Saudi AH-6SA Helicopter Crashes, Killing Two Crew Members

An AH-6SA reconnaissance helicopter crashed in the Najran region of southern Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia’s state news agency, Saudi Press Agency (SPA), reported the incident.

Both crew members were killed in the crash.

Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki reported that a technical malfunction caused the crash.

The helicopter went down in an area under the jurisdiction of the Saudi Arabian Ministry of National Guard. Officials provided no further details about the crash, including the circumstances of the flight or the identities of the deceased.

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed that they had shot down a Saudi Apache attack helicopter near Najran the previous day.

According to Yahya Saree, the group’s military spokesperson, the helicopter was performing a mission to strike Houthi positions near the border.

Saudi Arabia operates Boeing AH-6i Little Bird light attack and reconnaissance helicopters as part of its National Guard.

The country ordered 24 AH-6SA helicopters under a contract worth about $234.7 million, awarded by the U.S. in 2014.

The package included helicopters, spare parts, and ground equipment.

The first aircraft arrived in Saudi Arabia on June 4, 2017, and joined the National Guard’s 1st Aviation Brigade at Khashm Al-An Air Base near Riyadh.

Militarnyi previously reported that an Iranian strike had seriously damaged a RE-3A reconnaissance aircraft operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The RE-3A is a specialized reconnaissance aircraft based on the Boeing 707, used by the Royal Saudi Air Force for intelligence-gathering missions.