Military expert flags detail in Iran's strike on US helicopter

Military expert Col. Peter Mansoor told CNN an Iranian Shahed drone strike on a U.S. Apache helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz changes the entire situation in the ongoing conflict.

If Iran intentionally targeted the helicopter, it would represent a new operational capability for Shahed drones, which are designed as air-to-surface cruise missiles, not air-to-air weapons, Mansoor explained. The strike could indicate either an accident or a significant tactical shift.

Mansoor noted, Iran never lost its entire drone capability during initial airstrikes and has spent the ceasefire period recovering buried equipment and reconstituting launch platforms.

"So there's no doubt that Iran today is more capable than it was when the ceasefire began. But it's going to take years for it to recover the sort of production capability that was lost during the airstrikes," He argued.

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