US Central Command Denies Reports of Helicopter Crash in Red Sea

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, US Central Command (CENTCOM) issued a statement on Tuesday asserting that reports concerning the downing of one of its military helicopters over the Red Sea are incorrect. CENTCOM claimed that the MH-60R helicopter neither crashed nor was it targeted or shot down.

This assertion contrasts with data from flight tracking systems which previously indicated an emergency status had been registered in the Red Sea waters. These systems had emphasized that a U.S. Navy helicopter transmitted a distress signal before disappearing from radar near the coast of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

Real-time tracking data provided by Flightradar24 showed that an MH-60S multi-mission helicopter belonging to the U.S. Navy sent out code 7700, a universal aviation signal indicating a general emergency. This transmission occurred while the helicopter was flying over shipping lanes in the Red Sea, in proximity to the city of Yanbu.

Flight path charts and aircraft transponder data indicated a sudden decrease in speed shortly after the emergency code was activated. Moments after the emergency message was logged and the speed dropped, the aircraft’s signals became inaccessible, and it vanished from public radar tracking services.