Pentagon: US deploying uncrewed drone speedboats as part of Iran operations

The United States has deployed uncrewed drone speedboats for patrols as part of its operations against Iran, the Pentagon says, the first time Washington has confirmed using such vessels in an active conflict.

The deployment of the vessels — which can be used for surveillance or kamikaze strikes — has not been previously reported. It comes despite a series of setbacks in the US Navy’s years‑long effort to field a fleet of uncrewed surface vessels, Reuters reported last year.

In response to questions from Reuters, Tim Hawkins, a Pentagon spokesperson for Central Command, says unmanned vessels built by Maryland-based BlackSea, known as the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, or GARC, had been used for patrols as part of the US campaign against Iran, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”

“US forces continue to employ unmanned systems in the Middle East region, including surface drone assets like the GARC. This platform, in particular, has successfully logged over 450 underway hours and more than 2,200 nautical miles during maritime patrols in support of Operation Epic Fury,” Hawkins says in a statement.