US Navy used sea drone to rescue 2 aviators off Oman

A US Navy sea drone helped rescue two US Army aviators after their Apache helicopter went down off Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, in what appears to be the first publicly known rescue mission carried out by an unmanned vessel at sea. US Central Command said the crew was recovered within about two hours and was in stable condition. The drone was a Corsair unmanned surface vessel operated by the Fifth Fleet's Task Force 59, the Navy unit focused on autonomous systems. The 7.3-meter vessel, built by Texas-based Saronic Technologies, is typically used for surveillance and mine-related missions. Analysts said the operation showed how unmanned boats could take on riskier missions without exposing more personnel to fire.