Sea drone rescues US army helicopter crew near Strait of Hormuz

Two crew members of a US army helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday were rescued by an American sea drone, US officials have told CBS News, the BBC’s media partner.

It was the first such operation carried out by US forces, the officials added.

US Central Command (Centcom) earlier said the two “soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition” after their AH-64 Apache helicopter went down “near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters”.

It was not immediately clear whether the aircraft had developed a mechanical or any other technical problem, or had been downed by Iranian fire. The incident is being investigated.

In its statement on Tuesday, Centcom said the two crew members had been rescued at 19:33 EDT (23:33 GMT) on Monday.

“Rescue efforts were led by US Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from US Air Force and Navy units including US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59,” the statement added.

The military officials who spoke to CBS News said the pair had been rescued by an uncrewed surface drone that was operated by Task Force 59.

In 2024, Task Force 59 launched a new unit focusing on “the operational deployment of unmanned systems teamed with manned operators to bolster maritime security across the Middle East region”.

It was not immediately clear what type of drone was used in the rescue operation, but a US official told ABC News that it had a speed boat-like design.

The BBC has approached Centcom for comment.

US President Donald Trump earlier told reporters the two crew members were “fine”, and that a report into the incident would be issued later.