Innovations
Technological and operational innovations in the UAS and counter-UAS space — what emerged first, where, and what it changes. Each entry is sourced, dated, and linked to the drones involved.
Ukraine uses USV to land armed UGV in unmanned amphibious raid at Kinburn Spit
Report describes a fully unmanned amphibious raid combining a USV landing craft to deliver an armed Rys UGV ashore, with a UAV providing overwatch and recording the action. The novelty is the cross-domain unmanned 'sea-to-shore' assault con…
US Navy Medium Landing Ships (LSM) program uses commercial VCM approach
The US Navy is advancing the new Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program—smaller, beachable ships for distributed island-hopping logistics—using a Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) model intended to speed procurement by borrowing commercial shipb…
Sea Hunter MDUSV seen at RIMPAC; possible hybrid manned-unmanned CSG
The article notes the medium displacement unmanned surface vessel (MDUSV) Sea Hunter operating out of Pearl Harbor during RIMPAC 2026 and suggests it could deploy alongside a Carrier Strike Group. If integrated, this would represent an earl…
US uses Saronic Corsair USVs in one-way attack strike on Bandar Abbas
CENTCOM reports the first combat employment of American one-way attack unmanned surface vessels, using three Saronic Corsair USVs to strike a docked Iranian midget submarine at Bandar Abbas. The novelty is the operational debut of US-made m…
US employs Saronic Corsair USVs as one-way attack craft in combat
CENTCOM says U.S. forces used three Saronic Corsair unmanned surface vessels as one-way attack drones to strike Iran's Bandar Abbas Naval Base, described as the first U.S. combat employment of sea drones as strike weapons. This represents a…
Drones: Shahed-136
Ukrainian USV deploys armed UGV ashore on Kinburn Spit
Ukraine reportedly conducted a first-of-its-kind combat mission where an uncrewed surface vessel (drone boat) beached and deployed an armed wheeled UGV (likely a Rys-family platform with a 7.62mm MG) behind Russian lines. This is a novel cr…
US uses Corsair unmanned surface vessels for first combat strike
CENTCOM says US forces used three Saronic Corsair unmanned surface vessels (USVs) to strike an Iranian naval maintenance facility at Bandar Abbas, described as the first American combat employment of sea drones. The novelty is the transitio…
Kuwait to equip Al Dorra-class boats with Rheinmetall MASS decoy launchers
Kuwait is procuring Rheinmetall’s MASS softkill decoy launcher system for the first time, integrating it on eight Al Dorra-class guided-missile boats. The order includes Omnitrap-ER decoy ammunition, a newer extended-range variant intended …
Rheinmetall-MBDA high-energy laser weapon for German Navy
Rheinmetall and MBDA are developing an operational shipborne high-energy laser weapon for the German Navy, building on a containerized demonstrator tested on frigate Sachsen with 1,000+ shots across air/sea/land targets. The system is inten…
J.A. Solutions automatic payload deployment system for USVs
Danish firm J.A. Solutions unveiled a modular, remotely operated deployment system for unmanned surface vessels that can release life rafts for SAR or deliver military payloads such as sea mines, drones, and sensor packages. The novelty is …