Iran shoots down US AH-64 Apache helicopter over Strait of Hormuz
Iran has shot down a US AH-64 Apache helicopter, triggering a large wave of US air strikes on Iran and counterstrikes from Iran. This is a developing story.
Iran shoots down US AH-64 Apache
Yesterday, it was reported that an American AH-64 Apache helicopter had crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. Soon after, it was reported that the crew had been safely rescued.
Trump says that Iranian forces shot down the Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter that went down over Hormuz yesterday.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 9, 2026
He says that the US "must, of necessity, respond to this attack" pic.twitter.com/divKHkhgZm
Later, Trump took to Truth Social, posting, “I have just been informed by our Great Military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache Helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz.”
He stated that both pilots have been rescued and were uninjured and that the US “must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”
Trump did not elaborate on how it was shot down, but unconfirmed reports online suggested it may have been an Iranian drone.
In the US military, Apaches are operated by the US Army. They are also operated by Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
UAE Apache attack helicopters intercepting and destroying incoming Iranian kamikaze drones. pic.twitter.com/ZZ6reGFYrp
— Mintel World (@mintelworld) March 8, 2026
During Operation Epic Fury, Gulf Apache helicopters were tasked with gunning down incoming Iranian Shahed-type drones (see footage of UAE Apaches above).
It’s unclear if this downed US Apache had been similarly dispatched to shoot down Iranian Shaheds.
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Tale of the two drones
The Faytuks Network posted, “A senior U.S. official has told Israel’s Channel 12 that an investigation has determined that an Iranian drone hit the helicopter, causing it to crash. The investigation has yet to determine if the hit was intentional or not.”
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian…
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026
Later, the Faytuks Network added, “A U.S. official tells Al Arabiya that indications point to the targeting of the helicopter by Iran as intentional.”
Meanwhile, the Associated Press cited US officials and reported the Apache “went down after colliding with an Iranian drone.” CNN reported it was brought down by a Shahed drone.
It should be noted that Ukrainian drones have brought down Russian helicopters by “colliding” with them. Although those FPV drones are better understood as guided missiles of sorts.
Meanwhile, the Iranian drone was not the only drone in the story. CENTCOM stated the two pilots were rescued by a Saronic Corsair uncrewed surface vessel (USV).
A Saronic Corsair unmanned surface vessel rescued the Army AH-64 Apache crew after they crashed near the Strait of Hormuz in the waters of Oman yesterday, the first-ever rescue of downed aircrew by a drone boat -WSJ pic.twitter.com/6ZYUq639YJ
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) June 9, 2026
The War Zone reported, “This is the first known instance of a drone boat being used to recover personnel as part of a search and rescue mission, and has major implications for these operations going forward.”
Again in Ukraine, Uncrewed Ground Vehicles (UGVs) are becoming one of the main modes of MEDEVAC.
Wave of US strikes across Iran
What followed the Apache shoot-down were waves of air strikes on Iran. The US is known to have struck targets in Iran’s Jask, Sirik, and Qeshm regions.
مزيد من المشاهد للصواريخ الإيرانية https://t.co/qZqr5l6Tbr pic.twitter.com/XkIye2lKkK
— رؤى لدراسات الحرب (@RoaaWarStudies) June 10, 2026
After waves of strikes, the US CENTCOM announced it had completed the strikes against Iranian air defence, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites.
Iran is retaliating against assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, and perhaps other countries. Iran’s IRGC said it targeted the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and an American airbase in Jordan.
The escalation comes a couple of days after Iran launched a wave of strikes on Israel, triggering a large retaliatory strike by Israel that hit assets at Iranian airports, among other targets. During that bout, Trump pressured Israel to stop the strikes.
Officially, the US considers the “ceasefire” to be holding, although it is a very hot ceasefire. Last week, Trump said the ceasefire means they are shooting at each other in a “more moderate manner.”
Featured Image: US military
