U.S. Central Command says two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter are rescued after the aircraft crashes in waters near the Strait of Hormuz, close to Oman. Multiple outlets report the incident occurred late Monday and that the helicopter went down around 3 a.m. local time on Tuesday during patrol operations in regional waters.
The U.S. military says an uncrewed Navy surface vessel—described as a sea drone—locates the downed crew and assists in bringing them aboard for recovery. The Hill and CBS News report that the rescue is carried out by a specific Navy drone vessel, with CBS noting the cause of the helicopter crash is under investigation. Bloomberg and Reuters cite Central Command as stating the operation is the first time an unmanned vehicle is used in a rescue of this type.
Reuters further reports President Donald Trump says the pilots are “fine.” Authorities continue to investigate the crash’s cause, while officials describe the rescue as a first for the U.S. Navy.
