A defense expert has warned that Iran is deploying explosive-equipped drone boats disguised as wooden fishing vessels in the Strait of Hormuz—an action that signals a new phase of hybrid maritime warfare in one of the world’s most critical shipping lanes.
Cameron Chell, the CEO of drone technology company Draganfly, made these remarks after the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed that an Iranian unmanned surface vehicle struck a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker on March 1, north of Muscat, Oman.
“UKMTO has verified that the vessel was attacked by an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), and the crew has been evacuated to shore,” UKMTO stated in a threat assessment.
Reports also indicated that two additional oil tankers were targeted on March 11 by remote-controlled explosive boats in the Gulf, as Iran ramped up attacks on foreign vessels following the launch of U.S. Operation Epic Fury against the regime on February 28.
Chell warned that the use of so-called “suicide skiffs” represents an escalating asymmetric threat in the narrow, 21-mile-wide Strait, while emphasizing the technological capabilities driving these attacks.
“The Iranians likely utilize radio remote control, line-of-sight communication, frequency hopping, or encrypted radio links between the skiffs and the Hormuz shoreline,” Chell told Digital.
“These can be jammed and tracked, but when there are 50 such boats, it becomes difficult to locate all of them along the shoreline or to spot a 20-foot wooden fishing boat loaded with explosives.
“One person could control a swarm of 10 boats,” he said, adding that there “could also be autonomous swarming, where 10 boats might operate with significant independence due to pre-programming.”
“The boats are intended to ram targets and detonate,” Chell clarified.
Chell’s comments came after a March 12 Reuters report noting that six vessels had been attacked in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Sources revealed that Iran had also deployed roughly a dozen mines, complicating efforts to maintain traffic through the critical waterway.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Sky News on Thursday that the U.S. Navy, potentially alongside an international coalition, would escort ships when militarily feasible.
U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey also noted ongoing discussions with European counterparts, underscoring the global economic stakes tied to the strait. Chell, however, raised questions about current defensive preparedness.
“The U.S. Navy’s drone defense fleets are not configured to neutralize these suicide skiffs,” Chell said.
“The U.S. would deploy manned aircraft to take them out, which are effective against large targets but inefficient at dealing with 50 boats averaging 25 to 30 feet in size, each loaded with explosives.
“Given the Strait’s geography, this would require extensive aircraft patrols, pervasive surveillance over the area, and rapid response to any detected activity,” he added.
As Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei vowed to keep the Strait closed as leverage against the U.S. and Israel, oil prices continue to rise, with Chell also highlighting Iran’s geographic advantage.
“The Strait’s geographic layout is well-suited for relatively unsophisticated suicide skiffs, unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), or other such craft,” he warned, before explaining how the area “facilitates this low-cost, automated, asymmetric warfare.”
“The Iranians can disguise these skiffs as fishing boats, ranging from 12 to 30 feet in length, with boats of various descriptions,” Chell said.
“These skiffs are equipped with basic remote control capabilities, which may or may not use GPS waypoints or manual remote operation.”
“The skiffs are not autonomous because the Strait is narrow and the waterway is flat, allowing communication signals to travel over line-of-sight for extended periods,” he added.
“They could have literally hundreds of these skiffs in operation at once, as they are also very inexpensive to deploy against,” Chell said.