A fighter jet and a helicopter based off the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz both crashed into the South China Sea within 30 minutes of each other, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet said.

all 20 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] 25 points 1 year ago

Thank goodness they fired all those terrible DEI hires and now there are only competent and qualified people in the US Military, starting with the absolutely not an alcoholic Pete Hegseth! /s

  • source
  • [–] 36 points 1 year ago (4 children)

    Very odd. Let’s give them more money so they can do it again, but with more expensive aircraft.

    Also…

    President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo on Monday, said the incidents could have been caused by “bad fuel.” He ruled out foul play and said there was “nothing to hide.”

    Bad. Fuel.

  • source
  • hideshow 4 child comments
  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago

    If Trump had said there would be a full investigation, I'd assume there was nothing to hide. "Bad Fuel" and "nothing to hide" makes me think the Captain was drunk and they're hiding something.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] -1 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Do you think that bad fuel could not cause an aircraft to crash?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago

    It's not whether the explanation is at all possible, but whether it is the most reasonable or most likely explanation. "Maybe bad fuel" is not "we investigated and found it was likely bad fuel", it was just a guy spitballing, or repeating someone else's random thought.

    Trump is not known for making credible statements of any kind, let alone for being regularly correct in early appraisals of complex technical/mechanical situations.

    So, could it be "bad fuel?" Sure, why not, I don't know anything about military aviation troubleshooting. But is Trump posing the possibility a satisfying explanation? Not in the least.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

    US military, losing countless millions of gear fighting absolutely no one

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

    President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One en route to Tokyo on Monday, said the incidents could have been caused by “bad fuel.” He ruled out foul play and said there was “nothing to hide.”

    If that was the actual problem....

    trump has no idea how bad that is, and how insane it is to say it...

    It's probably an excuse he thought of in the moment and just a lie, but it's a really bad sign if true. Like, helicopters don't use jet fuel.

    Edit:

    Depending on type of helicopter engine, turbines apparently do use jet fuel

  • source
  • hideshow 9 child comments
  • [–] 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

    Uh, helicopters do run on jet fuel…

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago* (2 children)

    I was gonna say, they have a turbine as well as the rotor right? I don't know what makes jet fuel special, but helicopters surely would need it too

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    MH-60s have 3 engines. 2 for the main rotor and 1 (the APU; aux power unit) to provide air (I can't remember if it pushes air somehow or is geared to the engine turbines) to start the two main engines and provide initial electrical power. All three run on JP-5, which is jet fuel. (I was stationed in a helicopter squadron for a few years.)

    JP-5 is a kerosene based fuel, and not very special if I remember correctly.

    I don't know if it was the case here, but water in the fuel is a common issue and it should be tested for on a regular basis.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Yeah any decent sized helicopter is run off of jet turbines. They provide the power to rotate the rotor. Jet fuel burns hotter, is less prone to freezing, and is more energy dense than gasoline or most other types of petrol fuel.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    The fact that it was a jet and a helicopter makes me think bad fuel might actually be the reason. It is hard enough keeping water out of fuel on dry land, let alone at sea. Then again, with Trump you never know if it's something more insidious, like corners being cut on maintenance.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Triton demands its quarterly sacrifice! Planes for the plane throne!

  • source
  • 10 comments in c/politics@lemmy.world view that post
    [–] 35 points 1 year ago

    So not a carrier then, it's a loser.

  • source
  • [–] 34 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    He (Trump) ruled out foul play and said there was “nothing to hide.”

    Why is it when he says things like that it instantly feels suspicious?

  • source
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 14 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Before you stand two doors, one leads to safety and the other to certain death. Guarding them are two people. You may ask only one question, but beware! One always tells the truth, and the other is Trump.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 16 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I'm starting to feel that this is the Navy's way of upgrading their hardware.

    Just toss the old stuff into the ocean ... ask for new replacements.

    Easy peesy ... out with the old, in with the new.

  • source
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    I'm not gonna defend this, but the pilots who lose an aircraft get the whole incident investigated. They may not fly again if they suffered a back injury or made a mistake.

    Regardless, its drone time. Drones can be faster and more Agile, perhaps both at the same time. The problem has always been having a person inside the thing. Now, put the pilot down on the ground and replace him or her or them with an AI assisted remote control and you've got a new way to defeat the enemy.....housing costs. Something like that. What do I know.

  • source
  • parent
  • [–] 9 points 1 year ago

    The Atlantian air force grows stronger by the day

  • source
  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    Save some for the Venezuelan fishermen.

  • source
  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    HLC gonna have a time with this one

  • source
  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Another day another military routine aircraft crash

  • source
  • 2 comments in c/usa@midwest.social view that post

    It's not sabotage, it's corruption or incompetence?

    Okay Donnie.

  • source
  • So, the fuel guy's salaries are getting diverted to ICE and tax breaks for Bezos?

  • source