US Navy MH-60R helicopter missing over Red Sea after distress signal
Version 2: A third outlet, RBC, identified the aircraft as an MH-60R Seahawk and placed the distress signal and loss of tracking over the Red Sea, adding type and location detail that earlier reports lacked.
In short
A US Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter sent a distress signal over the Red Sea and then disappeared from flight-tracking systems, RBC reported. Earlier, RIA Novosti said a US Navy helicopter vanished from radar off the coast of Saudi Arabia, and TASS, citing BNO News, said it may have crashed in the Middle East. No cause, crew details or confirmation from US or Saudi authorities has been reported.
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RIA Novosti reported at 01:33 local time that a US Navy helicopter had disappeared from radar off the coast of Saudi Arabia. The report gave no further details about the aircraft or those on board. [ 1 ]
About an hour later, TASS, citing BNO News, reported that the helicopter may have crashed in the Middle East and that a distress signal was sent before the aircraft vanished from tracking radars. TASS's headline referred to a helicopter while its summary said a “vessel” sent the distress signal, a discrepancy the report did not explain. [ 2 ]
RBC reported at 04:46 that the aircraft was an MH-60R Seahawk which sent a distress signal over the Red Sea and then disappeared from flight-tracking systems. [ 3 ]
The three accounts differ on the area: RIA Novosti placed the disappearance off the Saudi coast, TASS referred more broadly to the Middle East and RBC placed it over the Red Sea. None of the reports gave a specific time for the incident, the status of the crew, or confirmation from US or Saudi authorities. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The reports describe the loss of contact with a US Navy aircraft in a region covered closely by Russian state media, but no US or Saudi authority has confirmed the account. Without confirmation of the cause or the crew's status, the practical significance of the incident remains unclear.
Key facts
- A US Navy helicopter disappeared from radar, RIA Novosti reported, saying it happened off the coast of Saudi Arabia. [ 1 ]
- TASS, citing BNO News, reported the helicopter may have crashed in the Middle East and said a distress signal was sent before it vanished from tracking radars. [ 2 ]
- RBC identified the aircraft as an MH-60R Seahawk and said it sent a distress signal over the Red Sea before disappearing from flight-tracking systems. [ 3 ]
- TASS and RBC both report a distress signal was sent before contact was lost; RIA Novosti does not mention one. [ 2 , 3 ]
- The reports differ on the area: the Saudi coast (RIA Novosti), the Red Sea (RBC) and the Middle East generally (TASS). [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- No report gave a specific time for the incident, the status of the crew, or confirmation from US or Saudi authorities. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- Whether the helicopter crashed. TASS cites BNO News saying it “could have crashed”; RBC does not report a crash, and there is no confirmation from US or Saudi authorities.
- The exact location of the incident. RIA Novosti says off the coast of Saudi Arabia, TASS says the Middle East and RBC says over the Red Sea; no specific site is given.
- Whether the aircraft that sent the distress signal was a helicopter or a vessel. TASS's headline refers to a helicopter while its summary says a “vessel” sent the distress signal; RBC describes a helicopter, and the documents do not resolve the discrepancy.
- The time of the incident and the status of the crew. None of the three reports states when contact was lost or gives any information about those on board.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- RIA Novosti reports that a US Navy helicopter disappeared from radar off the coast of Saudi Arabia. [ 1 ]
- TASS, citing BNO News, reports the helicopter may have crashed in the Middle East and that a distress signal was sent before it disappeared from tracking radars. [ 2 ]
- RBC reports that an MH-60R Seahawk sent a distress signal over the Red Sea and then disappeared from flight-tracking systems. [ 3 ]