The crash occurred at about 12:00 pm (1900 GMT) "in a field near Naval Air Station Lemoore" in California's rural central valley, a Navy official told AFP privately.

There was no immediate information available about the victims, the Times said. There were no injuries immediately reported on the ground, it added.

The air base is home to the Strike Fighter Wing Pacific, the US Navy's fighter fleet on the West Coast, with more than 170 F/A-18 Hornets.

The US military relies on the Hornets stationed on aircraft carriers in the Arabian Sea to help carry out bombing raids against Taliban militants in the war in Afghanistan.

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