The U.S. has Attacked Iran With Naval Drones for the First Time. They may be Copies of Ukrainian Magura

On the night of July 12, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) used naval kamikaze drones for the first time to strike Iranian military targets.

An official statement regarding this operation was released by the CENTCOM press office.

U.S. forces used unmanned maritime vehicles to strike targets in the coastal zone.

It is likely that a copy of the Ukrainian Magura naval drone, called the Variant 7, manufactured by the American company Red Cat, was used for this attack.

Red Cat first announced plans to manufacture these drones in partnership with an unnamed company in May 2025. Mass production was scheduled to begin in the third quarter (July–September) of that same year.

In the announcement, the company noted that the system is tested daily in real combat and has already logged more than 10,000 hours of operational time on combat missions.

Later, in August of last year, Red Cat launched its maritime division, Blue Ops, to manufacture unmanned surface vehicles.

The developers position the Variant 7 as an advanced unmanned surface vessel with extended range, long endurance, and increased payload capacity. It is built on Blue Ops’ open MOSA architecture and features a patented semi-autonomous command and control system.

The drone has a maximum range of up to 800 nautical miles and an endurance of over 60 hours of continuous operation. The drone’s maximum speed reaches 39+ knots, and its payload capacity is up to 650 kg. The sensor suite includes a day/night optoelectronic targeting system with enhanced stabilization, dual redundant imaging systems, and an acoustic detection and classification system.

The command and control system features a multi-redundant, encrypted architecture with dual satellite communications (SatCom) and output channels.

It is also worth noting that in June, the Ukrainian surface drone Magura sank a target ship during the U.S.-Philippine Balikatan 2026 exercises.

It is worth noting that UFORCE has not granted any third parties in any country licenses or permits to manufacture platforms from the Magura family and remains their sole manufacturer.