US Navy helicopter water landing, one missing

A U.S. Navy sailor is missing after an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter made an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea early Wednesday, July 1. Three other crew members were rescued and are in stable condition aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time. According to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, there is no indication that hostile action caused the emergency landing. The helicopter was assigned to the George H.W. Bush, which has been deployed to the Middle East since late April.

Navy assets in the region are conducting an intensive search-and-rescue operation for the missing aircrewman, deploying ships and aircraft to scour the area. The cause of the emergency landing is under investigation.

This marks the second U.S. military helicopter incident in the region in recent weeks. In early June, an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter was brought down near the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian drone. Both crew members in that incident were rescued, and it was followed by U.S. defensive strikes.

The Arabian Sea and the nearby Strait of Hormuz have been a focal point of regional tensions. While a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran...