US Deploys Unmanned Corsair Boats in Iran Strike, Marking First Combat Use

The US military has for the first time used unmanned naval vessels in combat operations, deploying three Corsair autonomous boats in an attack on an Iranian naval base in Bandar Abbas. The US Central Command confirmed that these vessels targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility, damaging Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping. Produced by Texas-based Sarcos Robotics, founded in 2022 by a former Navy SEAL, the Corsair boats are about seven meters long and can travel over 1,600 kilometers at speeds of around 65 km/h without a crew onboard. They can carry payloads up to 450 kilograms and cost under one million dollars each to manufacture.

The Corsair boats arrived in the Middle East in late March and were previously used in June to rescue two crew members from a downed US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. This deployment underscores the growing importance of unmanned systems in modern warfare. The Pentagon aims to acquire more such systems to counter adversaries like China, drawing lessons from the conflict in Ukraine, where unmanned naval vessels have been extensively used to attack Russian ships and even down aircraft and helicopters, according to Kyiv.

This operational use of unmanned boats marks a significant evolution in US naval capabilities and highlights the increasing role of autonomous technology in military strategy worldwide.