The U.S. military launched one-way attack sea drones in combat for the first time as part of this weekend’s strike against Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.
Over the past week, U.S. forces have launched hundreds of attacks against Iranian targets following reported attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, for which CENTCOM has said Iran is responsible.
The most recent strikes, which concluded on Sunday, marked the combat debut for U.S. military drone boats, according to a CENTCOM news release.
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“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran,” CENTCOM wrote in a Monday social media post. “Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations. Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping.”
CENTCOM also released video of the strikes:
Bandar Abbas was one of several sites in Iran hit by American air, ground and sea forces this weekend. The U.S. fired at dozens of targets along southern Iran, including at Qeshm Island. More than 300 targets have been hit.
Ukraine has shown the potential of using drone boats in attacks against Russian ships. Officially known as unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, these drone boats can be laden with explosives and used as guided torpedoes. The U.S. has been fielding the Corsair since March, according to CENTCOM.
This weekend was the U.S. military’s first use of the one-way attack sea drones in combat, but not the first time they’ve been utilized in operations in the Middle East. Last month a Corsair sea drone rescued the crew of an AH-64 Apache helicopter that crashed off the coast of Oman.
