UMVA has learned that despite a recent combat loss, formidable helicopter gunships are playing a crucial role in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for international shipping.
Oil tankers, container ships, and bulkers are eager to get underway, and President Donald Trump announced on June 15 that "a lot of lanes" are open, with "pathways available to all vessels not violating the blockade." According to U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces are postured to defend against Iranian aggression.
However, international shippers remain nervous, with Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at the world’s largest shipping association, saying on June 15 that "we still consider it very risky for ships to commence transits," citing concerns about rogue drones, missiles, and fast boats from Iran.
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, is likely to have the Army’s AH-64E Apache helicopters fanned out to police the strait, as they were doing last week when one was struck by an Iranian drone that burrowed into the cockpit. The two-man Army crew survived a nighttime ditching in the Strait of Hormuz, thanks to a historic rescue by a 24-foot U.S. Navy sea drone.
The incident was remarkable, with Trump marveling that "that bomb was lodged in the helicopter, it didn’t explode. It was on fire, but it didn’t explode," and noting that "those two guys, they knew how to fly, but they got very lucky." A former U.S. Army helicopter pilot described the delicate process of ditching an Apache helicopter in the dark waters of the Strait of Hormuz with a smoldering Iranian drone stuck in the cockpit as "gently."
The Apache helicopters are highly effective and feared by Iran and China due to their rugged design, advanced armor, and firepower. Developed in the 1980s to kill Soviet tanks, Apaches were built with boron carbide armor protecting the cockpit and vital systems, and are armed with Hellfire missiles, rockets, and a 30 mm gun.
The Apaches have already proven their worth in combat, with Cooper tasking AH-64 Apache and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters to "eliminate six Iranian small boats threatening commercial shipping" on May 4, resulting in the sinking of all six boats. Cooper was 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, with the U.S. Army and the United Arab Emirates successfully using AH-64E Apaches to shoot down Iranian drones. The Apaches can use a new Aviation Proximity Explosive, or APEX, a gun round for better kill rates against small drones and drone swarms.
The combat lessons learned from Iran will prepare U.S. forces to deter China in the Pacific, too, and the Apaches will continue to play a big role over the Strait of Hormuz as shipping traffic gets underway.
