US Army helicopter crashes near Strait of Hormuz, Trump says 'pilots are...' - VIDEO

An US Army Apache helicopter gunship reportedly went down near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday (June 8) and two crew members were rescued. It was not immediately clear whether the Apache was shot down by Iran or there was a mechanical malfunction. The New York Times first reported about the incident and US President Donald Trump later confirmed it. Reacting to a US Army helicopter crash near the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said: “The pilots are fine. Yeah. Nobody injured. The pilots are fine.” He also said that a report on the crash will be issued on Tuesday.

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What NYT reported?

The Trump administration had not revealed the news after the downed helicopter till the NYT report was published. Later, Trump said that the pilots were safe. The NYT report had also said that the pilots were rescued. It is not clear till now how the incident unfolded. The NYT report said that the US military has been used Apaches, MQ-9 Reaper drones and F/A-18 and F-35 attack planes, amid Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Since the war began, Iran has shot down about 30 unmanned Reaper drones, and a few US fighter jets but this is the first time when Apache will be lost in the conflict. In April, an F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet shot down by Iran but two crew members were rescued.

The AH-64 Apache gunship, which is armed with Hellfire missiles, is one of the most fearsome types of aircraft operating in the region. They patrol the strategic waterway in part to deter small-boat attacks and to shoot down drones.