US fighter jet crashes on way to Korean peninsula

A US Navy F/A-18E fighter jet crashed while trying to land on the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson during its journey to the Korean peninsula.

The location where the F/A-18E is believed to have crashed. Graphics: USNI.

An F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to Carrier Air Wing 2 (CVW-2) crashed in the Celebes Sea, south of the Philippines, on April 21. The plane crashed while preparing to land on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier, the pilot had to eject and was later rescued by helicopter, USNI reported.

The US Navy said the pilot was not injured. The cause of the incident is under investigation. The USS Carl Vinson, carrying Carrier Air Wing 2, is en route to the Korean Peninsula to bolster its presence in the region.

Rear Admiral Jim Kilby, commander of the Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, announced that the deployment would be extended by 30 days, which is believed to be to provide a continuous presence of US warships near the Korean Peninsula. The USS Carl Vinson will likely join two destroyers of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force for exercises.

US and South Korean media reported that the USS Carl Vinson is expected to arrive in waters off the Korean Peninsula before April 25, the anniversary of North Korea's military founding. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have escalated over Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs. North Korea has vowed to launch a nuclear attack in response to a preemptive US attack.

However, international security analysts believe that the move to send an aircraft carrier is just a show of force, and that it would be difficult for Washington to launch a military attack on Pyongyang because of the huge consequences that such an action would cause.

According to VNE