US Sea Drone Makes History in Helicopter Crew Rescue Off Oman
A 24-foot unmanned vessel called the Corsair picked up two American soldiers from the waters near Oman this week, marking the first publicly known rescue mission by a sea drone. The crew members survived an Apache helicopter crash in the Strait of Hormuz. They’re now in stable condition.
What Is the Corsair Sea Drone?
The Corsair is manufactured by a Texas-based company specializing in maritime drones. It can carry 1,000 pounds and travel over 35 knots per hour. That’s roughly 40 miles per hour.
“The Corsair is about the size of a fishing boat with a flat deck, so it’s designed to be loaded and it’s probably able to hold three to four people,” says Bryan Clark, a naval drone expert at the Hudson Institute.
The vessel features a 360-degree camera and radar system for long-range navigation. It also carries an electronic radio sensor for intelligence gathering. The US Navy operates approximately 50 of these vessels.
How Did the Rescue Mission Unfold?
US Central Command confirmed the two soldiers “were safely rescued within approximately two hours” after the helicopter went down. The pickup occurred around 3:30 a.m. local time on Tuesday.
Both experts consulted by BBC Verify believe the drone was manually controlled during the operation. Clark explained that an operator likely used a joystick to guide it precisely to the crew’s location.
“They would have just clambered on board, just like would to get on a boat at sea,” he said.
The soldiers were transported to another location on the water. A helicopter then hoisted them up for further transport to safety.
Why Send a Drone Instead of a Crewed Vessel?
Captain Tim Hawkins, a Centcom spokesman, cited “proximity and capability factors” for selecting the Corsair. Dr. Stacie Pettyjohn from the Center for a New American Security offered another perspective.
“The unmanned drone would have been used instead of sending in a ship or a helicopter where people could have been shot at,” she explained.
President Donald Trump stated the Apache was shot down by Iran near the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway has been largely blocked to shipping since the Iran conflict began. Using an unmanned vessel reduced risk to additional personnel.
“Although rescue isn’t a core mission of the vessel, it was clearly good for a dirty, dangerous missions like this,” Dr. Pettyjohn added.
The Pentagon’s Growing Investment in Unmanned Systems
Task Force 59 operates the Corsair fleet. Created in 2021, it’s the Navy’s first unit dedicated entirely to unmanned systems. Deployment to the Middle East began in March.
The Navy awarded a $392 million production contract to the Corsair’s manufacturer last year. That signals serious commitment to expanding autonomous capabilities.
“They’re typically used for detecting mines or surveillance, but the Navy is still experimenting with the fleet in the strait to see what it can do,” Dr. Pettyjohn noted.
Sea Drones Have Transformed Modern Warfare
Ukraine has pioneered aggressive use of sea drones against Russian military ships, loading them with explosives for attack missions. However, rescue operations represent new territory.
“Most of vessels used by Ukraine are smaller, more like the size of a jet ski, and couldn’t carry a person,” Clark pointed out.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels and Iran have both deployed kamikaze drone boats in recent conflicts. Dr. Pettyjohn credits Ukraine with demonstrating what’s possible: “Ukrainians really took it to the next level and showed what other countries could do.”
You might expect sea drones to remain purely offensive tools. This rescue proves they can save lives too. The two soldiers now recovering owe their quick extraction to a fishing-boat-sized robot that reached them before anyone else could.