The US military has effectively taken a page from Ukraine's drone-boat playbook, using a swarm attack against high-value Iranian maritime assets earlier this month. Separately, a Texas shipyard is preparing to mass-produce these unmanned vessels by the thousands.

The latest evidence that the Navy is rapidly adopting one-way attack vessels emerged during RIMPAC 2026 near Hawaii.

In a live-fire exercise, two Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft were deployed against the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu, according to the military blog Army Recognition.

Here's more from the outlet:

On July 17, 2026, the U.S. Navy used the Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) in a live-fire attack for the first time, directing two small unmanned surface vessels (USVs) against the decommissioned amphibious assault ship USS Peleliu during the RIMPAC exercise near Hawaii.

The craft were operated by the Unmanned Surface Vessel Division 32 (USVDIV-32) and entered the engagement after larger weapons had already struck the target, as part of a coordinated attack.

The two vessels detonated near the waterline, adding localized blast, structural deformation, and flooding to damage produced by missiles, aircraft, submarines, and land-based firing units.

The engagement demonstrated that a small, container-transportable vessel carrying as much as 454 kilograms of payload could contribute to the destruction of a major warship.

Watch:

Earlier this month, three US Navy-backed Saronic Corsair one-way attack vessels struck Iran’s Bandar Abbas Naval Base.

As we continue expanding our coverage of autonomous warfare, these developments point to the rapid US adoption of low-cost, attritable warbots. The next phase will likely be a massive Pentagon procurement cycle focused on stockpiling thousands of drone boats and millions of aerial one-way attack drones.