U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed late at night at JFK International Airport that two US pilots stranded after an Apache helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz have been rescued by a sea drone. The downed Boeing AH-64 Apache was patrolling near Oman’s coast and the strategic chokehold of the Strait of Hormuz.
The pilots are reported to be in stable condition after they were rescued within two hours by the Navy’s Task Force 59, using an unmanned surface area drone, making it the first rescue operation of its kind by the U.S.
US Apache pilots perform dramatic drone rescue helicopter crash
The U.S. military has reportedly lost 18 crewed aircraft and helicopters in the ongoing war with Iran and tensions around the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A Congressional Research Service report has pegged 42 US aircraft lost or damaged in the ongoing war.
Trump previously appeared optimistic about the chances of an agreement with Iran that could be made in “two or three days”. He also added, “We’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal. If we go and bomb – which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing – they’ll have nothing left whatsoever. But you won’t have the strait open for months.”
The cause of the crash remains unclear. The Apache helicopter was brought down in the midst of a firing exchange between Iran and Israel. The Iranian state television has reported that the Israeli attacks have killed at least two members of the country’s air-defence teams.
As things cool down on Operation Epic Fury, the region is locked in an uneasy stalemate. While the intense combat has paused under a shaky ceasefire, real peace is nowhere in sight.
HAVE YOU BEEN FOLLOWING THE WAR UPDATES?
