US military footage shows its first-ever suicide boat drone strike on Iran

The American military on Monday published footage showing its first-ever operational use of suicide drone boats during strikes on Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base the previous day.

“Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea drones in combat operations,” the US Central Command said on X, attaching a video showing the drone boats maneuvering into the port and striking an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility.

“Last night’s strikes degraded Iran’s ability to continue attacking commercial shipping,” CENTCOM added.

Corsair drones, manufactured by Saronic, are 24 feet (7.3 meters) long, can carry payloads of 1,000 pounds (450 kg), and boast a range of over 1,000 nautical miles (1,850 km), according to the company.

Last month, a US Navy drone rescued the crew from a downed US helicopter that was hit by an Iranian drone over the Strait of Hormuz, also a first-ever such incident.

Uncrewed vessels have risen to prominence in recent years after Ukraine used explosive‑laden speedboats to inflict significant damage on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Yesterday, using multiple one-way attack surface drones, CENTCOM forces successfully struck a submarine and ship maintenance facility in Iran. Three Corsair unmanned surface vessels hit the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, marking the first time American forces have employed sea… pic.twitter.com/bOM2kmgRxz

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) July 13, 2026

Iran has used sea drones to attack oil tankers in the Gulf at least twice during the recent war with the US and Israel.

The Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip has also attempted to target Israeli offshore gas platforms with explosive-laden unmanned submarines, or underwater drones, several times in recent years, according to the Israeli military.

Drone boats can be remotely operated or have some degree of autonomy, and can also be used for surveillance. Last year, the Israel Defense Forces revealed that the Israeli Navy had deployed for the first time unmanned vessels in Israel’s exclusive economic zone for surveillance purposes.

The US has for years been trying to build a fleet of autonomous uncrewed surface and underwater vessels, as a cheaper and faster alternative to manned ships and submarines, particularly to counter China’s growing naval power in the Pacific. The effort, however, has fallen behind schedule and been dogged by technical problems, cost concerns and a series of testing setbacks.