Chinese military analysts are urging the
(PLA) to rapidly strengthen harbour defences after the United States carried out its first combat strike using
(USVs) to destroy an Iranian submarine.
US Central Command released footage on July 13 of what it said was the first
of American sea drones. Three vessels were shown striking an Iranian base, reportedly destroying one Ghadir-class midget submarine.
The Iranian-made submarine has an underwater displacement of less than 150 tonnes and is designed mainly for operations in shallow coastal waters, including minelaying and supporting special forces missions.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Sunday that the 7.3 metre (24 feet) Corsair USV, built by Saronic Technologies, was not specifically designed as a suicide weapon and could perform a range of missions.
This combination of annotated images from video released by US Central Command is said to show three Corsair unmanned surface vessels closing in on Iran’s Bandar Abbas naval base on July 12. Photo: AP
The Corsair has a modular payload and uses electro-optical and infrared sensors. Its autonomous navigation and machine-learning capabilities allow it to continue carrying out a mission even if its communications link is interrupted, according to the company.