The Crash of the U.S. Military's "Apache" Reflects Changes in Modern Aerial Combat

Reference News Network reported on June 21 The U.S. magazine Defense News published an article on June 18 titled "Analysts Warn That the Crash of an 'Apache' Helicopter Near Oman Is a Sign of Evolving Air Combat," authored by Eve Sampson. The translation is as follows:

Earlier this month, a U.S. Army Apache attack helicopter crashed near the coast of Oman after engaging in a firefight with an Iranian Shahed drone. However, the Pentagon stated that both pilots were rescued hours later.

Experts and analysts view this incident as a microcosm of the changing nature of warfare: attack helicopters, once the top predators on the battlefield, must learn to navigate an ecosystem filled with smaller, cheaper, and more lethal unmanned systems than ever before.

The engagement itself seems to be an anomaly. Kelly Campbell, head of the Middle East program at the Institute for the Study of War, said that the Shahed-136 drone is typically programmed to fly toward fixed coordinates before launch, making it adept at striking stationary targets.

Campbell stated, "It is very unusual for a Shahed to hit a helicopter."

She pointed out that Russia has increasingly used modified Shahed drones capable of striking moving targets like trains, but Russia generally does not use these modified versions to attack aircraft without additional modifications like small missiles, and Iran has not publicly demonstrated similar capabilities.

The anomalous nature of this incident—along with the lack of publicly available information—makes it difficult to draw definitive conclusions.

Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, said there are several plausible explanations for the Apache being shot down: the helicopter may have collided with the drone while attempting to intercept it, or it may have encountered a more advanced model of the Shahed drone, or a drone equipped with a proximity fuse that detonates when approaching a target rather than upon contact.

She said, "The fact that both pilots survived and seemingly conducted a controlled water landing indicates that the helicopter did not experience a direct impact with the warhead." Because if a drone's warhead had struck the Apache and exploded, the damage would likely have been catastrophic, and no one would have survived.

For some analysts, the more pressing question is not what happened between the Apache and the drone, but what this incident indicates about the role of such helicopters in modern warfare.

The Apache is a heavily armed helicopter capable of destroying tanks and ground support troops, historically maintaining a fearsome aerial dominance on the battlefield. However, experts say the ongoing development of increasingly capable unmanned systems is challenging this dominance.

Doug Birkey, executive director of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, said that during the past wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the military operated in relatively "permissive" environments, and this incident serves as a warning signal.

He said, "This should be our last fight using a large number of conventional constructs and technologies." He described this conflict as a "transition" to a different way of warfare. He added, "It is time to shift to some newer capabilities and ways of operating."

The U.S. Army is moving in this direction. In March of this year, the Army received its first Black Hawk helicopter capable of switching between manned and unmanned operations for testing. Birkey also noted the need to integrate manned capabilities with unmanned assets.

These changes may already be taking shape. One expert believes that the crash incident in early June demonstrates that new trends related to the war in Ukraine may emerge elsewhere.

Retired Colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Mark Cancian, said that Apache helicopters frequently operate over and around the Strait of Hormuz, attacking Iranian fast boats and shooting down drones.

He added that helicopters can still perform these tasks, but may require more control (such as operating in formations), and their freedom of action may not be as great as before.

For pilots, this means they must operate in an environment where the margin for error is continually shrinking and the risks are increasing. (Translation by Feng Xue)