Two crew members of an Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter were safely rescued after the aircraft crashed at sea on Monday near the coast of Oman.
The incident occurred at 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, when the Apache went down near the coast of Oman, according to U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM. Both crew members were rescued within about two hours and are currently listed in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
No information was immediately available about what may have caused the crash. CENTCOM’s statement on Tuesday about the incident did not mention whether the Apache had come under fire. The helicopter was patrolling regional waters at the time of the incident, the statement says.
Top Stories This Week
Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of CENTCOM, told reporters last month that Apaches and Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters had destroyed six Iranian small boats that had threatened commercial shipping.
Apaches also struck Iranian-backed militia groups in Iraq during U.S. military operations against Iran, Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in March.
More than 40 U.S. aircraft have been lost or damaged since the war against Iran began in February, ranging from fixed-wing fighters and refueling tankers to drones, according to a mid-May Congressional Research Service report. That includes the loss of four F-15E Strike Eagle Fighters between March and April, and the shoot-down of an A-10 Thunderbolt II.
In terms of damages suffered, the list includes seven Stratokanker refueling aircraft, an F-35A Lightning II fighter aircraft, an E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft, and a host of others, including 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones.
