US military performs first drone boat rescue of downed helicopter crew
▼ Summary
– A drone boat rescued two US Army Apache helicopter pilots from waters near the Strait of Hormuz after their aircraft went down off the coast of Oman on June 8.
– The US military confirmed this was the first known use of a drone for a sea rescue mission.
– The uncrewed surface drone was operated by the US Navy’s Task Force 59, which focuses on integrating autonomous systems into maritime operations.
– The drone, described as having a speed boat-like design, picked up the pilots and brought them safely to land.
– The cause of the Apache crash remains unclear, with possibilities including mechanical failure, enemy fire, or other problems.
A drone boat successfully retrieved two U.S. Army pilots from the water near the Strait of Hormuz after their attack helicopter crashed, U.S. military officials confirmed in interviews with multiple broadcast news outlets. This mission appears to mark the first time the U.S. military has employed an uncrewed vessel for a maritime rescue operation.
The two crew members aboard the AH-64 Apache were “rescued by American forces” at 7:33 p.m. Eastern Time on June 8, following the helicopter’s crash off the coast of Oman, according to a statement from U. S. Central Command. That release noted support from Navy units, including the 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59, a group dedicated to integrating uncrewed aerial, surface, and underwater systems, along with artificial intelligence, into fleet operations.
Anonymous U. S. military sources told CBS News that an uncrewed surface vessel operated by Task Force 59, based in Bahrain, carried out the rescue. These officials described the event as the first instance in which the military used a drone to extract people from the sea.
An unnamed official speaking to ABC News characterized the drone as having a “speed boat-like design,” which picked up the helicopter pilots and returned them safely to shore.
The New York Times first reported the Apache’s crash and the June 8 rescue, but it cited an anonymous source “briefed on the incident” who said it remained unclear whether the helicopter was shot down by Iranian fire, suffered a mechanical failure, or encountered another issue.
(Source: Ars Technica)