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

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.”

Military officials told CBS News the pair were rescued by an unmanned surface drone operated by a special department called Task Force 59, based with the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. It was the first time a drone has been used for a water rescue, the officials said.

A Task Force 59 document from July 2023 shows multiple naval drones. CBS News has not been able to confirm which system was used in Monday’s rescue.

“The pilots are fine,” President Trump said about the crash on Monday night, after attending Game Three of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden. “Nobody injured.”

Iranian state media reported the crash, but merely repeated foreign outlets’ reporting without adding any details.

The New York Times was first to report that a U.S. helicopter had gone down near the Strait of Hormuz.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran seemed to be holding Tuesday after a dramatic escalation Sunday into Monday, with the two countries trading strikes.

Israel has continued its parallel war against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, however, with new airstrikes on the southern city of Tyre seen Tuesday and a sweeping new order for residents to evacuate the surrounding areas.

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.

Joanne Stocker contributed to this report.