Strait of Hormuz Crisis Underscores Need for Small US Drone Boats, Industry Leaders Say

Amid the Iran War, the need to produce new high-tech watercraft has become increasingly important, executives say.

Blue Ops demonstrates one of its drone boats, known as unmanned surface vessels, on Lake Okechobee, Fla., in February 2026. Courtesy of Blue Ops, a division of Red Cat Holdings

For centuries, the world’s largest navies focused on building massive warships to dominate the seas.

“Now small boats have their day in the sun,” thanks to drone technology, says B. Barrett “Barry” Hinckley, president of Blue Ops, a U.S.-based maker of unmanned surface vessels (USVs).