WASHINGTON: The US Navy has launched a major recovery operation to lift two crashed aircraft from the floor of the South China Sea, amid concerns that the debris could offer China access to sensitive military technology, CNN reported.

According to CNN, an F/A-18 Super Hornet and an MH-60 helicopter went down within half an hour of each other in late October during routine operations involving the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

While the cause of the incidents has not been formally identified, US President Donald Trump told reporters shortly afterward that contaminated fuel “may be to blame.” All personnel aboard the aircraft were safely rescued.

A Navy spokesperson confirmed to CNN that a salvage vessel is currently conducting recovery work but did not disclose the exact crash site or the

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