Two U.S. Army soldiers were rescued from waters near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday evening after their AH-64 Apache helicopter went down off the coast of Oman while on patrol, U.S. Central Command said Tuesday.
American forces pulled both soldiers from the water in about two hours. Both men were listed in stable condition, CENTCOM said in a statement.
What brought the helicopter down remains under investigation, CENTCOM said.
Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units, including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59, CENTCOM said.
“The pilots are fine. Nobody injured.” — President Donald Trump, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York
Addressing the incident at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday, President Donald Trump said “The pilots are fine. Nobody injured.” He did not comment on the cause.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Apache loss is the latest in a series of U.S. aircraft destroyed or damaged during the war with Iran. A Congressional Research Service report from May listed 42 fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft, including drones, reportedly lost or damaged since the conflict began in late February.
According to the Journal, four F-15E Strike Eagle fighters were lost during the conflict, three due to friendly fire over Kuwait. One was downed in Iran, prompting a separate crew rescue, the outlet said.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II also crashed during that extraction mission, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said.
Two KC-135 Stratotankers collided in Iraq in March, killing six crew members. Five additional KC-135s were struck and damaged while parked at a base in Saudi Arabia, the Journal previously reported.
The Pentagon’s acting comptroller told Congress in May that military operations in the conflict had cost nearly $29 billion.
A global media for the latest news, entertainment, music fashion, and more.
