A U.S. Navy F-18E Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Virginia on Wednesday ( August 20 ) during a routine training flight, CBS News reported.
The pilot of the fighter jet, from the 83rd Strike Fighter Squadron (3-VF) based at Oceana Air Force Base in Virginia Beach, ejected before the crash and was rescued from the water by Coast Guard search and rescue teams at approximately 11:21 a.m.
The wreckage of the fighter jet remains in the water, and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.
This incident is the sixth loss of US Navy F-18 fighters in the past 10 months.
Earlier in October 2024, two pilots were killed in an EA-18G Growler fighter jet crash near Mount Rainier in Washington state.
Also in April and May 2025, two more F-18 fighters crashed in the Red Sea from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman.
The production cost of each F-18 Super Hornet fighter jet is estimated at around $67 million.
