Mike Baker

According to initial reporting, U.S.

officials believe the helicopter may have been struck by an Iranian drone, though investigators are still working to determine exactly how the aircraft was brought down and whether the drone deliberately targeted the aircraft.

The Apache crashed Monday evening in waters off the coast of Oman while operating near the Strait of Hormuz.

The helicopter's two crew members survived the incident and found themselves stranded in the water as American forces rushed to locate them.

And what happened next was something the U.S.

military had never done in an actual operation before.

Rather than being rescued by another helicopter or a manned vessel, the crew was located by an unmanned drone boat known as a Saronic Corsair.

The vessel was operating as part of the Navy's Task Force 59 and found the two aviators after roughly two hours in the water.

The sea drone transported the soldiers to another location offshore, where they were transferred to a helicopter and brought to safety.

Military officials say both crew members survived without serious injury.

Elements of the Navy, Air Force, Army's 82nd Airborne Division, and Task Force 59 all participated in the rescue effort.

The incident marks the first confirmed loss of an Apache helicopter during the conflict with Iran and represents a significant escalation in hostilities.

While Iranian forces have shot down numerous American drones since the war began earlier this year, attacks against manned U.S.

aircraft have been comparatively rare.

The shootdown also comes despite a fragile ceasefire that has sort of held in recent weeks and raises fresh questions about whether tensions between Washington and Tehran may once again be escalating.

American forces continue to patrol the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has repeatedly threatened commercial shipping and challenged U.S.

military operations.

Apache helicopters have played an important role in those patrols.

Armed with Hellfire missiles and a 30-millimeter cannon, the aircraft have been used to escort commercial vessels and to counter Iranian fastboats operating near the strait.

Just last month, US forces used Apache gunships during operations designed to keep the waterway open to international traffic after Iran attempted to disrupt commercial shipping through the region.