Army temporarily halts Apache helicopter training missions after Texas crash that killed 2

The U.S. Army temporarily halted all Apache helicopter training missions Friday after a fatal crash in Texas earlier this week killed two soldiers.

No cause of the Wednesday crash has been released because the investigation has just begun. A safety investigation team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, is trying to determine what happened, the Army said.

“The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident," the Army said in its statement Friday.

The military has taken similar action after past crashes. Three years ago, the Army grounded all aviation units until they completed some additional training after 12 soldiers died in separate crashes in Alaska and Kentucky.

The Army made no mention of stopping the combat missions that Apache helicopters are regularly flying in the war in Iran. These helicopters have been employed around the Strait of Hormuz as part of the measures to maintain open navigation channels. One Apache crashed after running into an Iranian drone.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton, Texas, were killed in the Texas crash, the Army said. They were the only two people on board when the helicopter crashed in a grassy field near Salado, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Fort Hood.

Huey entered the Army in 2014 and Olmstead entered in 2023. They were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

“Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the Soldiers we lost Wednesday,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general. “The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community.”

Aviation safety expert John Cox said it’s encouraging to see the Army take this step because “you’re guessing until you get some hard answers” and this move signals the Army is making safety a priority.

“I am very much glad to see them doing that. It says that they’re being proactive,” said Cox, who is CEO of Safety Operating Systems and a longtime pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board criticized the Army’s safety culture sharply during the investigation of last year’s collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in the skies near Washington, D.C. The NTSB said the Army did a poor job recognizing some of the safety risks in the busy airspace around the nation’s capital before that crash in January 2025 that killed 67 people.

Fort Hood is a massive base with 214,968 acres (86,995 hectares) that is used to train and deploy heavy forces. In November 2015, four soldiers were killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise. And nine Fort Hood soldiers died in 2016 when a rain-swollen creek swept their vehicle into rushing waters.

The Apache attack helicopter has been a core part of Army aviation since the first one was delivered in 1984. More than 5,000 Apaches have been deployed by the U.S. military and its allies over the decades.

This photo provided by the Bell County Sheriff's Office shows the scene of an Army Apache helicopter crash Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, near Salado, Texas. (Cliff Coleman/Bell County Sherrif's Office via AP)

This photo provided by the Bell County Sheriff's Office shows the scene of an Army Apache helicopter crash Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2026, near Salado, Texas. (Cliff Coleman/Bell County Sherrif's Office via AP)

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Army on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, shows Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead. (U.S. Army via AP)

This undated photo provided by the U.S. Army on Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, shows Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey. (U.S. Army via AP)

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli army says two soldiers were killed in an attack in the occupied West Bank on Friday that also left two suspected gunmen dead.

The army said two soldiers, Staff Sgt. Ron Yonatan Roytman and Sgt. Yuval Shai Svilem, were killed and three others were lightly wounded during an attack by Palestinian gunmen.

The army said it had prevented a “terror attack against Israeli civilians” and that the two suspects, both Palestinians from Hebron, were armed with an M16 rifle and a handgun.

It said the men arrived at an Israeli military position in the morning, triggering an exchange of fire lasting approximately 20 minutes, after which the gunmen were killed by Israeli troops. The army said its forces prevented the men from advancing further where the attack could have resulted in civilian casualties.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back for updates. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Israel’s military said its soldiers shot and killed two men who had launched an attack near the city of Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday morning. At least five people were injured, including some critically.

The military set up roadblocks and closures in Palestinian towns in the area.

Emergency responders said five people were injured, some critically and were being evacuated to hospitals in Israel. A statement from the responders said gunfire was ongoing as they arrived at the scene of the attack near the Yehuda Junction.

Two men in their 20s had gunshot wounds to their lower limbs, one was unconscious and seriously injured, the responders said.

The deadly shooting comes as Israeli voters will decide next Tuesday whether to grant Benjamin Netanyahu yet another term as prime minister — or usher in a new era of Israeli politics. The election comes three years after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza,

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir speaks to the media at the scene of a shooting attack carried out by Palestinian gunmen at a junction near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers gather at the scene of a shooting attack carried out by Palestinian gunmen at a junction near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting attack carried out by Palestinian gunmen at a junction near Hebron in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers gather at the scene of a shooting attack carried out by Palestinian gunmen at a junction near Hebron in the occupied West Bank on Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting attack near Yehuda Junction, near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting attack near Yehuda Junction, near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting attack near Yehuda Junction, near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)

Israeli soldiers stand beside a wounded Palestinian man lying on a road after soldiers shot him following a settler attack on Palestinians harvesting olives in the occupied West Bank village of Abu Falah, Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)