Saronic AUV used in rescue of crew members from downed Apache

Image: Saronic Technologies

Recently, we have been reporting a lot on Austin, Texas, headquartered autonomous surface vessel innovator Saronic Technologies. On June 8 a 24-foot Saronic Corsair ASV gave a convincing proof of its performance under conflict conditions when it was used to rescue two crew members from a U.S. Army AH-64 Apache that was downed by an Iranian drone.

Corsair is a 24′ Autonomous Surface Vessel (ASV) capable of carrying up to 1,000 lbs over 1,000 NM.

“The soldiers were safely rescued within approximately two hours and are in stable condition,” said CENTCOM. “Rescue efforts were led by U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and the 82nd Airborne Division, with support from U.S. Air Force and Navy units including U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59.”

Task Force 59, established in September 2021, is the Navy’s first Unmanned and Artificial Intelligence Task Force. Operating in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East region.

The New York Times report on the story quotes Central Command spokesman, Capt. Tim Hawkins, as saying: “The surface drone that assisted in last night’s rescue of the Apache crew off the coast of Oman was a U.S. Navy Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by U.S. 5th Fleet’s Task Force 59, The task force began fielding these drones in theater in late March.”

The 24-foot-long Corsair, built by the company Saronic Technologies, runs on diesel fuel and can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots. The vessel can carry a load of up to 1,000 pounds and has a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles.

The Corsair was used for the mission because of “proximity and capability factors,” the New York Times reports Captain Hawkins as saying. The vessel carried the Apache’s pilot and gunner to another location, where they were picked up by a helicopter to complete the rescue.”