The two U.S. Army soldiers pulled from the waters near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday were rescued by an unmanned Navy vessel, U.S. Central Command confirmed Tuesday. It marks the first time the American military has used a sea drone to recover personnel.

CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed to Fox News that an unmanned surface vehicle found and pulled the crew from the water after their AH-64 Apache was shot down. “This was an operational first for the U.S. military,” Hawkins said.

The vessel belongs to Task Force 59, the Navy’s dedicated drone unit operating under the 5th Fleet in Bahrain. The drone found the crew in the water and carried out the rescue itself. Task Force 59, the Navy’s first drone task force, fields a range of unmanned craft, some operating with artificial intelligence.

The recovery unfolded quickly. CENTCOM said the soldiers were rescued at about 7:30 p.m. Eastern on Monday, within roughly two hours of the helicopter going down, and that both were in stable condition. Hawkins said both were receiving medical care. CENTCOM said the broader effort was led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from Air Force and Navy units including the 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59.

The recovery is the second known rescue of downed U.S. aircrew in the conflict. Monday’s crash marks the first known loss of an Apache in the fighting, following the April rescue of two airmen whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran — an operation that, by contrast, involved hundreds of U.S. troops and dozens of aircraft.

Apaches have flown armed patrols over the waterway throughout the conflict, and the helicopters have previously been used to strike Iranian small boats as part of the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Below is a look at one of the US military’s sea drones during a test run.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)