Saudi Arabia: Two Crew Members Killed as AH-6i Reconnaissance Helicopter Crashes in Najran Region

Two crew members were killed after an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed in Saudi Arabia's Najran region due to a technical malfunction, the Saudi-led coalition said. The incident comes amid escalating Houthi attacks, with the group separately claiming it shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near the border.

 
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Saudi-led coalition says helicopter crash in Najran kills two crew members | Image: X

Dubai: A reconnaissance AH-6i helicopter crashed in the Najran region of ​Saudi Arabia due to a technical ‌malfunction, killing its two crew members, the Saudi-led coalition's spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a ​statement on Sunday.

The helicopter crashed in ​an area under the jurisdiction of ⁠the Saudi National Guard Ministry, the statement ​added.

October 18, 2026

The southwestern area of Najran has been ​subject to attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis in recent weeks as fighting between the coalition and the ​Yemen-based militant group escalated, with the Yemen ​conflict becoming another front in the US-led war with Iran.

Houthi ‌military ⁠spokesman Yahya Saree said in a post on X on Saturday that the group had shot down a Saudi Apache ​helicopter near Najran ​while ⁠it was carrying out what he described as hostile activities targeting ​Houthi positions along the border.

Al-Maliki ​commented ⁠on Saree's post on Sunday with a photo of several Apaches lined up saying: "You ⁠claim ​to have shot it ​down, but it will enter the battlefield soon."

 

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Published By : Melvin Narayan

Published On: 18 October 2026 at 10:36 IST