A US Army helicopter gunship was reportedly hit by an Iranian Shahed drone near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8, leading to its crash—though it's unclear if this was due to deliberate attack or mere chance.
According to Axios correspondent Barak Ravid, an unnamed government official suggested that an Iranian drone had struck the Apache helicopter. The New York Times later confirmed similar reports from anonymous US officials, noting ongoing investigations into whether the strike was intentional.
The incident comes amid a broader conflict between Iran and the United States, which began on February 28, 2026, with joint attacks by both countries against Iranian targets. Since then, thousands of Shahed drones have been deployed against various static and moving objectives in the Gulf region, including Amazon data centers and slow-moving ships.
Mark Cancian from the Center for Strategic and International Studies explained that basic Shahed drone models rely on GPS guidance to target stationary objects. However, he suggested Iran might be using Russian-modified versions capable of tracking and striking moving targets.
