SEVEN sailors were injured and a pilot was forced to eject after a US Navy fighter jet crashed while conducting a routine exercise in the South China Sea.

The Navy’s Pacific Fleet said an F-35C Lightning II combat jet had a “landing mishap” while touching down on the USS Carl Vinson on January 24.

The pilot managed to eject the aircraft before it hit the deck.

Lt Mark Langford, a spokesperson for the 7^th Fleet, told the Associated Press that the pilot was recovered by a helicopter.

Seven sailors were injured and three were airlifted to a hospital in Manila, the Philippines for treatment. They are in a stable condition.

Meanwhile, four were treated on board the ship, and three have been released, according to the US Pacific Fleet.

Langford revealed that the damage to the deck was “superficial” and routine flight drills have since restarted.

It’s not known why the incident happened as investigations continue and details about the crash are still being verified.

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USS Carl Vinson is conducting exercises alongside the USS Abraham Lincoln in the South China Sea.

More than 14,000 sailors and marines are taking part in the drills.

The US frequently carries out exercises in the South China Sea in “freedom of navigation” operations, which are compliant with international law.

The military says the purpose of the exercises is to project the “U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Joint Force’s ability to deliver a powerful maritime force”.

The US and its allies have stepped up their exercises in the South China Sea region as China ramps up its pressure on Taiwan.

ROUTINE DRILLS

China has often perceived Taiwan as a "renegade" state and has repeatedly vowed to take it back by force if necessary.

Taiwan split from China in the civil war in 1949 but Beijing claims the island as its own territory.

It’s thought that the formal declaration of independence would be the likely trigger for a potential conflict as Washington has tried to deter Beijing not to seize the island by force.

China flew 39 warplanes towards Taiwan in its latest incursion to assert power in the region, according to the Taiwanese defense ministry.

It included 24 J-16 fighter jets, 10 J-10 jets, a nuclear-capable H-6 bomber, and other support aircraft. They engaged in anti-submarine air and combat readiness exercises.

Beijing refused to provide details as to why they flew the planes but said it was not a “diplomatic matter”.

The Taiwanese military issued radio warnings and deployed air defense missiles to monitor activities.

Collin Koh, a research fellow in Singapore, told CNN: “No doubt this is part of the broader campaign by Beijing aimed at eroding the will and ability of Taiwan to continue resisting.”

PROJECTING POWER

A US Navy nuclear-armed submarine was spotted for the first time in decades amid rising tensions with Beijing.

The top-secret USS Nevada, which was pictured at Guam’s naval base, is known as a “boomer” and armed with 20 Trident nuclear missiles.

Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submarine captain and now an analyst at the Center for a New American Security said the Nevada’s presence sends a “message”.

He told CNN: “We can park 100-odd nuclear warheads on your doorstep and you won't even know it or be able to do much about it.”

It’s extremely rare for such vessels to be pictured outside their home ports of Bangor, Washington, and Kings Bay, Georgia.

Earlier this month, President Xi urged countries to move away from a “Cold War mentality”.

Speaking at The Davos Agenda virtual event, he said: “We need to discard Cold War mentality and seek peaceful co-existence and win-win outcomes.

 “Acts of containment, suppression, or confrontation arising thereof do all harm, not the least good to world peace and security.

“History has proved time and again that confrontation does not solve problems. It only invites catastrophic consequences.”

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