The Israeli army says a military helicopter has crashed during training, and Israeli media reports say two pilots have died in the crash.

A military spokeswoman would not confirm the reports of the deaths but she says no survivors were found. The spokeswoman spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military protocol.

The Israeli air force says it has grounded all similar helicopters until it can determine the cause of the crash.

The army says it lost contact with the Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter early on Tuesday as the aircraft was en route from a routine training flight back to an air base in southern Israel.

The military is investigating the crash.