BBC:
Two crew members of a US army helicopter that crashed near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday were rescued by an American sea drone, US officials have confirmed.
It was the first time the US military publicly confirmed that type of vessel was used in such an operation.
US Central Command (Centcom) said the two “soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition” after their AH-64 Apache helicopter went down “near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters”.
US President Donald Trump accused Iran of shooting down the aircraft while it was patrolling the Strait of Hormuz and in response, ordered retaliatory strikes in the country.
The crew members wererescued by an uncrewed surface drone – a US Navy Corsair – that was operated by Task Force 59, said US Navy Captain Tim Hawkins.
The task force is a Bahrain-based unit that the US military launched in recent years to focus on “the operational deployment of unmanned systems teamed with manned operators to bolster maritime security across the Middle East region”.
The 24-foot drone has a speed-boat style design, according to its manufacturer Saronic Technologies. It is capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds (453.5kg) over 1,000 nautical miles with a top speed of 35 knots.
In December 2025, the US Navy awarded the Texas-based defence technology firm a $392 million (£293.3m) production contract for its Corsair autonomous maritime vessels.
Hawkins said that Task Force 59 began fielding these drones in the Middle East in late March.
He told the Associated Press that the unmanned vessel located the two soldiers after they spent about two hours in the water.
In its statement on Tuesday, Centcom said the two crew members had been rescued at 19:33 EDT (23:33 GMT) on Monday.
“Rescue efforts were led by US Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from US Air Force and Navy units including US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59,” the statement added.
