The U.S. Navy just integrated Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopters into its naval defense operations in the Strait of Hormuz. Together with MH-60S Seahawk helicopters, the Apaches hunted and destroyed six Iranian attack boats during a layered assault that included cruise missiles, drones, and swarming small boats.
U.S. Army AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopters and Seahawks to the Rescue Against Iran
An AH-64 “Apache” attack helicopter assigned to 1st Battalion, 211th Aviation Regiment, flies overhead during Training Exercise Hydra on Utah Test and Training Range, Utah, May 7, 2025. Exercise Hydra is a Utah National Guard-led, joint, multi-domain combat training exercise designed to simulate real-world operations across air, land, and cyber domains. The exercise brings together the 151st Wing (KC-135), 419th Fighter Wing (F-35), 19th Special Forces Group, 65th Field Artillery Brigade, and multiple Army and Air Force elements to test joint targeting, rapid insertion, battlefield communication, and dynamic problem-solving.
(Utah Army National Guard photo taken by Spc. Dustin B. Smith)
The MH-60S Seahawk is a multi-role helicopter belonging to the United States Navy. Armed with AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, this fast-response maritime strike platform can rapidly engage small, fast-moving boats.
They often operate off US Navy destroyers, amphibious ships, or from forward bases. They’re ideal for defending shipping lanes in tight waterways, such as the Strait of Hormuz.
Operation Freedom and the Fight to Reopen Hormuz
Recently, the White House announced Operation Freedom, which was the Navy’s mission to guide stranded civilian cargo and container ships caught in Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and to reopen the strait.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported over the last weekend that the Islamic Republic of Iran launched a layered attack targeting US Navy warships and commercial shipping. That attack included the deployment of cruise missiles, drones, and swarming small boats.
In retaliation for the initial attack, though, US forces deployed air and missile defense systems that intercepted the drones and missiles fired by Iran. Meanwhile, MH-60S and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters hunted and destroyed six Iranian attack boats.
Officially, the Iranian attack scored no hits on the Americans, and CENTCOM claims that it protected commercial traffic.
Why the Apache is Suddenly a Naval Weapon
Interestingly, CENTCOM included AH-64 Apache land-attack helicopters in this maritime operation. That’s because the Apache carries Hellfire missiles and possesses advanced targeting sensors, making these iconic helos extremely effective against small, maneuverable targets.
In other words, the US Army is now directly integrated into naval defense operations, meaning the US military’s multi-domain warfare doctrine is alive and well in the Strait of Hormuz.
What this engagement highlights, though, is how big warships and exquisite missile systems are no longer the king of naval warfare. Just as on land, the cheap drone is king. So, too, are the speedboats armed with rockets and other explosives–all of which cut back to the preferred attack strategy of our time: saturation assaults that overwhelm advanced defenses.
Similarly, the Apache and Seahawk helicopters, while more expensive to operate than drones and speedboats, are still cheaper than exquisite missiles and large warships. Plus, they’re faster and more useful in cluttered environments, such as the Strait of Hormuz. What’s more, these helos can visually identify targets in congested shipping lanes.
Bridging High-End Defense and Low-End Threats
Thus, the deployment of helicopters in response to the kind of saturation attacks that the Islamic Republic subjected ships to in the Strait of Hormuz is a bridge between those high-end missile systems and low-end swarming threats.
What this indicates is that the much-ballyhooed, though little respected (or understood) ceasefire between the United States and Iran is over. Tehran is escalating in layers, employing missiles, drones, and boats to overwhelm the defenses of US ships nearby simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the US Navy adapts tactically, utilizing helicopters rather than its expensive interceptors for low-end threats. This outcome is the result, at least in part, of the painful news that the last 11 weeks of fighting have essentially drained critical stockpiles of high-end defensive systems in the US.
Fighting with What’s Left
In essence, the Americans have no choice but to rely on helicopters for major air defense operations unless the Navy is willing to fully deplete those key stockpiles. More importantly, from Iran’s perspective, the objective is not necessarily to sink or damage US Navy warships or those essential container and cargo ships. That’s a bonus from Tehran’s perspective. The important aspect of Iran’s current attacks against US Navy warships and civilian shipping in the blockaded Strait of Hormuz is depletion.
After all, every Hellfire missile launched, drone intercepted, and patrol flown burns through finite supplies and reduces readiness among the US forces. In contrast, the Iranians are clearly ready for this type of attritional warfare.
Modern naval warfare is no longer about great carrier battles at sea, as was the Pacific Theater of the Second World War. In fact, there are no massive fleet engagements. Instead, helicopters hunting speedboats in tightly packed waterways, while missile defenses swat drones overhead, all while protecting oil tankers, is the face of modern naval warfare.
And if Iran can keep up with these cheap swarm attacks, even if the US successfully stops all the Iranian attacks, the long-term balance becomes a simple math problem. The Americans cannot sustain the operational tempo in the long term.
The Strategic Blind Spot
So, yes, the Americans effectively deployed MH-60S Seahawk and AH-64 Apache helicopters to defend the Navy’s forces and civilian ships in the Strait of Hormuz. They can likely do this repeatedly. But the real damage to the United States will be in the supply chain. It will not be felt at the front–at least not at first.
Over time, though, that pain will manifest as shortages that completely stymie the US military’s plans for the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region. That’s the real threat of the Iranian strategy in this war. It’s the one thing that US planners keep missing.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a Senior National Security Editor. Recently, Weichert became the editor of the “NatSec Guy” section at Emerald. TV. He was previously the senior national security editor at The National Interest. Weichert hosts The National Security Hour on iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8 p.m. Eastern. He hosts a companion show on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” Weichert consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. His writings have appeared in numerous publications, among them Popular Mechanics, National Review, MSN, and The American Spectator. And his books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. Weichert’s newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available for purchase at any bookstore. Follow him via Twitter/X @WeTheBrandon.
