Saronic Corsair

Saronic describes Corsair as a 24-foot American autonomous surface vessel, fielded by the US Navy's Task Force 59 according to The War Zone, with its first combat use announced by CENTCOM: a one-way attack by three vessels at Bandar Abbas on 12 July 2026.

Overview

The Corsair is a multi-mission autonomous surface vessel (ASV) built by Saronic Technologies of Austin, Texas. Saronic lists a 24-foot length, a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds, a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles and a top speed above 35 knots. DefenseScoop reported that NAVSEA formalized a production Other Transaction agreement on 16 May 2025 with a ceiling exceeding $392 million, completion scheduled for 30 May 2031 and nearly $197 million awarded under the agreement that July. Naval News identified Corsair as the production platform in December 2025; that announcement publicized the existing programme rather than an additional award.

A Task Force 59 Corsair recovered two US Army AH-64 Apache aircrew off Oman on 8 June 2026, according to DefenseScoop, which described it as the US military's first publicized use of an autonomous surface vessel to recover downed aircrew in real-world warfare. Axios reported that the vessel's exact degree of autonomous control during the rescue was unclear. CENTCOM subsequently announced Corsair's first combat use: three vessels configured as one-way attack surface drones struck a submarine and ship-maintenance facility at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, Iran, on 12 July 2026.

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