▲ The 'Corsair' unmanned surface vessel approaching the Iranian naval base in Bandar Abbas
The U.S. military is drawing attention for its first-ever combat deployment of unmanned surface vessels during the ongoing conflict with Iran.
U.S. Central Command announced on July 13 (local time) that it had deployed a suicide-type unmanned surface vessel in an operation for the first time in the history of U.S. combat.
In a video released by Central Command on X, the unmanned vessel is seen approaching the Iranian naval base in Bandar Abbas at high speed and accurately striking submarine and vessel maintenance facilities.
The unmanned vessel used in this attack is the 'Corsair,' manufactured by the U.S. defense company Saronic.
The Corsair is a small unmanned vessel approximately 7.3 meters in length, capable of carrying a payload of up to 453 kilograms and traveling over 1,600 kilometers.
The manufacturer, Saronic, is a defense firm founded in 2022 by Dino Mavrookas, who served in the U.S. Navy SEALs for over 10 years, along with his colleagues.
The company's current valuation stands at 9.25 billion dollars (approximately 14 trillion won).
The Corsair also proved its capabilities in personnel recovery on July 9, when it rescued two crew members of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter that had been shot down by Iranian forces in the Gulf of Oman.
U.S. media outlets noted that the operation marked the first instance of an unmanned surface vessel performing a search and rescue mission to save human lives.
The deployment of unmanned surface vessels in various roles, including combat and rescue, is being evaluated as a decisive moment that proves the value of drone technology on the battlefield.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. Department of Defense is accelerating the introduction of large-scale unmanned systems to significantly expand the scope of unmanned technology utilization beyond the war with Iran.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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