Sea drone comes to rescue after US helicopter downed near Strait of Hormuz
The Corsair drone was used to rescue two US service members whose helicopter went down near the Strait of Hormuz. (Supplied: Saronic)
The United States Navy has used a drone boat in a maritime rescue mission for the first time.
The remotely piloted 7.3-metre Saronic Corsair was deployed near the Strait of Hormuz after an Army AH-64 Apache attack helicopter went down, a spokesman for US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.
Two crew members had been patrolling off the coast of Oman when their helicopter was struck.
They were floating at the crash site for about two hours before being picked up by the drone, according to CENTCOM spokesperson Tim Hawkins.
"They were then hoisted up to a helicopter for further transport," Captain Hawkins said.
Drone boats have been increasingly used in recent conflicts in various roles.
Analysts say the use of the Corsair in the high-stakes operation was another example of the growing importance of the vessels in modern warfare.
What is the Corsair drone?
Corsair, built by US company Saronic Technologies, is part of the Pentagon's push to expand the use of uncrewed vehicles alongside traditional military assets.
The drone can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots, or about 65km/h.
The vessel has a speedboat-like design that was unveiled in 2024.
The manufacturer says it can carry a load of up to 1,000 pounds (454 kilograms) and has a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles.
Corsair drones in unspecified waters, shown in a press photo from Saronic. (Supplied: Saronic)
Last year, Saronic announced it would be expanding its "footprint in Australia" and appointed retired Rear Admiral Lee Goddard as a strategic advisor.
Corsairs do not appear to be part of Australia's growing sea drone plans, according to Marcus Hellyer, head of research at defence think tank Strategic Analysis Australia.
Australia's surface drone fleet mainly consists of the Bluebottle, which was designed for sub-surface surveillance over extended periods of time. It can also carry payloads.
Dr Hellyer said the Bluebottle was optimised for range and endurance, "which means it is pretty slow".
"So there is still a gap in ADF's [Australian Defence Force] inventory for a kind of high-speed surface drone," he said.
Bluebottle uncrewed surface vessels can remain at sea for extended periods. (Supplied: Australia Defence Department/Peta Binns)
Removing human risk
The Corsair was used for the rescue mission because of "proximity and capability factors", Captain Hawkins said.
Dr Hellyer said it made sense to use an uncrewed vessel for a rescue operation in the highly volatile area.
"In a case like this it's perfect, really, because you're not putting people at risk," he told the ABC.
"You can send in a boat that's really fast, it's a small target, and if the first one gets blown up, you send another one because you're not putting humans in danger."
The Corsair was designed to be used with minimal human interaction, according to the manufacturer.
It was operated by Task Force 59, the US Navy’s first unit dedicated to uncrewed systems.
Created in 2021 and based in Bahrain, the task force began deploying the Corsairs in the Middle East in late March.
The US brought the Corsair into operation in the Middle East in March. (Supplied: Saronic)
Rise of drone rescues
The US service members were spotted and picked up by the Corsair at about 3:30am on Tuesday, local time, and taken to another location on the water.
They could then be reached by a helicopter and plucked out of the sea, Captain Hawkins said.
US President Donald Trump had said both service members were "safe and uninjured".
CENTCOM used more cautious language to describe the condition of the two.
"The soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition. The cause of the incident is under investigation," it said in a statement.
Dr Hellyer said it would have been difficult for the service members to hold on to the drone or a flotation device if they were severely injured.
Surface and submersible sea drones are often used for surveillance, mine detection and tracking enemy activity.
Various types of exploding drones have also been used in conflicts in recent years.
Ukraine has frequently used cheap, locally developed uncrewed surface vehicles to inflict damage on the Russian Navy.
Ukraine's early sea drones resembled a grey kayak-shaped vessel fitted with cameras and tracking devices. (ABC News Graphics: Jarrod Fankhauser)
Houthi rebels in Yemen are known to operate so-called kamikaze drone boats.
Iran has used drone boats during the current Middle East conflict to target vessels that could attempt to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
Dr Hellyer said using a sea drone for a rescue mission tracked with the evolution of drone warfare across all domains.
"I think this is just yet another example of the proliferating kind of use cases for these sorts of systems," he said.
There has been increasing experimentation in Ukraine to send land drones onto the battlefield to collect injured troops.
"We're starting to see it on land with autonomous mules. So, little buggies doing casualty evacuations on the frontline in Ukraine. So it's proliferating," Dr Hellyer said.
"People are starting to also explore casualty evacuation with UAVs [uncrewed aerial vehicles], so, flying drones, but that's a little trickier."
Incident reignites fighting
Mr Trump accused Iran of shooting down the US helicopter.
The AH-64 Apache attack helicopter went down after colliding with an Iranian drone, according to a US official, who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
CNN and The New York Times also cited US officials who claimed the helicopter was brought down by an Iranian drone.
A CENTCOM statement said the incident was under investigation.
The US retaliated by launching strikes on Iran, which has led to renewed attacks from Tehran on American bases in the region.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was responding to a series of American strikes on cities along its coastline.