Navy Is Deploying Sea Drones to Clear Mines From Hormuz

“The U.S. military is using sea drones to help clear the Strait of Hormuz of mines that might be lurking there, in an effort to ease Iran's stranglehold on the waterway and begin reopening it to commercial shipping.

 

Iran on Saturday closed the strait again and fired on at least two vessels to protest the American blockade of its ports.

 

Earlier, it said any shippers allowed to cross must use new traffic lanes that swing by Iran's coast, warning of mines in the main channels of the strait.

 

The risk of getting attacked is the main deterrent to ship traffic, and U.S. officials have made contradictory comments about the number of mines and the risk they pose. But military analysts say clearing them is a necessary condition for ships to be able to sail through the middle of the waterway rather than the more congested Iranian routes.

 

Sea drones, including uncrewed surface vessels and submarines, are an increasingly important part of the U.S. Navy's countermine capabilities. They use sonar to scan for mines without putting sailors at risk.

 

"You're less concerned about attrition, so sending them through the minefield is much more palatable, and if you lose some they can be replaced," said Scott Savitz, a senior engineer at Rand who previously provided on-site support for the Navy's mine warfare command and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command.

 

A U.S. defense official said the military was using a combination of manned and unmanned capabilities in the operation, but declined to comment on operational specifics.

 

Though the Navy's minehunting capabilities have declined in recent years, it maintains options that include helicopters, littoral combat ships and trained dolphins as a part of its marine mammals program. It also uses drones.

 

The Common Uncrewed Surface Vessel, a drone made by RTX that tows a sonar system called the AQS-20, scans for mines, patrolling columns that are 100 feet wide at a time.

 

Battery-powered submarine drones, called the MK18 Mod 2 Kingfish and the Knifefish, made by General Dynamics can be dropped in the water from a small boat and then scan for mines in a pattern.

 

The military could do an initial scan for mines relatively quickly in the confines of the strait, military analysts said. After locating the mines, a second wave of sea robots could be sent out to destroy them by using explosives or by setting them off remotely.

 

"You can get a small channel in that area surveyed in days not weeks using Unmanned Underwater Vehicles," said Kevin Donegan, a former U.S. Navy vice admiral and former commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet based in the Gulf.

 

After clearing one lane, he said, "Traffic can then begin to flow in this smaller channel that could be widened over time."

 

The mission comes as the U.S. is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in an attempt to turn the tables on the Iranian regime, which seized control of the strait during the war.

 

Iran's foreign minister said Friday the strait was now "completely open," a declaration hailed by President Trump. But Saturday the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the waterway was again closed and fired on at least two civilian ships.

 

Of the 27 trading ships that have crossed the strait since April 13, some 15 used the mandated route, which hugs the Iranian coastline, according to Lloyd's List Intelligence.

 

U.S. officials, citing American intelligence, said in March that Iran had deployed mines in the strait, but the scale of threat has remained unclear.

 

Minesweeping is one step that the U.S. can take to prepare the way for military convoys that could protect ships crossing in and out of the strait. It would take weeks, if not months, to begin clearing the backlog in the Gulf.

 

Trump in a social-media post Friday said, "Iran, with the help of the U.S.A., has removed, or is removing, all sea mines!"

 

Shipping industry leaders warned that the statement wasn't accurate. Jakob Larsen, chief safety and security officer at Bimco, one of the world's largest international shipowners' associations, said credible reports indicate a risk of mines, and "shipping should consider avoidance of the area."” [1]

 

1. World News: Navy Is Deploying Sea Drones to Clear Mines From Hormuz. Malsin, Jared.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 20 Apr 2026: A6.