A recent report drew attention when an AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, a symbol of the United States' most powerful military strength, was struck by an Iranian Shahed suicide drone near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8 and crashed, embarrassing the U.S. military. But a fact hidden behind that story has now drawn renewed attention: an Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) rescued the crew of the U.S. AH-64 Apache attack helicopter that was shot down by Iranian forces.
The vessel in question is "Corsair," an artificial intelligence (AI)-based unmanned surface vessel built by U.S. defense startup Saronic. Founded in 2022, Saronic was co-founded by former Navy SEAL members. The company focuses on developing AI-based autonomous vessels. As one of the key partners in the U.S. Navy's next-generation unmanned fleet construction project, it is reported to currently have a corporate value of about $9.3 billion (14.15 trillion won).
As the U.S. Congress and Navy push plans to expand unmanned vessels (surface warfare) as actual combat power, the disclosure of the unmanned surface vessel "Corsair" is expected to add momentum to the U.S. Navy's USV acquisition plans. The U.S. House Armed Services Committee included numerous provisions in the fiscal year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), passed June 4, requiring the Navy to rapidly introduce small unmanned surface vessels and establish a clear acquisition strategy.
According to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, through "Directive Report Language," it specified that military leadership establish plans for the acquisition, maintenance, and operation of small unmanned surface vessels (USVs) weighing less than 50 tons and measuring 50 feet (about 15 meters) or less. Under this plan, it required inclusion of a detailed list of introduced unmanned surface vessels, the types of missions for which the Navy would use USVs, methods of cooperation with manned vessels, and integration plans with current command, control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and rear-support infrastructure.
According to the U.S. Wall Street Journal and U.S. military specialty outlet TWZ, this is the first case in which a surface drone undertook a search-and-rescue mission and actually rescued lives. For this reason, U.S. local media assessed it as a significant event and the first real-world case showing that the paradigm of combat search and rescue (CSAR) — which is highly dangerous and can lead to additional loss of life and military assets — could shift from being centered on special forces, manned helicopters and fixed-wing rescue aircraft to being centered on unmanned platforms.
In video released by defense startup Saronic, a rotating camera and sensor device, navigation radar, additional situational-awareness cameras, and various types of antennas are installed atop a central mast-shaped structure. Thanks to this, Corsair can be operated independently and is also called an autonomous surface vessel (ASV). It can also be operated in network-connected swarm form, and is mainly deployed for surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Corsair, manufactured by Saronic, was built in the form of a 7.3-meter fast boat. It is also called an "autonomous surface vessel" (ASV). According to the manufacturer, its maximum range is 1,000 nautical miles (about 1,852 km), and its payload reaches about 453 kg. It can carry out various missions including reconnaissance, surveillance, search and rescue, and electronic warfare. In particular, the fact that it does not require directly deploying personnel into dangerous areas is cited as a strength.
Saronic also signed a contract worth about $392 million (about 598 billion won) with the U.S. Navy last year. This year, it is in the at-sea testing phase of the Navy's Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV) program. The company is also reportedly pursuing the construction of new shipbuilding facilities in the United States to expand future production of large autonomous vessels. The U.S. Navy leadership has previously stated its intention to build a "hybrid" fleet mixing manned and unmanned vessels.
The U.S. military has operated "Corsair" within Task Force 59 of the Navy's 5th Fleet, established in Bahrain in 2021 to experiment with unmanned technology and artificial intelligence (AI) and introduce them into naval operations. It deployed Corsair to the operational area starting in late March, and this rescue operation was the first stage in which it was tested in actual combat. In May, the U.S. Navy announced its "30-Year Shipbuilding Plan" and disclosed its goal of holding 47 unmanned surface vessels (USVs) by 2031 and increasing the number to 72 by 2056.
