(NewsNation) — Two U.S. Army soldiers were rescued by an uncrewed boat after their Apache helicopter was shot down near the Strait of Hormuz. The operation marks the first time the U.S. military has used an unmanned surface vessel to save American personnel.

President Donald Trump confirmed both crewmembers were “fine” Tuesday. In response, the U.S. has launched retaliatory airstrikes against Iran, which Trump blames for taking down the aircraft.

What happened before the helicopter crash?

The AH-64 Apache helicopter was on a routine patrol over waters off the coast of Oman Monday night when an Iranian drone struck it down near the Strait of Hormuz, according to U.S. officials who spoke to CBS. It’s still unclear whether the strike was intentional or a mistake. The incident is still under investigation, according to U.S. Central Command.

In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump wrote Iran shot the helicopter down and vowed the U.S. “must, of necessity, respond to this attack.”

Inside the rescue of two U.S. crewmembers

Instead of sending another crewed helicopter into potentially dangerous airspace, the Navy deployed an “unmanned surface vessel,” a 24-foot robotic boat called a Corsair. It was operated remotely by Task Force 59, a specialized drone unit based within the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

The vessel located the two soldiers and brought them to a safe location on the water, where they were lifted into a helicopter for the trip home. The entire operation took roughly two hours. Both soldiers were rescued and are in stable condition, according to CENTCOM.

“They were rescued by unmanned boats, which means that more of our forces weren’t at risk,” Navy Top Gun pilot “Whiz” Buckley told NewsNation. “We sent in a couple robotic boats, which is great, so less risk to additional U.S. life.”

The Corsair is part of a Navy program called Task Force 59, which uses unmanned vehicles in the Middle East. The boats are built to monitor threats and protect U.S. forces, but this is the first time it performed a water-rescue mission.

“If they get shot at, we’re launching another one. We can launch a bunch of them,” Buckley said. “Nobody’s getting a folded casket or a visit from the casualty assistance officer. They don’t get seasick. They might not make mistakes in the fog of war.”

US strikes Iran in response

CENTCOM announced Tuesday American forces began launching “self-defense strikes” on Iran. The strikes were directed by Trump and described by CENTCOM as “a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression.”