Key takeaways:
- Two U.S. Army soldiers were rescued within about two hours after their AH-64 Apache crashed near the coast of Oman on Monday.
- U.S. officials told CBS News and the BBC the rescue was carried out by an uncrewed surface drone operated by Task Force 59, the first such U.S. military water rescue.
- CENTCOM said the soldiers were in stable condition and the cause of the incident is under investigation.
An American sea drone rescued two U.S. Army soldiers after their Apache helicopter crashed into the sea near the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. officials told CBS News and the BBC, marking the first known water rescue of its kind by U.S. forces.
U.S. Central Command said Tuesday that the AH-64 Apache went down Monday near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters. The two crew members were rescued at about 7:33 p.m. EDT, within approximately two hours of the crash, and were in stable condition, CENTCOM said in a statement.
“The cause of the incident is under investigation,” the command said.
CENTCOM initially said the soldiers were “rescued by American forces,” without specifying that an unmanned system was used. Military officials later told CBS News that the rescue was carried out by an uncrewed surface drone operated by Task Force 59, a unit based with the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. The BBC, CBS News’ media partner, also reported the officials’ account.
CENTCOM said rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units, including the Fifth Fleet’s Task Force 59.
The exact type of drone used in the operation was not immediately clear. CBS News reported it had not confirmed which system was involved, though a Task Force 59 document from July 2023 showed multiple naval drones. The BBC reported that a U.S. official told ABC News the drone had a speedboat-like design.
Task Force 59 has focused on unmanned maritime systems in the Middle East. The BBC reported that in 2024 the task force launched a unit dedicated to “the operational deployment of unmanned systems teamed with manned operators to bolster maritime security across the Middle East region.”
It was not immediately clear whether the helicopter suffered a mechanical or technical problem or was brought down by Iranian fire, the BBC reported. CENTCOM said the incident remains under investigation.
President Donald Trump told reporters Monday night that the crew members were safe. “The pilots are fine,” he said after attending Game Three of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. “Nobody injured.” The BBC reported that Trump also said a report into the incident would be issued later.
Iranian state media reported the crash but repeated foreign media accounts without adding details, CBS News reported. The New York Times was first to report that a U.S. helicopter had gone down near the Strait of Hormuz.
The incident came as tensions remained high in the region. CBS News reported that a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran appeared to be holding Tuesday after a sharp escalation Sunday into Monday, when the two countries traded strikes.
Israel has continued separate operations against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, with new airstrikes seen Tuesday on the southern city of Tyre and a broad evacuation order issued for surrounding areas, according to CBS News. Iran warned Monday that any new Israeli attacks in Lebanon would be met with a “severe” response. Hezbollah has continued launching rockets at northern Israel.
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