Two individuals were rescued after a U.S. military chopper went down near Oman's coast, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) noted in a post on X.
"At 7:33 p.m. ET on June 8, two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache were rescued by American forces after their helicopter went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters," CENTCOM's Tuesday morning post noted.
"The Soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation," the post continued. "Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59."
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CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed to Fox News that the U.S. crew members were rescued by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV). "This was an operational first for the U.S. military," he told Fox News.
The surface drone that assisted in last night's rescue was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet's Task Force 59, Hawkins told Fox News. The task force began fielding these drones in theatre in late March, he said.
A senior U.S. official informed Fox News, "Last night, an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) from Task Force 59, the U.S. Navy’s unmanned and artificial intelligence task force, was first on scene to rescue two aircrew after their Apache helicopter went down off the coast of Oman. The cause of the incident remains under investigation. Both aircrew climbed aboard the USV and were subsequently transferred to a regional medical facility for evaluation.
"To our knowledge, this marks a global first—the first time an unmanned surface vessel has directly participated in the rescue of downed aircrew. It is a powerful example of how unmanned systems and AI are delivering real operational advantages," the official continued.
"Established in 2021 by Admiral Cooper, Task Force 59 was designed to accelerate the integration of unmanned systems and AI into military operations. Last night’s rescue demonstrates how that vision has moved from concept to reality, with unmanned systems now playing a critical role in real-world missions, including helping save American lives," the official noted.
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"The pilots are fine," President Donald Trump said earlier on Tuesday before CENTCOM issued the statement about the incident, "nobody injured."
"We are gonna issue a report tomorrow," he said, reiterating that "the pilots are fine."
The U.S. is continuing to conduct a blockade against the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"U.S. forces disabled an unladen oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman, June 8, after the vessel violated the ongoing blockade against Iran by attempting to sail to an Iranian port," a June 8 CENTCOM press release stated.
"U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) disabled Palau-flagged M/T Marivex as it transited international waters in the Gulf of Oman toward Iran. An F/A-18 Super Hornet from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) fired a precision munition into the ship's engineering and steering spaces after the crew failed to comply with directions from U.S. forces. Marivex is no longer sailing to Iran," the release continued.
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"CENTCOM forces have disabled seven non-compliant vessels, redirected 134 ships that complied, and allowed 42 vessels supporting humanitarian aid to pass since initiating the blockade on April 13," CENTCOM added.
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