By The Daily Caller (World News) | Created at 2026-06-10 14:25:46 | Updated at 2026-06-11 23:44:56
1 day ago
The U.S. deployed a surface drone on a rescue mission for the first time on record Monday after an Army Apache helicopter was downed by a drone near the Strait of Hormuz, according to multiple reports.
The AH-64 Apache helicopter’s two crew members were rescued at 7:33 p.m. ET Monday, about two hours after their aircraft was downed while patrolling regional waters, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday. Two U.S. officials said preliminary reports suggested an Iranian drone struck the helicopter, according to CBS News. A U.S. official also told NBC News that a drone struck the Apache and triggered the crash.
CENTCOM neither confirmed the cause of the crash nor commented on the nature of the rescue mission in its Tuesday statement. It later described the downing as “unjustified Iranian aggression” and said the U.S. responded with “self-defense strikes against Iran” at 5 p.m. ET Tuesday.
President Donald Trump said Tuesday that U.S. military authorities informed him that the Apache crashed because the Iranians shot it down, and he pledged a response. (RELATED: US Attacks Iran After Trump Vowed Response To Downed Helicopter)
“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured,” he wrote. CENTCOM said the two pilots were “in stable condition.”
“The surface drone that assisted in last night’s rescue of the Apache crew off the coast of Oman was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59,” U.S. Central Command spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins told DefenseScoop.
The Corsair is an autonomous surface vessel that can carry a maximum of 1,000 lbs over 1,000 nautical miles at speeds greater than 35 knots, according to its manufacturer, the Texas-based defense technology company Saronic.
The deployment of the Corsair marked the first time that the U.S. forces would use a surface maritime drone, Reuters reported.
“Corsair stands ready to deliver multi-mission capabilities rapidly and at scale around the world,” according to Saronic.
Cameron Chell, CEO of defense technology firm Draganfly, told Fox News Digital that even though Iran has acquired new capabilities, Iran likely used a missile rather than a drone to attack the Apache helicopter.
“Apache helicopters are very often used in counter-drone operations, so maybe it got hit by a drone and was interacting with one — though I highly doubt it — or it may have been involved in a counter-drone operation and had some mechanical problems, and therefore went down separate from getting hit,” Chell added.
Drones have become a key part of modern warfare. Video after video reportedly show Ukrainian drones downing Russian helicopters.
