Indian-origin engineer Vibhav Altekar has come into the spotlight after a drone boat developed by his company played a key role in a landmark US military rescue mission near the Strait of Hormuz. The autonomous vessel helped recover two crew members of a US Army Apache helicopter that went down during operations in the region.
Altekar is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Saronic Technologies, a Texas-based defence technology company focused on autonomous maritime systems. He oversees the development of the company’s software architecture, autonomous navigation systems and advanced engineering programmes.
The rescue was carried out using the Corsair unmanned surface vessel, a 24-foot autonomous drone boat capable of long-range operations. According to US military officials, it was the first rescue mission conducted by the US military using an autonomous surface vessel remotely supervised by human operators.
Before co-founding Saronic in 2022, Altekar worked on advanced defence and autonomous technology programmes, including projects involving unmanned maritime systems. His company has since emerged as one of the fastest-growing players in the autonomous naval technology sector.
The successful rescue has drawn international attention to the growing role of AI-powered autonomous systems in defence, surveillance and emergency response missions, while also highlighting the contribution of Indian-origin innovators in cutting-edge military technology.
