A U.S. Apache helicopter has crashed near the Strait of Hormuz, hours after hostilities in the region escalated with Iran and Israel exchanging their first direct strikes in two months.
The 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.
Apache aircraft have been previously used to attack Iranian small boats – but the U.S. military has not said whether the helicopter was shot down by Iranian fire, experienced mechanical failure or encountered some other problem.
Donald Trump said the two pilots who were inside the gunship “are fine” after being rescued when the aircraft plummeted into the Iran-controlled waterway.
open image in galleryThe incident took place hours after Iran and Israel said they had halted attacks on each other following a plea from Trump – though Tehran warned it would resume hostilities if Israel continued to hit Hezbollah in Lebanon, while Israel said it would attack Beirut if Hezbollah fired in its direction.
Iranian state media acknowledged the helicopter crash, although it relied on foreign reporting. It did not elaborate on the circumstances.
“Nobody injured. We are going to issue a report tomorrow. But the pilots are fine,” Trump said.
The resumption in conflict between Iran and Israel has threatened ongoing peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, but Trump said the U.S. has a “very good chance” of signing a peace deal “in two or three days.”
“We’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal,” the President said. “If we go and bomb — which we could do very easily if we want, and we spend another two or three weeks bombing — they’ll have nothing left whatsoever. But you won’t have the strait open for months.”
Iranian involvement in the helicopter crash would cast doubt over a peace deal, but there is currently no suggestion from Washington or Tehran that it was the result of a deliberate attack.
open image in galleryRe-engaging in what has already been a very costly war for the U.S. – with the Apache helicopter one of dozens of military aircraft to have been lost or damaged – is not in the Trump administration’s interest.
More than 42 aircraft have been damaged, including F-15 fighter jets, an F-35 Lightning II aircraft, drones, and a HH-60W Jolly Green II combat search-and-rescue helicopter due to incidents including friendly fire and combat operations.
Apache helicopters, while costing around $35 million to $40 million for the airframe alone, typically cost between $52 million and $100 million when including weapons, spare parts and training packages as part of the acquisition.
The F-35A Lightning II alone is worth around $110m, according to the Centre for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
A single F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet estimated to cost around $30m when purchased in 1998 is now worth between $65m and $70m when adjusted for inflation.
Four F-35s have been destroyed in the conflict so far, including three that were shot down by friendly fire over Kuwait on 2 March.
A congressional report noted that the Pentagon had revised its estimates for repair and replacement costs from $25 billion to $29 billion over the same period.