Unmanned Drone Boat Rescues US Chopper Crew Shot Down By Iran

On Monday, a 24-foot autonomous drone boat called the Corsair made history by rescuing two U.S. Army pilots from the waters near the Strait of Hormuz after an Iranian drone took down their Apache helicopter. It marks the first time the U.S. military has ever used an unmanned vessel to rescue personnel at sea.

Built by Austin-based Saronic Technologies, the Corsair is capable of carrying up to 1,000 pounds over 1,000 nautical miles at speeds exceeding 35 knots (40 mph), and operates autonomously using AI, hardware and software designed for the military's most critical maritime missions.

The vessel picked up the two pilots and transported them to a point in the water where they were hoisted up to a waiting helicopter, with both crew members now in stable condition. The Corsair was operated by the Navy's Task Force 59, a unit established in 2021 specifically to integrate unmanned and AI technology into naval operations, which began fielding Corsairs in the Middle East in late March.

The Navy signed a $392 million contract with Saronic for drone boat production in December, with plans for a mass deployment of potentially hundreds or thousands of vessels.

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