For the first time, the US military has sent explosive-laden drone boats into combat. The unprecedented use of such kamikaze sea drones by the United States comes nearly a decade after Iranian and Houthi forces first demonstrated such weapons.
The US military shared a video showing three ‘one-way attack surface drones’ exploding after approaching an Iranian midget submarine and ship maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base on the night of July 12. The strikes were described as the “first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations” by US Central Command, the US military combat command responsible for Middle East operations.
The technology behind the strikes involved Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessels developed by Saronic Technologies, a defense company based in Austin, Texas. The company’s website describes the drone boat as being 24 feet in length and capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds over 1,000 nautical miles at a top speed surpassing 34 knots.
The US military has been using one-way attack drones for the first time during its war with Iran—LUCAS drones based in large part on Iranian-developed Shahed drones. Along with the drone boats, the United States is following the example of less powerful countries or factions that have used inexpensive drone weapons to pursue asymmetric warfare.
This marks the second notable US military use of drone boats during the war, which began with the United States and Israel attacking Iran on February 28, 2026. The US military already used a Corsair sea drone to rescue two US Army helicopter pilots in the waters off the coast of Oman on June 8, after their US Army AH-64 Apache helicopter was taken down by a cheap Iranian Shahed drone.
The use of explosive drone boats is not new, however. The first confirmed use of such weapons occurred on January 30, 2017, when the Houthi faction based in Yemen struck the Royal Saudi Naval frigate Al Madinah using an uncrewed remote-controlled boat. A US Navy commander told Defense News that the Houthi weapon was likely developed with the technical assistance of Iran, which has long supported the Houthis.
In more recent years, the Ukrainian military has also developed and deployed drone boats for asymmetric warfare at sea since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Despite lacking a traditional navy, Ukraine has used a combination of flying drones and explosive drone boats to strike Russian warships and tankers, forcing Russia to withdraw its Black Sea Fleet to bases farther from Ukraine and cutting off vital Russian shipping routes.
The US military is currently trying to procure a new generation of cheaper surveillance and strike drones, especially after losing dozens of costly hunter-killer Reaper drones collectively worth more than $1 billion in the war against Iran.
Source: Original article