successive major accidents of carrier-based aircraft or the embarrassing curtain call of the "Nimitz", it reflects the current predicament of the US Navy. For example, the U.S. shipbuilding industry has accumulated more and more maintenance work, resulting in a significant reduction in the number of available ships in the U.S. Navy fleet. Previously, the maintenance period of the "Washington" was severely delayed, causing the "Stennis", which was waiting in line to replace nuclear fuel, to wait in vain for two years at the shipyard. It will not be completed until at least October 2026 to complete the mid-term overhaul. The "Truman", which was damaged in the collision at the beginning of this year, has not been repaired so far because there is no suitable dock.
In terms of new ship construction, the situation is equally serious. Since the "Kennedy" aircraft carrier that succeeds the "Nimitz" will be delivered as soon as 2027, it may take longer to form combat effectiveness. Therefore, for a long time to come, the number of active aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy will be reduced from 11 to 10 ships, and the number of aircraft carriers that can be dispatched is even smaller. At the same time, the U.S. Navy's planned "Columbia" class strategic nuclear submarine, new-generation attack nuclear submarine SSN (X), next-generation destroyer DDG (X) and next-generation carrier-based fighter F/A-XX projects have also been delayed to varying degrees.
Experts believe that the current U.S. Navy still has a stock advantage in scale, especially the number of aircraft carriers, Aegis destroyers, amphibious combat ships and nuclear submarines is still unique in the world. However, the uncontrolled use by the Pentagon is causing the U.S. Navy to get into trouble. Successive accidents in recent years reflect this deteriorating trend.
Editor: Meng Yuan
The school is:Zhang Yanping
Reviewed by: Su Fang