Vibhav Atlekar is the CTO of company whose drone boats rescued US pilots (Images: X)
An Indian-origin technology leader finds himself in the limelight due to his association with the US Navy drone boat, which was responsible for saving the pilot and co-pilot of an Apache helicopter that was shot down by Iranian forces in the vicinity of the Strait of Hormuz. The boat used in this rescue mission is Corsair, an autonomous surface drone made by Saronic Technologies, a defense technology firm located in Texas, whose co-founder is Vibhav Altekar. It is worth noting that the use of a remotely controlled autonomous surface vessel for the rescue at sea was unprecedented.
Reports say that, Vibhav Altekar serves as the chief technology officer of Saronic Technologies and is one of the four co-founders of the company. According to his profile on the company’s website, Vibhav Altekar leads the development of autonomous systems and software architecture that power the firm’s advanced maritime platforms. He studied electrical engineering at the University of California and has built a career around autonomous systems, artificial intelligence and defence technology.
At Saronic, Vibhav Altekar oversees Forward Deployed Engineering, Product and Special Programs, along with Software. His work involves managing teams focused on perception, navigation, machine learning, command and control systems, and systems integration. The company calls Vibhav Altekar one of the most distinguished perception engineers who has extensive knowledge about autonomous and maritime technology.
As per reports, Vibhav Altekar, before his work at Saronic, was involved for years in defence programmes in America. He is also known to be one of the earliest engineers at Anduril and had participated in engineering different projects. One of the significant programmes he took part in was Royal Australian Navy’s Ghost Shark drone submarine project.
According to reports, the rescue mission has also shed some light on the identity of Saronic Technologies, which is the corporation behind the development of the Corsair drone boat. Established in September 2022 in Austin, Texas, the business was set up by four individuals, one of whom is Navy SEAL veteran Dino Mavrookas.
As seen on the LinkedIn page of the company, Saronic Technologies currently has an agreement with the United States Navy worth USD 392 million related to the production of autonomous surface ships. The company has grown to be a major force in efforts of the Pentagon to deploy unmanned technologies alongside conventional ones.
As per reports, the Corsair boat that was involved in the mission for rescuing the troops in Hormuz has been in use in the US Armed Forces. Measuring 24 feet, the autonomous boat operates using diesel fuel and can go up to 35 knots. The unmanned vessel has an operating range of more than 1,000 nautical miles. It has the capacity to carry loads of about 1,000 pounds, and its operations are based on artificial intelligence.
It forms part of the Task Force 59 of the US Navy. This force operates AI-enabled autonomous boats and other drones. Due to the successful mission involving the boat, Vibhav Altekar and his technology have now gained worldwide fame.
Also Read: Trump Threatens Retaliation After Iran Downs U.S. Military Helicopter In Gulf Waters
Khalid Qasid is a media enthusiast with a strong interest in documentary filmmaking. He holds a Master’s degree in Convergent Journalism from AJK MCRC. He has also written extensively on esports at Sportsdunia. Currently, he covers world and general news at NewsX Digital.
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