US Navy Exercise in Arabian Gulf with MARTAC Devil Ray T38

The US Navy said it fired live weapons from unmanned surface vehicles, or USVs, during a recent exercise in the Middle East, marking the first time that American drone boats used lethal munitions in the region. 

During the October 23 exercise — dubbed “Digital Talon” — a Navy task force paired the remotely operated drones with crewed ships to identify and engage simulated hostile forces within international waters around the Arabian Peninsula, US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) said in a statement on Thursday. 

The Navy equipped a MARTAC T38 Devil Ray USV, which looks similar to a speedboat, with a Lethal Miniature Aerial Missile System — a small, explosive loitering munition. The simulated hostile forces, meanwhile, were represented by a target boat. On multiple occasions during the exercise, the Devil Ray fired the weapon at the target and “successfully scored direct hits each time,” NAVCENT said.