Key facts
- The U.S. military deployed explosive drone boats into combat for the first time on July 12.
- The targets included an Iranian midget submarine and a naval port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base.
- US Central Command stated this was the first combat use of sea drones by American forces.
- The drone boats used were Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessels.
- Iran and Houthi forces had previously demonstrated similar kamikaze sea drone technology.
The U.S. military has for the first time deployed explosive-laden drone boats in combat, targeting an Iranian naval facility and a midget submarine on July 12. US Central Command confirmed the strikes, describing them as the initial use of sea drones in combat operations by American forces. The attack occurred at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base, with video footage showing three "one-way attack surface drones" detonating near a Ghadir-class midget submarine suspended from a gantry.
The technology employed involved Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessels, developed by Texas-based Saronic Technologies. These 24-foot drones are capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds over 1,000 nautical miles and can operate autonomously. This incident marks the second significant use of drone boats by the U.S. military in the ongoing war with Iran, which began on February 28, 2026. Previously, a Corsair drone was used to rescue two U.S. Army helicopter pilots.
The United States is not the originator of this tactic; the Houthi faction in Yemen first used exploding drone boats in January 2017, reportedly with Iranian technical assistance. More recently, Ukraine has effectively used drone boats against Russian warships since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. The U.S. military's adoption of this asymmetric warfare tactic follows the example of less powerful actors and comes as the U.S. seeks to procure cheaper surveillance and strike drones after losing expensive assets in the conflict.