A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft patrols the ocean in this undated photo. The United States is using drone boats capable of surveillance and military strikes to patrol Middle East waters as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to a Reuters report. (Jasmin L. Aquino/U.S. Navy)
U.S. drone speedboats capable of surveillance and military strikes are patrolling Middle East waters as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to a news agency report.
The unmanned surface vessels, known as Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft or GARC, have logged more than 450 hours and traveled more than 2,200 nautical miles during maritime patrols in support of U.S. operations against Iran, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told Reuters on Thursday.
Hawkins did not identify other drone systems potentially in use, according to the Reuters report. CENTCOM did not immediately confirm use of the drones in operations against Iran or answer related questions.
News of the Navy’s use of the uncrewed boats comes as the U.S. considers options to reopen the Strait of Hormuz for oil tankers and other commercial ships. Tehran has effectively closed the strait since hostilities began in late February, attacking ships in the strategic waterway with missiles and drones.
A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft maneuvers through the ocean in this undated photo. Drone boats equipped for surveillance and military strikes are being used by the United States to patrol waters in the Middle East as part of Operation Epic Fury, according to a Reuters report. (Jasmin L. Aquino/U.S. Navy)
President Donald Trump has repeatedly rebuked European leaders, most recently in a Thursday post to his Truth Social account, for refusing to send military resources to help open the strait amid sharply rising prices for petroleum-based products.
The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline at the pump in the U.S. had risen by about $1 over the past month to nearly $4, the American Automobile Association reported Thursday. Prices were higher on the West Coast, where costs were nearing $6 a gallon in some cases, AAA said.
The revelation about the surface drones also comes amid reports the U.S. is weighing sending as many as 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East as it negotiates with Iran to end the war that began Feb. 28.
It’s not clear exactly where the U.S. drone boats are patrolling in the Middle East, but the Navy has previously used underwater, surface and aerial unmanned vehicles to track Iranian military vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz.
The service has maintained a drone presence in the region for years, standing up Task Force 59 in 2021 with a focus on integrating unmanned systems and artificial intelligence into Navy operations.
In recent years, the Bahrain-based task force has experimented with armed drones.
A U.S. Navy Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft is seen in this undated photo. The unmanned boats can reach speeds of up to 46 miles per hour and carry payloads of up to 1,000 pounds, according to their Maryland-based manufacturer, BlackSea Technologies. (Jasmin L. Aquino/U.S. Navy)
For example, a Navy littoral combat ship coordinated with unmanned surface and aerial drones to identify and destroy a target boat during an exercise in November 2023. That exercise involved a MARTAC T-38 Devil Ray surface drone armed with missiles, Stars and Stripes reported at the time.
There have been no announcements or other indications that U.S. surface drones have been used in strikes against Iranian naval forces. U.S. strikes have destroyed 92% of the Iranian navy’s largest vessels, Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a post Wednesday on X.
The unmanned boats being used by the U.S. in operations against Iran can travel as fast as 46 mph and carry a payload of as much as 1,000 pounds, according to their Maryland-based manufacturer, BlackSea Technologies.
In addition to intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, the vessels can be used for communication relay, anti-submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, and deploying aerial and underwater drones, a specification sheet on BlackSea’s website states.
The surface drones have more than 5,000 operational hours in U.S. Navy fleets, according to BlackSea.
