In a first, US forces used naval drones in combat operations in Iran

Nicholas Kulish and Eric Schmitt

WASHINGTON - American forces have used unmanned boats in an attack on an Iranian naval installation, their first-ever offensive operation by sea drones, United States Central Command said on July 13, in the latest sign of how drones are reshaping modern warfare.

Central Command said it had employed three unmanned vessels in the July 12 attack on the Bandar Abbas naval base, calling the operation against a submarine and ship maintenance facility “the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations”.

A video posted to the Central Command X social media account showed what appeared to be aerial footage spliced together with a feed from the bow of one of the drones as it approached a pier, before an explosion sent flames, smoke and a shower of sparks into the air.

“Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” Central Command said.

Ukraine has made extensive use of naval drones against Russian ships in the Black Sea. Not only has it used them for attacks on other vessels, it has also armed them with anti-aircraft weapons and said it had used them to shoot down Russian warplanes and helicopters.

For Ukraine, which was completely outgunned by Russia’s powerful fleet of warships at the start of the conflict, inexpensive naval drones have been a complete game changer.

It was unclear what advantage, if any, sea drones offered compared with conventional missiles for the US attack on July 12. But the US Navy appears to be committed to testing new approaches to missions that do not involve crewed ships.

“Quickly equipping our warfighters with cutting-edge capabilities enhances combat effectiveness, which is why operationalising these new tools remains a US Central Command priority,” said Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for US Central Command, which oversees the US military in the Middle East.

“US forces deployed to the Middle East employed several new capabilities over the course of the conflict to get the job done,” he said. “This instance was no different.”

Central Command identified the sea drones used in the attack on July 12 as Corsairs, a 7m-long unmanned boat built by the company Saronic Technologies. The Corsair was the same type of boat used to rescue the two-person crew from a US Apache helicopter gunship that went down near the Strait of Hormuz in June. That was said to be the first US rescue carried out by an autonomous surface vessel.

The Corsair can travel at speeds of up to 65kmh and can carry a load of up to 454kg more than 1,852km.

• This article originally appeared in The New York Times.