A U.S. helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz was shot down by a suicide drone – CNN

The American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter that crashed on June 8 near the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an Iranian Shahed-type drone. 

Information about the attack was confirmed by senior U.S. officials and sources familiar with the events. According to them, the Iranian kamikaze drone effectively crashed into the helicopter, causing it to fall into the water. 

A unique feature of this incident was the rescue operation in the strait, during which both crew members managed to survive. To evacuate the American pilots, military command deployed the latest autonomous surface drone, the Corsair, for the first time in real combat conditions. The robotic boat, which the U.S. Navy had only recently adopted at the end of March, quickly located the pilots at sea, brought them on board, and transported them to a safe location in the water. From there, the servicemen were successfully picked up by an evacuation helicopter.

This incident marks the first officially confirmed loss of equipment of this class since the start of the full-scale armed conflict with Iran. Although U.S. President Donald Trump has already accused Tehran of destroying the aircraft and promised a harsh response, the Pentagon is currently refraining from publicly disclosing the final causes of the crash.

Earlier, Iran launched a missile strike on the Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait, where U.S. military personnel and contractors were stationed. The attack resulted in minor injuries and damage to U.S. drones. The incident occurred amid U.S. efforts to negotiate an extension of the ceasefire with Tehran.