US used kamikaze drone boats to strike Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base

WASHINGTON — The US military used Corsair unmanned surface vessels to attack Iranian targets on Sunday in what it described as a major milestone in naval warfare, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced. The Navy previously used the Corsair to rescue downed Army AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots near the Strait of Hormuz last month. However, Sunday’s operation marked the first use of a maritime drone by the US military in an assault on Iranian assets, the command said in a post on social media.“Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. 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,” officials wrote in a post Monday on X.The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, through Task Force 59, carried out the operation. The strike marks a shift toward autonomous platforms capable of completing combat missions without crews on board.Each 24-foot (7.3-meter) composite-hull vessel approached the target from a different direction while operating autonomously. The boats met near an Iranian Ghadir-class midget submarine that was docked at the facility before detonating.The command released video footage of the maritime drones approaching their targets and exploding.The operation was part of a recently completed “new wave of offensive strikes” aimed at degrading Iran’s ability to continue attacking international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, according to CENTCOM, which noted that it also used one-way aerial drones during the assaults, among other assets.A press release from the command did not disclose what type of aerial drones were used in the latest wave of attacks.This coordinated mission marks the first time a major naval power has conducted an offensive using several autonomous surface vessels against a naval base. While Ukraine has used explosive drone boats against Russian ships before, the US operation marks a new step in how regular military forces use unmanned naval combat systems.