U.S. sea drone rescues two crew members from crashed Apache helicopter near Strait of Hormuz
Two soldiers from a downed U.S. Army Apache helicopter were retrieved by an unmanned surface vessel operated by Task Force 59, marking the first such rescue by U.S. forces.
Two crew members of a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopter that went down near the Omani coast in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday were rescued by an unmanned surface drone, U.S. officials told CBS News. The rescue, carried out at about 19:33 EDT, was led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with assistance from Air Force and Navy units, including the U.S. 5th Fleet's Task Force 59. > "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 read. The two soldiers were reported to be in stable condition after being retrieved. The incident, which is still under investigation, has not been definitively linked to mechanical failure or hostile action. Task Force 59, which in 2024 created a unit dedicated to deploying unmanned systems alongside manned operators for maritime security, operated the drone. While the exact model was not disclosed, a U.S. official described it as having a speed-boat-like design.