Sea Drone Rescue Drills Preceded Apache Downing by Years

The soldiers were hoisted aboard the drone's deck and brought to a nearby Navy ship. Neither required medical evacuation. The official called the operation "the first known combat rescue by an uncrewed surface vessel" in US military history.

The sea drone, built by a contractor the Pentagon declined to name, is about 30 feet long and carries a flat deck that can hold up to four people. It operates on a combination of satellite navigation and onboard sensors, with a human operator monitoring from a shore station or a ship. The 2021 drills focused on scenarios where a helicopter crew would eject over water, the same situation that played out last week.

A spokesperson for US Special Operations Command, which oversaw the rescue, said the service is "evaluating whether to expand the program" to other units. The command did not provide a timeline or a budget estimate. The Apache crew was conducting a night-vision goggle training flight when the helicopter experienced a mechanical failure, the Army said. An investigation is ongoing.