Navy | Pakistan

Two US Navy aircraft crashed into the South China Sea in separate incidents on Sunday, officials said, with no fatalities reported. The first crash involved an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter, which “went down in the waters of the South China Sea while conducting routine operations from the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz,” according to a statement from the US Navy’s Pacific Fleet. All three crew members aboard the helicopter were recovered by search and rescue teams, the statement said. A half-hour later, according to the Navy, a Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jet crashed into the South China Sea, also “while conducting routine operations” from the USS Nimitz. The Navy’s statement said both crew members aboard ejected themselves from the vessel and were safely recovered. “All personnel involved are safe and in stable condition,” the US Navy said. “The cause of both incidents is currently under investigation.” The crashes come as US President Donald Trump is in the region, on his first visit to Asia of his second...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday paid rich tribute to the Pakistan Navy on the occasion of Navy Day (September 8), calling Operation Dwarka during the 1965 war a shining chapter of naval history.

Ukrainian drones targeted St Petersburg on Sunday, Russian authorities said, forcing the airport to close for five hours as Russian President Vladimir Putin marked the country’s Navy Day in the city, despite the earlier cancellation of its naval parade due to security concerns. St Petersburg usually holds a large-scale, televised navy parade on Navy Day, which features a flotilla of warships and military vessels sailing down the Neva River and is attended by Putin. Last year, Russia suspected a Ukrainian plan to attack the city’s parade, according to state television. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Sunday that this year’s parade had been cancelled for security reasons, following first reports of its cancellation in early July. Putin arrived at the city’s historic naval headquarters on Sunday by a patrol speed boat, from where he followed drills involving more than 150 vessels and 15,000 military personnel in the Pacific and Arctic Oceans and Baltic and Caspian Seas. “Today we are marking this ho...

• PM praises Navy for ensuring maritime sovereignty • Reiterates Pakistan will give strong response to India if truce violated; lauds Trump for taking up Kashmir dispute ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday visited Karachi to pay tribute to the Pakistan Navy, which successfully safeguarded the sea lines of communication and ensured absolute maritime sovereignty through a layered seaward defence. During the visit to Pakistan Naval Dockyard, the PM was briefed by officials on the Pakistan Navy’s strategic orientation, operational undertakings, and contributions during the recent conflict. He praised the navy for its preparedness and said it would have given a robust response to India if the neighbouring country had tried to attack Pakistan using its fleet. In his address, the prime minister said India’s aircraft carrier Vikrant retreated after sensing the preparedness of the Pakistan Navy. “Indian Navy’s (aircraft carrier) Vikrant had reached close to Pakistan by 400 nautical miles, but after suff...