A rescue operation has reportedly been launched after a military jet seemingly crashed in San Diego Bay, marking the in the US this year.

The military jet, believed to be a F/A-18 Hornet, on Wednesday morning.

The aircraft is one of the most powerful in the US's military arsenal and can be worth up to $100 million (£80m).

The cause of the incident is not yet clear, but the two pilots onboard were reportedly able to eject from the aircraft over the city.

Marine Traffic, a web platform monitoring naval traffic around the world, showed a vessel assisting in rescue and recovery operation off the coast of the bay.

Two pilots were rescued by the US Coast Guard and taken to San Diego Hospital where they remain in a stable condition, San Diego Fire and Rescue said.

The jet crashed into the bay at around 10.15am local time, the fire department added, with emergency crews including 60 workers, two boats, five fire engines and a helicopter rushed to the scene.

Emergency responders from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department were reportedly first on the scene but were called off by federal services including the US Navy and Coast Guard, who pulled the pilots from the water, reported.

The plane is thought to have crashed near the bay's Kona Kai San Diego Resort on Shelter Island Drive, an area that is also home to several restaurants, hotels and boat hire companies.

It's the latest in a string of aviation disasters in the US, after a killed 67 people near Washington DC on January 29.

Just days later, a medical jet carrying six people erupted in flames after crashing in a residential part of Pennsylvania, killing all on board and one non-passenger.

A plane carrying 10 people also dropped off radars in Alaska last week, killing all onboard, and a private plane owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil veered off the runway at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona on Monday, killing the pilot and injuring three passengers.