Saronic Corsair: How a sea drone rescued crew of downed US Apache near Hormuz Strait

US navy used an autonomous surface vessel to rescue two crew members after an Apache helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz, marking what is believed to be the first known use of an unmanned military vessel to recover personnel at sea.The rescue has drawn attention to the Pentagon’s expanding use of unmanned systems in operational missions and spotlighted Task Force 59, the US navy’s Bahrain-based unit dedicated to autonomous platforms, said Reuters.The crew were aboard an AH-64 Apache helicopter operating near the coast of Oman when it crashed at 7:33 pm EDT on Monday. US Central Command (CENTCOM) later said the two soldiers were rescued within about two hours and were later reported to be in stable condition.The Apache helicopter went down while patrolling regional waters near Oman, close to the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.US military officials said naval assets from Naval Forces Central Command, Task Force 59, the 82nd Airborne Division and supporting Air Force and navy units participated in the rescue effort.

What is Saronic Corsair?

The Corsair is an autonomous surface vessel developed by the Texas-based defence technology company Saronic Technologies.According to the official website, Corsair is a 24-foot (7.3 metre) Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) capable of carrying up to 1,000 lbs over 1,000 NM.It stands ready to deliver multi-mission capabilities rapidly and at scale around the world.The vessel is claimed to have a top speed of more than 35 knots.The vessel forms part of a wider US military push to integrate autonomous systems into maritime operations. Task Force 59 has been actively testing and deploying a growing fleet of sea drones across the Middle East since its establishment in 2021, according to a Reuters report.Sea drones have primarily been used by the US Army for surveillance, communications support, mine-clearing and intelligence-gathering missions. The Apache rescue, however, demonstrated their potential role in rapid-response operations involving human lives.US has been actively deploying both unmanned surface vessels and underwater vehicles, giving commanders flexibility depending on needs. However, many of the advanced underwater unmanned systems remain highly secretive.Sea drones are not exclusive to the US military. Ukraine has extensively used its own unmanned surface vessels, claiming they have sunk multiple Russian warships and damaged helicopters.