Apache helicopter gunships showed off their power cleaning up the Strait of Hormuz
Despite the combat loss of an Apache helicopter on June 8, these formidable helicopter gunships are playing a major role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Oil tankers, container ships and bulkers are eager to get underway. President Donald Trump said on Monday, June 15, that "a lot of lanes" are open. "Pathways are available to all vessels not violating the blockade," according to U.S. Central Command, adding that, "U.S. forces are postured to defend against Iranian aggression."
But even as the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and Iran is finalized, international shippers are still nervous. "We still consider it very risky for ships to commence transits," Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at BIMCO, the world’s largest shipping association, said June 15. They worry about rogue drones, missiles and fast boats from Iran.
You can bet Adm. Brad Cooper, commander, U.S. Central Command, will have the Army’s AH-64E Apache helicopters fanned out to police the strait.
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That’s what the Apache helicopters were doing last week, when one was struck on June 8 by an Iranian drone that burrowed into the cockpit. The two-man Army crew survived a nighttime ditching in the Strait of Hormuz – and a historic rescue by a 24-foot U.S. Navy sea drone.
"That bomb was lodged in the helicopter, it didn’t explode. It was on fire, but it didn’t explode," Trump marveled. "Those two guys, they knew how to fly, but they got very lucky."
How do you ditch an Apache helicopter in the dark waters of the Strait of Hormuz with a smoldering Iranian drone stuck in the cockpit? "Gently." That’s according to former U.S. Army helicopter pilot Capt. C.W. Gosnell, who flew two combat tours in Bell UH-1 "Hueys" during the Vietnam War.
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While official details are scant, one technique is to hover the Apache down to the sea surface, then roll the helicopter onto its side, tilting the 48-foot rotor into the water to stop the blades. Imagine scrambling out of the cockpit wearing your helmet, boots and body armor vest with your weapon, flares, radio and extra drinking water. And then boarding a 24-foot unmanned Navy rescue boat.
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Fortunately, the Apaches are well-suited to ongoing patrols in the Strait of Hormuz. Here are three reasons why Iran – and China – fear the Apache.
Apaches are rugged. Designed in the 1980s to kill Soviet tanks, Apaches were built with a type of boron carbide armor protecting the cockpit and vital systems. Blast shields separate the tandem seats and can withstand .50-caliber rounds, 23 mm shells and small incendiaries.
The current model AH-64E is armed with Hellfire missiles, rockets and a 30 mm gun mounted on the helicopter’s chin and can destroy armored enemy targets at a range of five miles or more. Back on May 4, Cooper tasked AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters to "eliminate six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping." All were sunk. Cooper has been so impressed with the Apaches, that he himself took a flight in an AH-64 over the Strait of Hormuz.
The Apaches are also developing tactics to take on drones. On March 8, the United Arab Emirates released video footage of their AH-64E Apaches shooting down an Iranian Shahed drone with a gun kill. It’s a tactic also perfected by the U.S. Army. During a training exercise last November, Apache crews from the South Carolina Army National Guard achieved drone kills in 13 out of 14 engagements.
They proved "the Apache—using its current software and systems—is a lethal and adaptable solution to the drone threat," said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Daniel York, who was part of the Army’s new equipment team. The Apaches can also use a new Aviation Proximity Explosive, or APEX, a gun round for better kill rates against small drones and drone swarms.
You can see why Apaches will continue to play a big role over the Strait of Hormuz as shipping traffic gets underway. And combat lessons from Iran will prepare U.S. forces to deter China in the Pacific, too.