Friday, June 12th 2026 - 19:19 UTC
US Apaches fly over the Strait of Hormuz (Picture: Centcom)
A US Army Apache crew has been rescued by a Navy sea drone after Iran downed their helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. The two soldiers were picked up from the water by an un-crewed surface vessel operated by Task Force 59, the US Navy's Bahrain-based unit for un-crewed systems and artificial intelligence.
The rescue is believed to be the first known US use of an un-crewed military vessel to recover personnel at sea. In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump said Iran had shot down the AH-64 Apache and that both crew members were safe and uninjured.
US Central Command later said American forces had carried out strikes against Iran in response to the downing of the helicopter.
