The use of drones on the battlefield as surveillance and weapon-carrying units has been done since 1917 with the Kettering Bug. Drone and UAV technology has advanced and is now produced at a very low cost, allowing it to be a very effective kamikaze drone in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
But on June 8, for the first time in history, a surface drone (USV) was used in a mission to rescue two AH-64 Apache helicopter crews who crashed off the coast of Oman. The US Army helicopter experienced technical problems while patrolling the Strait of Hormuz, forcing it to land on the surface of the sea.
A USN USV Saronic Corsair was used in the rescue mission. It was remotely controlled without any human crew. The two crews managed to board the 7-meter USV before they were later rescued using a helicopter.
The USN just added the Corsair to their inventory in March to conduct area surveillance missions without putting human crews and assets in danger in the Strait of Hormuz. Previously, several USVs such as the UISS have been tested by the USN for mine clearance tasks.
It is rare to hear of drones being used for the purpose of rescuing personnel on the battlefield. It was once tested to carry cargo by the US Army but was not continued. Only Ukraine has so far used it to carry wounded personnel away from the front lines.
The lack of new recruits and the increasingly advanced technology of drones have made their use by the military increasingly popular. The Wingman, Replicator and Skyborg projects allow war drones to operate with human combat aircraft.
China and Turkey have also launched drone carriers for their respective navies. Yesterday, the FCAS project between France and Germany was canceled because the German Chancellor did not see the need to continue developing manned combat aircraft for the needs of the Luftwaffe.
