The US military used explosive drone boats in combat for the first time ever

On the night of July 12–13, 2026, the US military deployed explosive surface drones in combat for the first time in its history. Three Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessels attacked Iran's Bandar Abbas naval port, destroying a Ghadir-class midget submarine and ship maintenance facilities. The US had observed this tactic from Houthis and Ukraine for a decade — now it used it in its own combat operations.

Key takeaways

First-ever US combat use of explosive surface drones — night of July 12/13, 2026
Target: Bandar Abbas naval port, a Ghadir-class submarine suspended from a gantry, and maintenance facilities
Equipment: Saronic Corsair — 24-foot ASV, 1,000-mile range, 1,000-pound payload, top speed over 34 knots
Corsair previously used in a rescue mission (June 2026) — now deployed as an offensive weapon
US joins Houthis, Ukraine and Russia as combat users of explosive drone boats

Saronic Corsair — specs and capabilities

The drones used in the strike are Saronic Corsair autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) made by Saronic Technologies based in Austin, Texas. The Corsair is 24 feet long, can carry up to 1,000 pounds of payload, and operates over 1,000 nautical miles at a top speed exceeding 34 knots.

Key feature: full autonomy. The Corsair can navigate and patrol without a constant operator link. It autonomously regulates fuel consumption and engine operation to maintain position for extended periods. In a previous mission in June 2026, a Corsair performed a combat rescue operation — extracting two AH-64 Apache helicopter pilots from the Arabian Sea.

How the attack unfolded

CENTCOM (US Central Command) released a declassified video of the attack. It shows three vessels making a slow approach to the base. One of the targets was a Ghadir-class submarine — a small, low-observable Iranian Navy vessel suspended from a gantry in a dry dock.

USNI News noted that the drones made "a low-speed, uncontested approach" — meaning Iranian defenses offered no resistance before detonation. The strike was part of a broader series of US strikes against Iran, including fighter aircraft and warship engagements.

A history of combat drone boat use

The Houthis were the first to use explosive drone boats in combat — on January 30, 2017, striking the Saudi frigate Al Madinah. Iran provided technical support for the program from the start.

Ukraine has been building and deploying its own surface drones at scale since 2022. They forced Russia's Black Sea Fleet to withdraw to more distant bases. Ukrainian drone boats have fired at Russian helicopters, launched small aerial drones against Russian air defenses, and most recently landed an armed ground robot on Russian-held coastline.

The US, with conventional naval forces far superior to those of the Houthis or Ukraine, had observed this tactic for years. Now it has used it for the first time.

Broader context: the US shifts to cheap asymmetric drones

In the same war, the US has lost expensive Reaper hunter-killer drones — over $1 billion in combined destroyed value. In response, the Pentagon is procuring a new generation of cheaper strike and surveillance drones.

The Corsair strike fits this shift: the US is beginning to adopt the asymmetric tactic it had been on the receiving end of for a decade. The cost of a Corsair is a fraction of a conventional torpedo or missile.

Why this matters

The first US combat deployment of explosive surface drones marks a line: after this, autonomous combat systems are no longer the exclusive weapon of weaker actors. Houthis and Ukrainian forces demonstrated for years that cheap, scalable drone boats can reshape naval warfare. Now the US — operating the Pacific and Atlantic Fleets — is applying the same doctrine. This shifts the calculus for every navy in the world that had counted on traditional tonnage superiority. Autonomy in surface combat is leaving the experimental phase.

What's next

CENTCOM has not disclosed the number or location of remaining Corsairs in service — that information is classified.
The US is in active procurement of a new generation of cheaper combat and surveillance drones, per Pentagon announcements from spring 2026.
Ukraine has already combined surface drones with armed ground robots — the US may follow the same path.