An Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter is at least the 43rd U.S. military aircraft to be damaged or destroyed during Operation Epic Fury.
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the helicopter, which had been flying near the hotly contested Strait of Hormuz, was shot down Monday by Iranian forces and that two pilots were “safe and uninjured.” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday morning that the pilots were “safely rescued” around 7:30 p.m. EDT on Monday after the Apache “went down near the coast of Oman while patrolling regional waters.”
Per a May Congressional report, which cites news reports and statements from the Pentagon and CENTCOM, at least 42 U.S. aircraft have been damaged or destroyed in the 2026 Iran war since the military deployed assets to the Middle East in late February. The shootdown of the Apache makes the total at least 43.
According to Congress, the damaged or destroyed aircraft include four F-15E Strike Eagles, seven KC-135 Stratotankers, and 24 MQ-9 Reaper drones. In April, a U.S. F-15E went down over Iran, spurring a two-day search and rescue effort that some officials have described as one of the most complex operations in U.S. military history. Both pilots were rescued.
In March, Iran claimed responsibility for an attack on a U.S. F-35 Lighting II that made an emergency landing at a U.S. base.
Though U.S. officials have claimed some of the aircraft were struck by Iranian fire, others sustained damage from unrelated causes. In March, for instance, a KC-135 crashed in Iraq and killed six crew after colliding with another Stratotanker, which landed safely.
CENTCOM in addition has deployed B-2 bombers, EA-18G Growlers, A-10C Warthogs, F-16s, F-18s, F-22s, and other combat aircraft. Supporting them are reconnaissance aircraft such as the Boeing RC-135, transporters such as Lockheed Martin’s C-130, E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control systems (AWACS), and a variety of aerial refueling tankers.
U.S. Responds to Apache Shootdown
CENTCOM on Tuesday said the U.S. Air Force supported rescue operations for the two Apache pilots, led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. Officials said personnel used a Navy surface sea drone, Texas-based Saronic Technologies’ Corsair, to recover them.
Initially, CENTCOM said the cause of the incident was being investigated. A few hours later, though, it said the U.S. began launching “self-defense” strikes around 5 p.m. EDT Tuesday, in response to “unjustified Iranian aggression.” It said U.S. military assets “struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz with precision munitions from U.S. Air Force and Navy fighter jets.”
Iran’s foreign ministry on Wednesday condemned the retaliatory strikes and said it attacked the U.S. bases that were responsible for them.
The more than 1,300 Apaches in operation globally have logged over 5.3 million flight hours, making the model one of the world’s most popular attack helicopters.
Though details on the model’s cost are scant, the Pentagon’s fiscal year 2025 budget allocated nearly $660 million to procure 31 remanufactured AH-64Es. That breaks down to about $21.2 million per aircraft.
In January, the Pentagon sold Israel 30 AH-64Es and related equipment—including engines, radars, and sensors—for $3.8 billion. That would translate to about $126.7 million for each helicopter and its accompanying systems.
