Since early 2024, cumulative evidence of the use of unmanned underwater vehicles in the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea has emerged. On January 28, 2024, various weapons were seized by US forces aboard a dhow in the Arabian Sea, including UUV components reportedly smuggled to the Houthis in Yemen by Iran. This was the first documented indication of the use of UUVs in this arena since Hamas’ Operation Al-Aqsa Flood attack on October 7, 2023. Although more concrete proof of their operational use has yet to be provided by either Iran or its proxy Shia groups, the former is evidently one of the leading global UUV producers. In recent years, Iran has exhibited and tested different types of UUVs on several occasions, including loitering torpedoes, which may have been inspired by Chinese models.
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