US 'Deeply Concerned' After Chinese Jets Sink Navy Aircraft Carrier
THE PENTAGON — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Sunday he was "deeply concerned" after Chinese fighter jets sunk a U.S. Navy carrier in international waters earlier this week.
The USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, began sending warning signals on Thursday after two Chinese Su-27 fighters began a series of screaming low altitude passes mere feet above the flight deck, sending sailors and airmen diving for cover.
The jets pulled numerous, highly dangerous maneuvers around the ship for approximately 20 minutes, before sending a volley of six Kh-31A anti-ship missiles into the carrier superstructure. Hagel said the death toll from the sinking stands at approximately 5,247 sailors dead, with 143 still unaccounted for.
"This is a real tragedy, that, we hope does not damage our relations with the Chinese," Hagel said.
Two senior defense officials told Duffel Blog the ship’s Phalanx 20mm anti-missile gun systems, which would have normally preven…
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