A drone boat successfully retrieved two US Army pilots from waters near the Strait of Hormuz after their helicopter gunship went down, according to US military officials. This incident marks the first recorded use of a drone for a rescue mission at sea by the US military.
The two crew members from the US Army AH-64 Apache were rescued at 7:33 PM US Eastern Time after their helicopter crashed off the coast of Oman on June 8. A press release from US Central Command confirmed the rescue and noted the involvement of US Navy units, including the US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59, which focuses on integrating uncrewed vehicles and AI into maritime operations.
Anonymous US military officials informed CBS News that the Apache air crew was rescued by an uncrewed surface drone operated by Task Force 59 from the US Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain. This incident is described as the first instance of the military using a drone to conduct a rescue from the water.
