Illustrative image. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Logistics Specialist Thomas Joyce)
The Defense Ministry of the United Arab Emirates announced that one of its helicopters crashed on May 9, amid the ongoing American-Israeli war on Iran.
“The UAE Ministry of Defence announces the martyrdom of two members of the Armed Forces following a helicopter crash due to a technical malfunction while performing their national duty in the country today,” the ministry said in a statement carried by the official Emirates News Agency.
The UAE has taken the brunt of Iranian retaliatory attacks since the start of the war, getting targeted with missiles and drones on a daily basis.
Just before the helicopter crash was announced, Emirate air defenses detected 15 missiles, of which 12 were destroyed, while three missiles fell into the sea, according to the ministry of defense, which said that a total of 18 drones were also detected, with 17 intercepted, while one fell within the country’s territory.
A day earlier, the ministry released video footage showing what appears to be Iranian Shahed-136 suicide drones getting shot down by the American-made AH-64 Apache attack helicopters of the UAE Air Force.
The air force operates around 30 Apaches, all reportedly upgraded to the AH-64D Longbow standard. The helicopters belong to the Group 10 (Assault) based at Al Dhafra Air Base, which also hosts forces from the United States.
Al Dhafra, located close to the Emirate capital of Abu Dhabi, was targeted more than once by Iran since the start of the war more than a week ago. Satellite images confirmed that the air base took some serious damage, with several hangars wiped out.
The Apache is operated by two, a pilot and a gunner. Based on this the helicopter that crashed killed two was most likely an AH-64D.
While the helicopter was possibly hit while taking off or landing at Al Dhafra, it is more likely that it was struck by an Iranian drone while attempting to intercept it. Such incidents happened multiple times in Ukraine, where Kiev forces lost helicopters while intercepting Russian drones.
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