US Military Deploys Sea Drones for the First Time in New Strikes on Iran

United States forces have deployed one-way attack sea drones in combat for the first time as part of a new wave of military strikes against Iranian targets, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM) in a post on X on July 13.

The deployment of uncrewed surface vessels was integrated into a wider offensive that also utilized American fighter aircraft, naval warships, and aerial drones. According to the CENTCOM statement, the operation hit dozens of Iranian military installations across multiple locations using precision munitions.

The US strikes specifically targeted the country’s air-defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone capabilities, and small fast-attack boats. This coordinated barrage was launched to degrade Tehran’s operational capacity to threaten international shipping networks flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM wrote.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical maritime corridor for global trade, and CENTCOM emphasized that “Iran does not control it,” framing the military action as a direct response to Tehran’s attempts to disrupt commercial maritime traffic.

US special forces have recently conducted their first live-fire trials of Ukrainian-developed cutting-edge Magura sea drones in the Indo-Pacific region, deploying the low-cost craft to sink a target ship in the Philippines.

Ukraine has utilized a domestic fleet of naval drones to counter Russia’s naval dominance, effectively neutralizing a significant portion of the Black Sea Fleet despite Kyiv lacking large conventional warships.

Continuous deployments of specialized platforms, such as the MAGURA V5 and Sea Baby, have resulted in the sinking of multiple Russian missile corvettes and landing ships, successfully forcing Moscow to relocate its high-value naval assets from occupied Crimean ports to safer harbors farther east.

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The command noted that US forces remain fully postured and prepared to defend freedom of navigation against Iran’s “continued unwarranted aggression, harassment, threats, and arbitrary declarations.”

The expanding deployment of autonomous maritime systems follows technological advancements in Ukraine, where the domestic defense sector has recently unveiled a new family of modular unmanned surface vessels known as MOBIDIK.

The highly adaptable platform was developed in six distinct operational variants engineered to deploy a wide array of payloads, including interceptor drones, air-to-air missiles, long-range strike capabilities, and heavy explosive warheads.

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