A United States Army Apache helicopter gunship went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, and its two crew members were safely rescued, US President Donald Trump confirmed on Tuesday.
Trump added that the US will release an incident report later on Tuesday.
It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure, or encountered some other problem. The New York Times reported earlier on Tuesday, citing two people briefed on the incident.
According to the NYT, Apache helicopters, as well as fighter jets and drones, have been used by CENTCOM as part of US efforts to break Iran’s blockade on the Hormuz.
The report added that this is the first instance of a downed Apache since hostilities between the US and Iran began in February, with the Islamic Republic claiming to have shot down 30 MQ-9 Reaper drones in the same time frame.
The Apaches are generally used for patrol purposes, but have been pushing deeper into Iran in an effort to project a more aggressive posture by CENTCOM, the NYT noted.
CENTCOM announced on Sunday that they had shot down two Iranian drones threatening international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz over the weekend, adding that the US military remains “postured and ready to continue defending against Iranian aggression.”
In April, Iran managed to shoot down a US Air Force F-15 Eagle, resulting in an intense manhunt for the pilot and navigator of the aircraft, both of whom were rescued.
In addition, three US F-15s were shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses in March in a friendly-fire incident, with all six crewmembers safely ejecting.
Shoshana Baker, Miriam Sela-Eitam, and Corinne Baum contributed to this report.
