Saudi AH-6i Helicopter Crashes in Najran, Killing Two Officers; Coalition Cites Technical Fault

A Saudi Arabian National Guard AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed in the Najran region near the Yemeni border, killing its two officers, the Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday, 18 October 2026. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki blamed a technical malfunction. Hours earlier, Yemen’s Houthi movement had claimed it shot down a “Saudi Apache helicopter” near Najran. The coalition’s crash statement did not mention that claim, but Al-Maliki later answered it on X with a photo of Apache helicopters lined up. The Houthis then released a video they say shows an AH-6i being hit by a missile; Reuters said the footage did not clearly show the incident and that it could not verify the claim.

Last updated: 18 October 2026

Updated on 18 October at 14:00 (UTC+3) with the coalition spokesman’s reply to the Houthi claim and the Houthi video, which Reuters could not verify.

Key facts

Aircraft: AH-6i light reconnaissance/attack helicopter of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of National Guard
Location: Najran region, inside Saudi territory, according to the coalition
Casualties: both crew members, two officers, were killed
Official cause: technical malfunction (coalition statement, 18 October)
Disputed: the Houthis first claimed on 17 October to have downed a Saudi Apache near Najran, then on 18 October released a video they say shows an AH-6i being shot down; the claim has not been verified, and it is not established that it concerns the same aircraft

Defense and Tech graphic comparing the Saudi-led coalition's account of the Najran AH-6i crash with the Houthi shoot-down claim — The coalition’s account and the Houthi claim, side by side; neither has been independently verified. Original graphic: DefenseandTech; not a photograph.

What the coalition said

In a press statement posted on X by the coalition spokesman’s office early on Sunday (06:06 Riyadh time), Al-Maliki said an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Ministry of National Guard had come down and crashed inside Saudi territory in the Najran region “as a result of a technical malfunction”, and that its two-officer crew had been killed. The statement offered condolences to their families. It did not name the officers or give the exact location or time of the crash.

The Houthi claim

On Saturday evening the Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a statement carried by the Houthi-run Saba news agency that his forces had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near Najran while it was carrying out “hostile operations” against Houthi positions along the border. He did not give evidence. Anadolu Agency reported that there was no immediate Saudi comment on the claim. The AH-6i and the AH-64 Apache are different aircraft.

On Sunday Al-Maliki replied to Saree’s post with a photo of several Apaches lined up, writing: “You claim to have shot it down, but it will enter the battlefield soon,” Reuters reported. Later that day the Houthis released footage of what they said was a Saudi AH-6i being shot down by a missile while carrying out “hostile activities” near Najran. Reuters said the footage did not clearly show the incident and that it could not immediately verify the claim, and there was no immediate Saudi comment on the video. We have not been able to verify it either and are not republishing it. Reuters also noted that it was not clear whether Saree’s earlier Apache claim referred to the same incident.

Aircraft background: what is the AH-6i?

The AH-6i is a light helicopter from Boeing’s AH-6/MH-6 Little Bird family, intended for scout and light attack missions. In October 2010 the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible sale to Saudi Arabia that included 36 AH-6i light attack helicopters for the National Guard, alongside 36 AH-64D Block III Apaches, 72 UH-60M Black Hawks and 12 MD-530F helicopters. The $25.6 billion figure in that notice was an estimated ceiling for the whole package, not a contract value, and the notice itself stated that the sale had not been concluded. FlightGlobal reported in 2017 that Boeing was completing deliveries of the “long-delayed” AH-6i to the National Guard despite a dispute with a key supplier.

Previous incident

This is not the first AH-6i loss for the National Guard. In September 2018 the ministry said one of the type crashed during routine conversion training at Khashm Al-Aan airfield in Riyadh, killing the instructor, a US national, and injuring a Saudi trainee pilot, the Saudi Press Agency reported at the time.

Context: renewed fighting on the border

The crash comes amid renewed hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, which resumed in July after the 2022 truce broke down, according to Anadolu Agency. Earlier on Sunday the coalition said its air defences had intercepted two ballistic missiles launched towards Khamis Mushait and a drone heading for the Riyadh region; on Saturday it reported intercepting four drones and destroying two ballistic missile launchers in Saada, Arab News reported. Our guide to US military helicopters covers the wider Little Bird and Apache families.

What we do not know

The nature of the technical fault, the crew’s names and the precise crash site have not been released. We will update this report if the Ministry of National Guard or the coalition publish further details.

Frequently asked questions

What helicopter crashed in Najran on 18 October 2026?

An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter of the Saudi Ministry of National Guard, according to the Saudi-led coalition.

How many people were killed?

Two officers, the helicopter’s entire crew, the coalition said.

Did the Houthis shoot down the helicopter?

The Houthis say they did. They first claimed an Apache, then released a video they say shows an AH-6i being hit by a missile; Reuters could not verify the footage. The coalition attributes the AH-6i crash to a technical malfunction, and its spokesman answered the Apache claim with a photo of Apaches lined up.