American Sea Drones See Combat Debut

On Sunday, July 12, the U.S. military used one-way maritime attack drones to attack an Iranian ship and submarine facility, the first known American use of sea drones in combat. The facility was part of the Bandar Abbas Naval Base, the Iranian navy’s HQ, and was part of the latest round of strikes against Iranian infrastructure as the June ceasefire frays. 

CENTCOM announced the operation on X:

“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations. Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping.”

The surface drone used is the Corsair, a 24-foot autonomous boat that carries a payload of up to 1,000 pounds and travels at 35 knots, as reported by The Hill. It is produced by the Texas-based company Saronic. The Corsair is part of the Navy’s AI and drone task force, and has been used in theater since March.

It is the same vessel that picked up the crew members of a crashed Apache helicopter in June.