300 boats in six months: How the US built a drone fleet against Iran
Corsair's reconnaissance aircraft
The US military is using a variety of weapons and equipment against Iran, including new types. For example, in the current operation, the Navy deployed Corsair unmanned boats (UABs) from Saronic Technologies for the first time. They were initially used for search and rescue of personnel, and then for attacks on coastal infrastructure.
Rescue boats
The Fifth is involved in the operation against Iran fleet The US Navy. It operates Task Force 59 (TF 59), tasked with operating a number of new systems. Earlier this year, it received the advanced Saronic Corsair unmanned combat ship.
The Pentagon reported that TF 59 had been operating in the Persian Gulf since March of this year. For the first few months, details of its operations were kept under wraps, and the first publicly disclosed incident was the June 8 rescue operation, discussed below.
On June 8, an Army AH-64 Apache helicopter aviation The US was patrolling off the coast of Oman. According to the US, the crew encountered activity from an Iranian attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Details vary across sources, with some publications reporting an attempt to shoot it down. DroneOthers merely mention "contact." Either way, the helicopter was damaged and crashed, leaving its crew stranded at sea.
TF 59 was deployed for the search and rescue operation. The force dispatched its boats to the designated area. Operating largely autonomously (under operator control), the unmanned aerial vehicles located the pilots, took them on board, and transported them to base. This incident, unlike the subsequent strike, was confirmed not only by statements from US Central Command (CENTCOM) but also by publications in several major international media outlets.
Thus, for the first time, an unmanned surface vessel of the US Navy took the lead in a rescue operation amidst actual combat. This episode will likely provide material for conclusions both regarding the Corsairs themselves and the unmanned surface vessel sector in general.
BEC on the attack
On July 13, the Corsair boats were once again in the spotlight. US Central Command (USCENTCOM) announced the first use of these UAVs in a strike role and revealed key details of the operation, as well as photos and videos from the boats and reconnaissance UAVs.
According to USCENTCOM, three unmanned combat vessels carrying a warhead transited the Persian Gulf and approached Bandar Abbas. The boats then stealthily entered the harbor of Shahid Bahonar Port. According to US command, they encountered no defenses or resistance, after which they set a course for attack and struck their target. The target, according to the same version, was a pier with a crane, which at the time housed a small Iranian Navy submarine. All three boats detonated at the designated location, causing significant damage to the port infrastructure. The submarine was also presumably damaged and at least temporarily disabled.
The boats approach their target in the port of Bandar Abbas.
All the specifics of this episode—the target's composition, the extent of the damage, the submarine's condition—are currently based solely on statements from the American side and footage captured by its own assets. Independent verification (before-and-after satellite imagery, confirmed OSINT analysis with georeferencing, Iranian data) is virtually nonexistent at the time of writing, meaning it is currently impossible to independently verify the claims. Furthermore, military statements made in the midst of an operation may also serve psychological warfare purposes, and therefore require caution.
The very fact that US Navy unmanned attack craft were used in a real operation against a real target has, however, been documented. Previously, such missions were practiced only at sea ranges, during tests and exercises. Globally, such operations are nothing new: Ukraine has already demonstrated the massive combat use of unmanned attack craft against Russian Black Sea Fleet ships (the Sea Baby and Magura). But for the US Navy, the Corsair was the first example of its class to be used in a strike role.
The boat is in service
Saronic Technologies was founded in 2022. One of its founders previously served in the US Navy SEALs, while others had extensive design experience. The company began developing unmanned surface vehicles and related equipment.
The Corsair unmanned combat vessel was first unveiled in 2024. The boat was soon included in one of the US Navy's advanced programs. After testing confirmed its potential, a decision was made to proceed with serial production and procurement.
An Iranian pier with a submarine captured by the BEK camera
In December 2025, a contract was signed for the delivery of an unspecified number of boats, valued at $392 million. The exact number of units is not publicly available, as is typical for contracts for a "family" of platforms, including support services, so the "price per boat" cannot be directly calculated from this figure. In May, the manufacturer reported that it had already manufactured and delivered approximately 300 new unmanned combat boats to the customer. However, the "300" figure is a statement by Saronic itself, and there is no independent confirmation through Pentagon reports or official budgets in open sources. By the same period (spring 2026), serial-produced Corsairs were already on combat duty with TF 59 at a base in the Persian Gulf. The force received the first pre-production boats earlier, at the beginning of the year.
So far, two instances of the new boats being used for different missions are known. However, it can be assumed that the Saronic Corsairs are being used much more actively. They are primarily capable of patrolling waters and detecting enemy activity, as well as conducting reconnaissance of coastal installations. It's possible that TF 59 has already collected such information and is planning new operations based on it.
Technical features
The Saronic Corsair is a small unmanned boat designed as a multi-purpose platform for various instruments and devices. Some of its features have already been tested in practice.
The BEK has a plastic hull with traditional lines. It is topped by a low superstructure with a mast for equipment; additional space for mounting instruments is provided in the stern. The overall length of the boat is approximately 25 feet (approx. 7,5 m), which, by most naval scales, corresponds to the small class.
Blowing up a boat near the target
The boat is equipped with an outboard motor. According to open sources and the manufacturer, it can reach speeds of up to 35 knots, with a stated cruising range of 1000 nautical miles. The unmanned boat is highly maneuverable, but has limited seaworthiness, meaning it doesn't handle rough seas well and is primarily designed for coastal waters.
Regardless of the modification, the Corsar receives an optical-electronic station with several channels, a set of other video cameras, a navigation radar, navigation aids, etc. Communication is provided via direct radio and satellite channels, including an internet connection.
The control system is built on a computer with elements of artificial intelligence. Specifically, the ability to independently detect and recognize objects was mentioned. However, remote control remains a key mode, especially in strike missions, and the decision to use weapons In a fight, as a rule, it remains with the person.
The Corsair can carry a payload of approximately 1 pounds (454 kg). Its composition and functions depend on the mission. The boat can be equipped with additional surveillance and reconnaissance devices; depending on their configuration, it can detect air, surface, or subsurface targets.
The strike modification is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. Whether the boat currently carries other types of payloads is unknown. Theoretically, for certain missions, it could be equipped with a combat module with barrel or rocket armament. The future introduction of lightweight torpedoes is also possible.
First results
Overall, the Saronic Corsair is a typical modern unmanned combat vessel. In appearance, characteristics, and functions, it is fundamentally no different from other models in its class. Its value to the US Navy lies not in its design, which is quite standard, but in the fact that it was able to enter production.
The Corsair, Magura V5, and Sea Baby formally belong to the same class of small unmanned craft, but differ in concept. The Corsair was originally designed as a multi-role tool for the US Navy: patrol, reconnaissance, rescue, and logistics, with strike configuration being just one of its modes. The Ukrainian craft, however, were developed around the strike role in asymmetric warfare. The Magura V5, while also multi-role in specification, has in practice become a specialized ship hunter, while the Sea Baby began life as a disposable kamikaze craft and only later acquired its minefield. rocket and firearms, turning them into a reusable platform. In other words, the Corsair was designed to be multi-purpose, but the Ukrainian boats became so under the pressure of war.
The United States already has significant experience in unmanned fleets: its industry has developed a number of unmanned vessels with varying capabilities. But only now has one of these prototypes been brought into production on a significant scale, and, according to the company, hundreds of boats are involved. Mass production, if the figures are confirmed, means not just a few boats, but a tool the navy can afford to lose without significant damage (due to its mass production and relative affordability) and which can be placed on permanent alert.
Furthermore, the Corsair became the first example of its class in the US Navy to perform real combat missions, not on a range, but in an Iranian port. TF 59 used it to practice strike drone tactics, which they will likely use in future operations.
The Pentagon's program has already yielded initial practical results. However, the outcome of any operation depends not only on the equipment and its characteristics but also on numerous external factors, and some of the claimed achievements still require independent confirmation. Whether the US Navy will be able to realize the Corsair's full potential remains to be seen.
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