Illustrative image. (U.S. Central Command)
An AH-64 Apache attack helicopter of the United States military went down near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8, the Central Command (CENTCOM) announced.
The incident was first reported by The New York Times, which didn’t provide much details in its report. Asked about the incident later, U.S. President Donald Trump said that “the pilots are fine.”
In its statement, issued on June 9, CENTCOM said that the helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while “patrolling regional waters.” It also confirmed that the pilots were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The commanded added that the cause of the incident is under investigation, without elaborating.
Apaches are primarily used for precision strikes, close air support, and air reconnaissance. A fully loaded “flyaway” helicopter of this type could cost well over $50 million.
The incident came following serious escalation over the weekend, with Iran and Israel exchanging their first direct strikes since the start of the ceasefire.
Apaches have previously been used to attack Iranian small boats, as well as to intercept drones launched from the Islamic Republic. In fact, just a day earlier, CENTCOM reported that its forces intercepted two one-way attack drones which “threatened international maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Early on in the war on Iran, specifically on May 9, a helicopter of the United Arab Emirates Air Force, believed to be also an Apache, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, killing both of its crew members. It was reported at the time that a failed attempt to intercept an Iranian drone caused the deadly crash.
It is very possible that the American Apache was also on a mission to hunt down drones launched from Iran when it crashed.
The U.S. military has lost over 60 aircraft –– including at least six fighter jets, nine refueling aircraft, two airborne early warning and control aircraft, 11 helicopters and more than two dozen combat drones –– since the war on Iran began, according to Wikipedia’s list of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Iran war, which only counts losses based on visual evidence or official self-admission.
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dearie dearie me. another forever war for the amerikunts. with the houthis joining in the fun. trump’s “little excursion” in iran for his joo masters is getting a bit pricey.