The U.S. Department of Defense has acknowledged the operational use of uncrewed drone speedboats in its recent maritime actions against Iran, marking the first time Washington has publicly confirmed deploying such surface drones in a conflict context.
Pentagon officials said the craft in question are the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft, or GARC, produced by Maryland-based BlackSea. A Pentagon spokesperson for U.S. Central Command, Tim Hawkins, said these unmanned surface vessels have been assigned to patrol duties in support of the campaign labelled Operation Epic Fury.
According to Hawkins, the GARC platform has recorded over 450 underway hours and has covered more than 2,200 nautical miles while conducting maritime patrols in the region. He declined to identify other unmanned systems operating alongside the GARC and did not provide further operational details. BlackSea declined to comment on the deployment.
The announcement clarifies that the current use has been for patrols and surveillance. There was no official indication that the United States has employed these uncrewed vessels for offensive strikes.
Rising prominence of sea drones in modern conflicts has put uncrewed surface vessels under greater scrutiny. Explosive-laden speedboats have been used in past confrontations to inflict substantial damage on naval assets, and Iran has itself used sea drones to attack oil tankers in the Gulf on at least two occasions since the U.S. and Israel began carrying out strikes nearly a month ago. Those incidents in regional waters have underscored both the tactical utility and the risks associated with unmanned maritime systems.
The GARC is an angular speedboat roughly five meters in length. Efforts to build a broader fleet of autonomous surface and underwater craft have been under way for several years as the U.S. seeks lower-cost, faster-to-field alternatives to manned ships and submarines. Those efforts have aimed to provide enhanced maritime presence and situational awareness, particularly in areas where expanded surveillance and persistent coverage are desired.
However, the overall program has encountered delays and technical hurdles. The broader push to field uncrewed surface vessels has been affected by schedule slippages, technical and safety problems, cost pressures and multiple testing setbacks. Last year the GARC was linked to a number of performance and safety concerns, including a collision with another boat during a military test. More recently, during another test in the Middle East, a GARC became inoperable, according to a source briefed on the matter. Hawkins declined to comment on these specific testing setbacks but described the GARC as an emerging capability that forms part of a fleet of surface drones operated by U.S. 5th Fleet to improve awareness of regional waters.
The confirmed use of GARC for patrols demonstrates the Pentagon’s willingness to incorporate uncrewed surface assets into active operations despite developmental challenges. The deployment underscores both the growing operational role for unmanned maritime systems and the practical difficulties involved in transitioning prototypes and experimental platforms into sustained, reliable field units.
Details remain limited about the full range of unmanned systems currently employed in the theater, their specific missions beyond patrols, and any rules of engagement that govern their use. The Pentagon’s disclosure noted only the GARC’s patrol activity and performance metrics in hours and nautical miles.