Firm co-founded by Indian-American behind historic sea drone rescue of US Apache crew in Gulf waters
A US Navy drone boat that rescued two crew members of an Apache helicopter, downing of which was blamed on Iran, near the strait of Hormuz, was reportedly developed by a Texas-based company called Saronic Technologies whose co-founder is an Indian-American – Vibhav Altekar.
The rescue operation by the drone boat Corsair is believed to be the first known US use of an unmanned military vessel to recover personnel at sea and is part of the Pentagon’s push to expand unmanned vehicles alongside traditional assets.
US Central Command spokesman, Capt. Tim Hawkins said, “the US service members were spotted and picked up by a drone boat that took them to another location on the water, where they were picked up by a helicopter,” AP reported.
It was the first US rescue carried out by an autonomous surface vessel, remotely piloted by a human operator, he added, as reported by PTI news agency.
Key facts about Corsair
Corsair is a 24-foot-long ((7.3-meter) vessel that runs on diesel fuel and can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots. It can carry a load of up to 1,000 pounds and has a range of more than 1,000 nautical miles.
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The drone was deployed under the Navy’s Task Force 59, established in 2021 as the Navy’s first uncrewed and artificial intelligence unit. The task force is responsible for enhancing maritime security across the Middle East, particularly in strategic waterways such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Suez Canal, AP reported.
The company, Saronic Technologies, is Headquartered in Austin, Texas and was founded in September 2022 by Dino Mavrookas, and three others, including Altekar. The other co-founders are Doug Lambert and Rob Lehman.
Citing the LinkedIn profile of Saronic Technologies, PTI said that it has a USD 392 million production contract with the US Navy for autonomous surface vessels.
Who is Vibhav Altekar
Altekar, who studied electrical engineering at the University of California, is the Chief Technology Officer with Saronic, PTI reported.
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A profile on Saronic Technologies’ website says Altekar leads the development of the company’s autonomous systems and software architecture. He also oversees Forward Deployed Engineering, Product, Special Programs and Software, working with teams focused on perception, navigation, machine learning, command and control, and systems integration, according to PTI.
The report further states that Altekar is a perception engineer with expertise in autonomous systems and maritime technology. He has spent a significant part of his career working on technologies for the US Department of Defense, contributing to advancements in the autonomous systems sector.
Before co-founding Saronic Technologies, Altekar was among the early engineers at Anduril, PTI reported. During his time there, he led engineering efforts across multiple programmes, including work on the Royal Australian Navy’s Ghost Shark drone submarine.
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Key facts about US sea drones
Based in Bahrain, Task Force 59 is the US Navy’s first unit dedicated to unmanned systems. The task force began fielding the Corsairs in the Middle East in late March, Reuters reported.
The US military deploys both unmanned surface vessels and underwater drones, giving military commanders flexibility depending on needs for different missions. Some of its most advanced underwater systems are kept secret.
Sea drones are used to detect mines and track enemy activity. Some are also being developed for combat roles. They can support both routine operations and dangerous missions while reducing risks to personnel.
The Navy plans to deploy hundreds, and eventually thousands, of Corsair drones, although the technology still faces challenges, according to Reuters.
(With input from agencies)