U.S. investigating Apache crash near Strait of Hormuz after military's first sea drone rescue

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June 9, 2026 / 8:03 AM EDT

/ CBS News

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The U.S. military's Central Command said Tuesday that it was investigating an incident the previous day near the Strait of Hormuz that resulted in an Apache helicopter crashing into the sea. Military officials told CBS News the two crew members were rescued by a sea drone in the first such operation ever carried out by the U.S. military.The two U.S. Army soldiers on the Apache had been patrolling waters off the coast of Oman when the crash happened. CENTCOM said they were "rescued by American forces," but the command did not elaborate on the operation or immediately confirm that it was carried out using an unmanned vehicle. It said they were rescued at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday, "within approximately two hours" of their AH-64 Apache going down. They were both in stable condition, CENTCOM said in its Tuesday statement on X, adding that "the cause of the incident is under investigation."