Drone Boat Developed By Vibhav Altekar Saves US Army Crew 

Picture Credit- Saronic.com

India -West News Desk

AUSTIN, TX — An autonomous drone boat known as the Corsair has successfully performed the first-ever rescue of personnel by an uncrewed surface vessel for the US military. The operation took place near the Strait of Hormuz, where the vessel recovered two crew members following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman. The rescue was completed within approximately two hours, and the personnel have since been reported in stable condition.

The deployment has brought attention to Vibhav Altekar, an Indian-American technology executive and the co-founder and chief technology officer of Saronic Technologies, the firm that developed the vessel. Altekar is responsible for overseeing the software architecture, machine learning, and navigation systems for the Austin-based company. A University of California graduate with expertise in perception engineering, Altekar previously served as a foundational engineer at the defense firm Anduril. During his tenure there, he contributed to various projects, including the Royal Australian Navy’s Ghost Shark autonomous submarine program, and worked on multiple US Department of Defense technology initiatives.

Saronic Technologies, a Texas-based defense company, was established in September 2022 by Altekar alongside former Navy SEAL Dino Mavrookas, as well as Doug Lambert and Rob Lehman. The company currently holds a $392 million production contract with the US Navy. The Corsair vessel involved in the rescue is a 24-foot craft engineered for long-endurance missions, capable of traveling over 1,000 nautical miles at speeds exceeding 35 knots with a 1,000-pound payload capacity.

This mission marks a significant milestone in the US military’s effort to incorporate autonomous technology into its maritime operations. By successfully managing the recovery of human personnel, the Corsair has proven that uncrewed surface vessels can effectively perform life-saving tasks, expanding their utility well beyond the scope of traditional surveillance and reconnaissance.