The U.S. has unveiled a new chapter in modern naval warfare with its first combat use of one-way attack sea drones. Inspired by Ukraine’s Black Sea innovations, these unmanned vessels are reshaping the battle for the Strait of Hormuz. In this video, we examine the Corsair drone, its reported role in recent U.S. operations, and how drone warfare could redefine maritime strategy, regional security, and the future of naval conflict.
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 - US Iran War Operation Epic Fury
01:22 - US Kamikaze Sea Drones Inspired by Ukraine
03:39 - Corsair Sea Drone Deploys 1,000kg Payload
06:53 - Bandar Abbas Naval Base US Drone Strike
10:23 - Donald Trump Ends 60-Day Iran Ceasefire
13:48 - Will US Drones Control Strait of Hormuz?
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SOURCES / ATTRIBUTIONS: https://pastebin.com/J75nZx49
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense visual information on the WarLeaks - The Military Show does not imply or constitute Department of Defense endorsement.
⏱️ CHAPTERS:
00:00 - US Iran War Operation Epic Fury
01:22 - US Kamikaze Sea Drones Inspired by Ukraine
03:39 - Corsair Sea Drone Deploys 1,000kg Payload
06:53 - Bandar Abbas Naval Base US Drone Strike
10:23 - Donald Trump Ends 60-Day Iran Ceasefire
13:48 - Will US Drones Control Strait of Hormuz?
Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join
#militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis
#themilitaryshow
SOURCES / ATTRIBUTIONS: https://pastebin.com/J75nZx49
The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense visual information on the WarLeaks - The Military Show does not imply or constitute Department of Defense endorsement.
Category
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NewsTranscript
00:00The U.S. war with Iran has reignited. Several days of strikes have already been carried out,
00:06but there's something different about Operation Epic Fury the second time around.
00:11It's not just about air power anymore. The U.S. has learned its lessons and knows that the Strait
00:17of Hormuz will be the key to success the second time around. So the U.S. has unleashed a secret
00:23weapon. And it's not just any old weapon. This is something that Ukraine innovated,
00:29and the U.S. has learned how to use. Ukraine gave the U.S. the key. Now, in a U
00:35.S. first,
00:36that key is being used to unlock the Strait of Hormuz barrier, and Iran isn't ready for any of it.
00:42What is that key? We'll let U.S. Central Command or CENTCOM explain.
00:47In a July 13th article published on X, CENTCOM revealed that it had launched a wave of offensive
00:53strikes against Iran the previous day, and that those strikes hit multiple locations,
00:59all with the express goal of preventing Iran from attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
01:05CENTCOM forces struck Iranian military air defense systems, coastal radar sites, missile and drone
01:11capabilities, and small boats using U.S. fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones,
01:18and one-way attack sea drones for the first time, the article revealed. It's that last statement that
01:25is the kicker. The first time ever, the U.S. has used kamikaze maritime drones in an attacking capacity
01:31against an enemy. And in doing so, America has just shown the world that it's been inspired by
01:37everything that Ukraine has managed to achieve against Russia in the Black Sea in the Sea of Azov.
01:42Ukraine is the innovator of this era of drone technology,
01:45and it has laid down the blueprint for using sea drones to control a relatively small body of
01:50water. Ukraine's secret weapon is now being used against Iran. But is it actually a Ukrainian-made
01:57weapon that is doing the damage? There were signs that it might have been that emerged about a month
02:02before the U.S. finally used sea drones for the first time. On June 9th, United24 media reported that
02:09Ukraine's Magura V-5 maritime drones had made their debut in the Indo-Pacific during a U.S.
02:15training operation. The drone made an impression. The operation, which included 17,000 soldiers,
02:22managed to sink a target ship during a live-fire exercise in the Philippines, demonstrating that
02:27it is precisely what Ukraine has always shown it to be. This is the same drone that wreaks havoc on
02:33Russia's Black Sea fleet, to the point where that fleet is basically a non-factor in Ukraine today.
02:38And in the Philippines, the U.S. got its first direct dose of the power of Ukraine's weapon.
02:43The U.S. even conducted this strike in the Luzon Strait, which seemed like a purposeful move,
02:49to show countries that control narrow waterways such as Iran, with its hold over the Strait of Hormuz,
02:55that the U.S. can use maritime drones effectively. That operation marked the official spread of
03:01Ukraine's drones beyond the Black Sea. And it might lead you to the assumption that it
03:05was the Magura V-5 that the U.S. used to strike Iran on July 12. However, those assumptions are
03:12wrong.
03:13The U.S. may have been testing the Magura V-5, and it may well bring the power of that
03:17drone,
03:18which has a 320 kg payload and a 430 nautical mile range to bear in the Strait of Hormuz soon.
03:25But for its first ever combat deployment of a sea drone, the U.S. may have been inspired by Ukraine's
03:31Black Sea exploits, but it wanted to use a drone it developed itself to send the message to Iran
03:36that a new type of weapon is in town. It wasn't the Magura V-5 that the U.S. used
03:41on July 12.
03:42It was the Corsair.
03:43In its report on what CENTCOM did in Iran, the Military Times says that the U.S. used Corsairs to
03:51assist in degrading Iran's ability to continue to attack commercial shipping through the Strait
03:56of Hormuz. And it's easy to see why the U.S. might have preferred to use that sea drone over
04:01Ukraine's more established drone. The Corsair is a powerhouse. Built by Texas-based Saronic,
04:08the Corsair measures 24 feet and it can deliver a 1,000 kg payload over a range of more than
04:141,000
04:15nautical miles. So it can travel more than twice the distance of the Magura V-5 and delivers more
04:21than three times the explosive force in a kamikaze strike. The Corsair can also hit speeds of up to 35
04:27knots which makes it fast enough to deal with the Iranian fast boats that are the main threat posed in
04:33Strait of Hormuz. After all, Iran's traditional navy isn't going to be able to do much.
04:38Toward the tail end of the first phase of Operation Epic Fury, the U.S. was claiming to have destroyed
04:43over 160 of Iran's naval vessels, essentially putting Iran's navy to bed early on.
04:50Now it's the fast boats and similar small vessels that form the crux of Iran's strategy.
04:56Following Ukraine's Black Sea blueprint, the U.S. now wants to make the Corsair the perfect counter.
05:02You may be wondering why the U.S. may have chosen the Corsair over the Magura V-5 from a
05:06combat
05:06perspective. Yes, the Corsair is more powerful and can travel further, but the Magura V-5 is a
05:12proven ship killer. That might make you think it was a better choice. However, the Corsair is far
05:17from untested. In fact, it's been used by the U.S. before, albeit not for the type of mission that
05:22we've just seen. The Corsair platform has logged over 100,000 nautical miles, so it's hardly like the
05:28drone has just been dropped into the sea for the first time in Iran. It also has a solid track
05:33record in other types of missions. A recent track record, too. It was only on June 8th,
05:38the U.S. used a Corsair to rescue the crew of an AH-64 Apache helicopter that had crashed off
05:44the
05:44coast of Oman, task and purpose points out. That chopper is believed to have been struck by an
05:49Iranian drone, and the Corsair showed that it could offer a low-risk way of navigating through
05:54the Strait of Hormuz to save soldiers. That was a U.S. first in its own right, only this was
06:00the
06:00first time that America had used a C-drone to rescue personnel stranded at sea. What CENTCOM did
06:05with the Corsair on July 12th was much different. What the U.S. has done here is watch Ukraine reshape
06:11modern naval warfare. Inspired by the likes of the Magura, which, we remind you, may find its own way
06:17into the Strait of Hormuz soon, the U.S. has unleashed a showcase of C-drone power against Iran
06:22that is a clear signal to the Tehran regime that the battle over the Strait of Hormuz is going to
06:28go differently this time around. Like the Black Sea, the Strait of Hormuz is a relatively small
06:33body of water with clear access points. It's controllable. However, questions remain that we
06:40haven't answered yet, chief among them being what the U.S. actually struck with the Corsair.
06:45We know that a first-of-its-kind strike took place, but what did it take out?
06:49You are about to discover the answer, but first, this is a reminder that you are watching the
06:53military show. If you haven't subscribed to the channel yet, now is the perfect time to hit the button.
07:01There is a key difference between Ukraine's Black Sea campaign and what the U.S. just did with its
07:05C-drone, and the difference lies in the type of target that was struck. Ukraine focuses primarily
07:11on taking out ships with its C-drones because it knows that Russia can't replace warships that have
07:17been taken out in the Black Sea. The U.S. doesn't have that luxury when it comes to Iran's fast
07:22boats, which are smaller, faster, and far more numerous than Russia's warships. So, the U.S.
07:27decided that instead of targeting the fast boats with the Corsair, it would go straight to the
07:32source, a base from which those fast boats depart. What the U.S. did with the Corsairs on July 12th
07:38was
07:38part of a wider range of strikes that also incorporated aerial drones, warships, and fighter jets,
07:43forces, which combined to attack dozens of Iranian military installations. However,
07:48it was the job of the Corsairs to target Bandar Abbas naval base. Three of America's C-drones paid
07:54visits to that base, and it's clear why the U.S. chose this particular target for its combat-first
07:59approach. Bandar Abbas is considered one of Iran's most important naval bases, as it's a primary
08:06installation for both the Iranian Navy and the naval forces deployed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
08:12Corps or IRGC. The latter is primarily responsible for the fast boat deployments Iran uses to disrupt
08:18shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Bandar Abbas is something of a jack of all trades for Iran's
08:24naval forces, Sandbox reports. It's home to command and control points. Iran uses it as a staging point
08:31for its fast boats and mine layers, both of which have already caused plenty of problems in Hormuz.
08:36There are even missiles located at this particular base. But above all else, and perhaps the big
08:41reason why this base was the first to be struck by America's Corsairs, Bandar Abbas is located right
08:47at the tip of the bend in the Strait of Hormuz, which is pretty much bang on the center of
08:51the
08:51waterway. The base is central to everything. No ship that attempts to sail in or out of the strait can
08:58avoid Bandar Abbas, and any ship that Iran doesn't want in the Strait of Hormuz can be targeted by
09:03weapons unleashed from this particular base. So the US hit it with Corsair Sea drones.
09:09And in doing so, America not only aimed to destroy the ports built into the base, but it also ensured
09:14that the risk posed by the Soviet-era air defense systems and the Chinese anti-ship missiles installed
09:20at Bandar Abbas would be practically worthless. Sandbox reports that America's specific target
09:26may have been the submarine repair and maintenance facilities at Bandar Abbas,
09:30which makes sense in the context of taking out the one aspect of naval power Iran has left,
09:35that the US can't simply destroy with air strikes and anti-ship missiles on the surface.
09:40However, the US hasn't confirmed anything yet, beyond that the strike took place and Corsair
09:45Sea drones were involved. Now Bandar Abbas is no stranger to American strikes. It has been hit before.
09:52However, Iran's regime wasn't ready for what the US had in store this time. It couldn't possibly be.
09:59The Corsair hadn't been used to conduct a strike before. And though Iran likely figured that the US
10:04would introduce sea drones into the battle for Hormuz eventually, it clearly didn't anticipate those
10:09drones being used to strike a base. Fast boats maybe, but one of the most fortified bases on the
10:15Iranian coast wasn't supposed to be hit. Yet it was. And though Iran might not have expected the Corsair
10:21to be America's weapon of choice, it knew that something was coming. US President Donald Trump made
10:26that very clear in the run-up to Operation Epic Fury Reigniting. Prustrated that negotiations weren't
10:32progressing as fast as the US would like, or in the direction that the US wants them to go,
10:37Trump said on July 8th that America's ceasefire agreement with Iran was over, as he branded the
10:43country's leaders as cuckoo and scum. That came on the back of the worst exchange of strikes between
10:49the US and Iran that has been seen since the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding that,
10:54among other things, guaranteed a 60-day ceasefire period. We guess that guarantee didn't work out.
11:00The US is showing no signs that it's going to stop either. Two days after its first ever use of
11:06a
11:06sea drone as a weapon, Trump said that Iran's power plants and bridges are next on the agenda,
11:11as the US also instituted a blockade against the Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz.
11:17Next week it gets really bad for them, Trump declared, adding,
11:20we're going to knock out all of their power plants, we're going to knock out all of their bridges,
11:24unless they get to the table and negotiate. At the risk of sounding cynical, the more things change,
11:29the more they stay the same. It looks like the US and Iran are right back to where they were
11:34a few
11:35months ago. All of that leads us to the obvious question of what all of this means for the future.
11:40We have the US pulling off firsts along with the re-ignition of the aerial and naval strikes that
11:45defined the situation in the Strait of Hormuz for much of the period between March and June.
11:49This isn't a short-term thing for the Trump administration either. Trump has made it very
11:53clear that war with Iran is back on and it's going to last for as long as the US needs
11:59it to last.
12:00Formal notification has been given to Congress that the US is resuming military activity in Iran in the
12:06form of a letter that Trump sent on July 10th, informing Congress that this activity has commenced.
12:12That has triggered debate in the US. A notification isn't the same thing as congressional approval.
12:18Not that the Trump administration looked for approval the first time around, of course.
12:22As the debate rages, we are more interested in the military implications of America's first use
12:27of a C-drone to launch a strike. Those implications are massive because this single incident may signal
12:34a wholesale shift in how the US develops and procures weapons. Saronic is a perfect example
12:40of the shift going on in America's defense industry right now. Once again inspired by Ukraine,
12:45the US is looking to its defense contractors to deliver actual warfighting capability,
12:50rather than spending untold millions of dollars on platforms and weapons that are as much about
12:55projecting power as they are about actually unleashing it. The Corsair is one of the results
13:00of this shift in defense procurement dynamics. The C-drone costs the US less than $1 million,
13:06making it cheaper than any of the missiles that America is using against Iran and is capable of
13:11carrying out rescue and strike missions. What we are seeing here is a shift toward cost efficiency,
13:16combined with combat effectiveness, which in a nutshell describes Ukraine's approach to
13:20developing weapons it uses against Russia to a T. This shift is ongoing. In Iran,
13:26we are likely to see the debut of several new weapons, though they will complement what the US
13:30is already using rather than replace it. However, this shift is likely going to lead the US to
13:35developing a lot more drones of every type. Again, that is due to Ukraine. It has shown that drones can
13:40be used for practically every task imaginable in modern warfare, leaving the US in the
13:45unlikely position of playing catch-up in this department. Focusing back on the reignited conflict
13:51in Iran, it is obvious that the Strait of Hormuz is going to be the focal point for both the
13:55US and
13:56Iran. How could it not be? It was chaos in this waterway that defined Operation Epic Fury earlier in
14:02the year as Iran's successful blockade resulted in oil prices skyrocketing and tensions exploding across
14:08the world as the war restricted the Gulf nation's ability to sell oil and left many western nations wringing
14:15their hands about a conflict they felt didn't need to happen. Oil prices have already started rising
14:21again, CNBC reports. It is no coincidence that the first strike carried out by a Corsair took place
14:27in the Strait of Hormuz. Ultimately, it will be whoever controls this waterway that comes out on top
14:32in the war between the US and Iran. Both sides know it. Trump has already declared a blockade,
14:38along with a demand for 20% tariffs from ships that has quickly been withdrawn.
14:43Iran says that it is going to halt all Middle East oil exports through the Strait. Iran has
14:48also started attacking in its own right as it struck US military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain,
14:54along with UAE-flagged oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, in retaliation for America's strikes.
15:00It is starting to feel like Spring 2026 all over again. For the US, the difference now is that it
15:06has
15:06a new weapon in play in the Strait of Hormuz. How much of a game-changer that weapon will be
15:11remains
15:12to be seen. The Corsair is clearly effective, but it seems unlikely that it will be used to chase down
15:18fast boats. The Financial Times estimates that Iran has anywhere between 500 and 1,000 of these types of
15:25boats. And using a fleet of sea drones that cost close to $1 million to go on the hunt for
15:30them is
15:31inefficient and may not be executable on a sheer numbers basis. Instead, the US may look to use
15:37the Corsair in the ways that we have already seen. Rescues when required and strikes against ports
15:42and coastal bases that Iran is using to control the Strait of Hormuz. The logic is sound. Cutting
15:48Iran's fast boats off at the source reduces the impact they can have on shipping, giving the US more
15:53time to accomplish what it wants to do in Iran before the pressure from the international community
15:57weighs down as it did before. There is also a possibility that the Corsair could be used to
16:02escort merchant ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The US Naval Institute reported in June that the House
16:08Armed Services Committee has recommended this as a use case for America's sea drones, stating,
16:13The committee believes that manned army watercraft may be aided by dedicated unmanned surface vessels
16:19, providing enhanced force protection, early warning, sensing and defensive effects,
16:25while reducing risk to personnel. The one abundantly clear thing is that the Corsair and perhaps other
16:31sea drones are being factored into round two of Operation Epic Fury. The US has learned from Ukraine
16:37and it knows how versatile these drones can be. And though it may not be able to execute the same
16:43strategy that Ukraine used against Russia in the Black Sea due to the number of fast boats that Iran
16:48brings to the table, America has just shown us how dangerous its Corsairs can be. Our guess is that
16:54will see more coastal strikes conducted by America's sea drones in the very near future.
16:58But beyond that, the possibilities are numerous and what the US does next will likely come down to
17:04Iran's response in the Strait of Hormuz. We may also see the US introduce something far more expensive
17:11to the Iran war. You see, the US has a certain type of ship. Once branded a 22 billion dollar
17:17disappointment, that ship has evolved from a disaster into a superweapon armed with hypersonic missiles that
17:23can strike targets thousands of kilometers away. What is this superweapon? You can find out if you
17:29watch our video. And if you found this video useful, we have plenty more coming up. Subscribe
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17:39we publish a new video analysis. And thank you, as always, for watching.
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