- President Donald Trump has vowed to “respond” after Iran shot down a U.S. military helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz .
- “I have just been informed by our great military that last night the Iranians shot down one of our highly sophisticated Apache helicopters while patrolling over the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote Tuesday. “There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack .”
- The U.S. military previously said that a “drone boat” found and rescued the two crew members from the waters of the Strait of Hormuz.
- It was the U.S. military’s first known drone rescue at sea, said Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command. He said the unmanned boat located the two aviators and brought them to shore after they spent about two hours in the water.
- Apache helicopters, which cost around $35 million to $40 million, have been used by the U.S. military to police a blockade of Iranian ports near the strait as part of its large military presence in the region.
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