The South China Sea is a ticking time bomb of military tensions between two superpowers: the United States and China. With their naval forces constantly on high alert, one question becomes more terrifying by the day—what happens if a Chinese fighter jet crashes into a US aircraft carrier?
As you might’ve heard, military encounters between US and Chinese forces in the South China Sea have grown increasingly frequent and tense in recent years. These dangerous interactions are not without precedent. On April 1, 2001, a significant incident occurred that highlighted the potential for disaster in these contested waters. A US Navy EP-3 surveillance aircraft collided with a Chinese J-8 fighter jet approximately 70 miles off the coast of Hainan Island. The collision resulted in the loss of the Chinese pilot and forced the damaged EP-3 to make an emergency landing on Hainan, sparking a tense 11-day diplomatic standoff before the US crew was released.
