US Uses Suicide Drone Boats in Iran Strike for First Time in Combat

The United States carried out a historic attack in Iran this week using unmanned suicide drone boats, marking the first time such vessels have been employed in warfare. The strike targeted a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the Bandar Abbas naval base, damaging Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping. The operation involved three Corsair-class drone boats manufactured by the Texas-based company Saronic, which was founded four years ago by a former US Navy commando. These seven-meter vessels can travel over 1,600 kilometers at speeds of about 65 km/h and carry up to 450 kilograms of explosives. The US Central Command released footage of the attack, noting the cost of each drone boat is under one million dollars. According to a US official quoted by The Washington Post, the drones arrived in the Middle East in late March. The report also highlighted that a Corsair drone was used in June to rescue two crew members from a downed US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. The use of these unmanned boats underscores the growing importance of autonomous technologies in US military strategy, especially amid renewed tensions following the collapse of negotiations with Tehran. The Pentagon aims to acquire more unmanned systems to deter adversaries like China, drawing lessons from the Ukraine conflict, where unmanned boats have been extensively used both offensively and defensively against Russian forces.