Local news reports that a search-and-rescue helicopter has been dispatched to the area from nearby Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. Fly Navy, the official Twitter feed for US naval forces, confirmed the operation was underway.
In February, two Super Hornets collided in midair over Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, south of Death Valley. Both aircraft landed safely, but the incident still caused millions of dollars in damages to the fighter jets.
In a far deadlier incident last December, an F/A-18 collided with a KC-130 tanker over Japan, killing six US Marines.
The F/A-18 Hornet has become a mainstay of US naval aviation since its introduction in 1984 and is operated by many US partners around the world, as well as the US Navy's Blue Angels flight demonstration team. It's capable of speeds approaching Mach 2.
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