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An empty boat rescued two pilots
The Corsair rescue
The Navy sent a Corsair, a 24-foot fully autonomous speedboat built by the defense company Saronic. The pilots were in the water in a contested environment, with the United States in a conflict with Iran. Lives were on the line, and both pilots came home safely.
A boat that pulls up with nobody on it announces what it is. The pilots had been in the water for a long time, and they looked at the empty craft and saw their way home.
Why uncrewed matters
The US military does not leave people behind, and the history of rescues shows what that can cost. In 2005, four SEALs were trapped on a mountainside in Afghanistan, and the helicopter sent to get them was shot down. An uncrewed boat can reach people in trouble without putting additional soldiers in harm's way.
How does a boat steer itself without a crew?
An autonomous boat combines satellite navigation, radar, cameras, and onboard software that plots a route and steers around obstacles. Human operators can supervise it over radio or satellite links and step in when needed. Navies have used uncrewed surface craft for years on jobs such as mine hunting and surveying, where a hull with nobody aboard is an advantage. Mine-hunting drones were among the earliest uncrewed boats to enter naval service.
What happened in the 2005 Afghan mountain rescue?
The mission was Operation Red Wings, which began as a four-man Navy SEAL reconnaissance team in the mountains of Kunar Province. After the team came under fire, a Chinook helicopter carrying eight more SEALs and eight Army aviators flew in to help and was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. All 16 aboard died. Of the four men on the mountain, one survived, and US Navy accounts describe the day as the deadliest in the history of the SEALs.
Why is rescuing downed pilots so risky?
Combat search and rescue crews fly slow, low helicopters into areas where the enemy is also looking for the downed airman. The rescuers have a short window, because the people on the ground or in the water are often being tracked as well. US Air Force pararescue specialists train specifically for this job, and fighter aircraft often escort the helicopters. The first helicopter rescue of a downed airman in combat took place in Burma in April 1944, flown in a Sikorsky R-4.
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