US uses explosive sea drones in combat for first time
US Central Command said three one-way attack surface drones struck Iranian naval targets at Bandar Abbas on July 12.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
2 min read
The US military has used explosive drone boats in combat for the first time, striking Iranian naval targets at Bandar Abbas, according to US Central Command. The attack matters because it marks a new use of sea drones by American forces, nearly a decade after Iranian and Houthi forces first showed similar weapons.
US Central Command, the combat command responsible for US military operations in the Middle East, said in a social media post that American forces employed “one-way attack surface drones” during strikes on the night of July 12. The command released video showing three drone boats approaching targets and exploding.
Central Command described the operation as the “first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations.” The targets shown in the video included an Iranian midget submarine and a ship maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base, according to the command’s description and reporting by USNI News.
USNI News, a publication of the nonprofit US Naval Institute, reported that the drone boats made a “low-speed, uncontested approach” before detonating. The outlet also identified one target as a Ghadir-class Iranian midget submarine that was out of the water and hanging from a gantry at the time of the strike.
The released footage showed three separate explosions after the surface drones reached the naval targets, according to Central Command. The military referred to the craft as one-way systems, meaning they were intended to detonate rather than return after launch.
The strike took place at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, a major Iranian naval site on the country’s southern coast, according to Central Command and USNI News. The reported targets were tied to Iran’s submarine and ship maintenance operations at the base.
The use of explosive surface drones adds a maritime version of one-way unmanned systems to publicly confirmed US combat operations. Central Command did not say in its post what type of drone boat was used, where the systems were launched from, or whether the attack caused casualties.
USNI News reported the approach to the targets was uncontested, but no additional details were provided about Iranian defenses during the attack. Central Command’s post focused on the novelty of the operation and the video of the three drones detonating near the submarine and maintenance site.
Iranian and Houthi forces had demonstrated explosive drone boats nearly a decade before the US military’s first acknowledged combat use of such systems, according to reporting on the operation. Central Command’s July 12 strike is the first time the US has publicly said it used sea drones in combat.
This story draws on original reporting from Ars Technica.