Indian-origin tech executive in spotlight after AI drone boat aids first US military sea rescue
New Delhi, June 13. Indian-origin technology entrepreneur Vibhav Altekar has drawn attention after an autonomous drone boat developed by his company played a pivotal role in a historic US military rescue mission near the Strait of Hormuz.
The operation on June 8, which involved the recovery of two crew members from a crashed US Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman, marked the first known instance of an autonomous surface vessel being used by the US military for personnel rescue at sea. Both aircrew members were rescued within about two hours and were subsequently reported to be in stable condition.
Altekar is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Texas-based Saronic Technologies, a defence startup specialising in autonomous maritime platforms.
An electrical engineering graduate from the University of California, Altekar oversees the company’s software architecture, engineering operations and development of autonomous systems. According to Saronic, he leads its Forward Deployed Engineering, Product, Special Programmes and Software divisions, with expertise spanning machine learning, navigation, perception systems, command-and-control technologies and systems integration.
Widely recognised for his work in autonomous systems, Altekar has spent much of his career developing next-generation defence technologies for projects associated with the US Department of Defense.
Before co-founding Saronic, he was among the early engineers at defence technology firm Anduril Industries, where he spearheaded engineering efforts across several programmes, including the Royal Australian Navy’s Ghost Shark autonomous submarine initiative.
The breakthrough mission unfolded amid heightened tensions in West Asia. Following the crash of a US Army Apache helicopter near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, the US Navy deployed Saronic’s Corsair drone boat to recover the pilot and co-pilot.
Though remotely supervised by a human operator, the AI-enabled vessel conducted the rescue, representing a milestone in the growing use of autonomous platforms for military operations.
The 24-foot Corsair autonomous surface vessel is part of the Pentagon’s broader effort to incorporate unmanned technologies alongside conventional military assets.
Powered by diesel engines and artificial intelligence, the vessel can travel at speeds of up to 35 knots and has an operational range exceeding 1,000 nautical miles. It is capable of carrying payloads weighing up to 1,000 pounds.
The platform operates under the US Navy’s Task Force 59, which is responsible for integrating AI-enabled maritime systems and uncrewed vessels into operational missions.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Saronic Technologies was founded in September 2022 by former Navy SEAL Dino Mavrookas along with Vibhav Altekar, Doug Lambert and Rob Lehman.
The company focuses on developing autonomous maritime platforms intended to enhance naval operations and maritime security. According to its LinkedIn profile, Saronic currently holds a production contract worth approximately $392 million with the US Navy for autonomous surface vessels.
The successful rescue operation has underscored the growing importance of artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies in modern warfare. It has also brought engineers like Altekar into the spotlight as the US military increasingly relies on next-generation unmanned systems for missions traditionally performed by crewed platforms.
The operation near the Strait of Hormuz is widely seen as a glimpse into the future of naval warfare, where AI-enabled vessels are expected to play an expanding role in surveillance, logistics, combat support and even search-and-rescue missions.
