On 12 July 2026, U.S. Central Command executed the first combat deployment of armed unmanned surface vessels, striking a submarine and ship maintenance facility at Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base using three Saronic Technologies Corsair USVs. These one-way attack drones, measuring 7 meters in length, targeted a Ghadir-class midget submarine docked at the facility within the Strait of Hormuz, degrading Iran’s capacity to attack commercial tankers. The operation, part of a broader retaliatory strike against dozens of Iranian military sites following attacks on commercial shipping, validates the operational utility of unmanned surface vessels in high-threat maritime environments. CENTCOM released surveillance footage confirming the Corsairs’ impact, marking a historic shift in U.S. maritime warfare capabilities and accelerating the sector’s transition toward unmanned strike platforms.