A U.S. Navy surface drone helped rescue two U.S. Army soldiers after their AH-64 Apache helicopter went down in waters off Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on 8 June 2026. The crew was recovered in about two hours and was reported in stable condition.
The incident is under investigation, and the cause of the crash has not been disclosed. The rescue was carried out in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area of operations in Bahrain and is being described as the first known real-world water rescue by an unmanned surface vessel.
The location adds strategic weight to the event. The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most sensitive waterways, and the rescue took place amid heightened regional tension involving Iran. The use of an unmanned surface drone in personnel recovery also points to a possible new operational role for autonomous naval systems in search and rescue and combat support.