Drone boat from Austin's Saronic rescued downed crew near Hormuz

The Corsair, a 24-foot Autonomous Surface Vessel built by Austin-based Saronic Technologies was used to rescue the crew of a U.S. Apache helicopter that crashed near Hormuz. In a first-of-its kind operation, the unmanned surface vessel located the two aviators who had spent two hours in the waters off the coast of Oman and brought them to shore, the military said Tuesday. Military officials have not said what caused the helicopter to go down or if it had come under enemy fire. The AH-64 helicopter was patrolling waters around the strait, the strategic waterway that Iran has effectively closed during the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. The crew were in stable condition when they were rescued, a military official said. While drones have been used in warzones for decades, Monday's rescue appears to be the first time a sea drone has saved people in combat. Saronic, which more than doubled its valuation to $9.25 billion with $1.75 billion in new funding in March, is ramping up production of its drone boats with a goal of building more than 20 annually by 2027. It also has plans to build a $3.2 billion shipyard at the Port of Brownsville. The company is seeing growing demand from the U.S. military. In December, it received a $392 million production contract for its Corsair vessels, with nearly $200 million obligated at the time of award. Estimated to cost about $1 million per unit, the Corsair has a range of 1,000 nautical miles and can carry up to 1,000 pounds at speeds topping 35 knots.