A United States Army Apache helicopter gunship went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday and its two crew members were safely rescued, The New York
Times reported on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure or encountered some other problem, the report added. As of now, neither the White House nor the US military’s CENTCOM commented on the report. The incident occurred after days hostilities in the region intensified following Israel and Iran exchange of military strikes despite the ceasefire announcement. The US military has used Apaches, as well as armed MQ-9 Reaper drones and F/A-18 and F-35 attack planes, as part of an aggressive effort by Central Command to challenge Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most commercial traffic. Iran has shot down about 30 unmanned Reaper drones, and a handful of US fighter jets have been lost to hostile and friendly fire since the war started on February 28. But this would be the first Apache lost in the conflict. Last month, Central Command posted imagery on social media of Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the command, flying over waters in or near the strait on the eve of an effort by the U.S. Navy to help guide commercial ships through the strait, a short-lived operation called Project Freedom. The AH-64 Apache gunship, which is armed with Hellfire missiles, is one of the most fearsome types of aircraft operating in the region. They patrol the strategic waterway in part to deter small-boat attacks and to shoot down drones.
