The AH-64 Apache that crashed Tuesday while protecting ships in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian drones and missiles, a senior U.S. official said. Both pilots escaped the burning aircraft seconds before it sank.
A senior U.S. official has confirmed that the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter that crashed in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday was actively engaged in protecting allied shipping from Iranian drone and missile threats at the time of the incident. The two pilots ejected from the burning aircraft after it struck the water, escaping seconds before it sank.
This development follows an earlier chain of events in the same strategic waterway. On June 9, a U.S. Apache was downed in the Strait of Hormuz — an event that CENTCOM described as an intentional shootdown by Iran, as The Zioneer reported that day. The same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi first appeared to claim responsibility (version 1), then called the downing an accident while threatening 'other languages' (version 2), and later implied foreign forces were at risk of crossfire (version 3). A separate U.S. official told Al-Arabiya on June 9 that the shootdown was deliberate. President Trump subsequently authorized strikes on Iranian air defense and radar systems near the Strait, and the IRGC threatened retaliation.
This most recent crash — now confirmed to have occurred during an active escort and air-defense mission — appears to be a separate incident from the June 9 shootdown, though it took place in the same high-tension theater. The U.S. official's confirmation aligns with the broader context of U.S. forces operating under threat from Iranian drones and missiles in the waterway, as The Zioneer has previously reported.
The pilots' escape has been confirmed, but their condition was not detailed in the report. The official did not identify the exact cause of the crash or state whether enemy fire was involved.
5 developments
- DevelopingIRGC-adjacent source claims downing of US MQ-9 Reaper drone in Strait of Hormuz
- StrongUS Navy autonomous vessel rescued Apache crew in what reports describe as a first operational mission
- DevelopingIran denies involvement in attack on US Apache helicopter over Strait of Hormuz
- DevelopingTrump: Helicopter crash pilots in Hormuz ‘okay,’ US to publish report today
Source and signal
- Internal intake