September 7, 2026: In early July, the American Navy used three Corsair naval surface drones to attack an Iranian submarine and ship maintenance facility in the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. As a result, Iran now has difficulty attacking commercial shipping. The Corsairs were supported by F-18 warplanes and Marine F-35s operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln. Land-based AH-64 helicopter gunships armed with autocannons and Hellfire guided missiles provided additional air cover. The Air Force also has A-10 ground-attack aircraft armed with a 30mm high-speed autocannon, missiles, and guided bombs.

Earlier in July, an American Navy Saronic Corsair naval surface drone rescued two Army gunship pilots who crashed off the coast of Oman near the entry to the Persian Gulf. The AH-64 helicopter had been patrolling near the Strait of Hormuz and was shot down by Iranian forces. The Corsair is an 11-meter vessel that can carry a ton of cargo up to 2,000 kilometers at a top speed of more than 60 kilometers an hour, with a cruising speed of less than half that. Each one costs $1.2 million, about 10 times as much as an equivalent Ukrainian naval drone.

Saronic also has a larger, related 82-meter Marauder naval drone that can carry 150 tons of cargo up to 7,300 kilometers, with a top speed of 45 kilometers an hour and a cruising speed of 22 kilometers an hour. This drone can carry four 40-foot containers, eight 20-foot containers, or any other combination of cargo that fits.

As usual, much of this new naval drone technology traces back to Ukraine's experience two years ago. Its three operational Ukrainian marine drones are Sea Baby (Malyuk in Ukrainian), Mother (Mamai), and MAGURA (Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus). The SBU/Ukrainian Secret Service and the Navy developed Sea Baby and Mother. The 385th Separate Brigade, which specializes in naval warfare, uses them. GUR/Main Intelligence Directorate and SpetsTechnoExport, a state-owned enterprise, developed MAGURA. At the end of 2023, the SBU unveiled an updated Cossack Mamai with a claimed top speed of 100 kilometers per hour. Manufacture of these drones is done in underground production facilities to avoid Russian missile and guided bomb attacks.

Malyuk was used in the mid-2023 Kerch Bridge attack and was carrying 850 kg of explosives to inflict sufficient damage. MAGURA carries 320 kg of explosives while Mamai carries 450 kg. These marine drones are no longer used solely to deliver explosives against a target. They can also be used for reconnaissance when equipped with video cameras that broadcast what they see back to the drone operator. Some marine drones have been armed with small rocket launchers. Malyuk has a range of over 700 kilometers, making it suitable for operations on the high seas. Endurance is about 60 hours, and top speed is over 70 kilometers per hour. MAGURA has similar characteristics. Mamai was used in the long-range attack at the distant naval base at Novorossiysk on Russia’s eastern Black Sea coast, which is a thousand kilometers from Crimea.

Ukraine has been developing subsurface marine drones and, in early 2023, introduced the first one, the Toloka2 TK-150. This Drone was 2.5 meters long and equipped with a sensor mast that remained above the surface for navigation and target identification. Toloka2 can also carry a small explosive warhead. More recently, Ukraine developed the larger Marichka marine drone, which is 6 meters long and 1 meter in diameter. Ukraine has planned for a Western manufacturer to build and weaponize Ukrainian marine drones.

Ukrainian marine drones have been quite successful in attacking and sinking or disabling Russian navy ships. Eventually, the Ukrainian marine drones destroyed most of the Russian Black Sea fleet. The longest-range raids have targeted targets in the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov, as well as the more distant naval base at Novorossiysk. Another recent development has been amphibious landings. A naval drone carrying a ground combat drone landed this drone and withdrew. The land drone was mobile and armed with a machine gun, with the option to carry a rocket launcher or an automatic grenade launcher.