Who Is Vibhav Altekar? Indian American Tech Leader Behind Saronic Drone Boat Used In Hormuz Rescue – Obnews
Indian American technology executive Vibhav Altekar has gained attention after an autonomous vessel developed by his company helped rescue two American military personnel near the coast of Oman.
According to Reuters, a United States Navy Corsair surface drone retrieved two crew members from an Army AH 64 Apache helicopter that went down while patrolling regional waters. The vessel transported the crew members to another location on the water, where they were airlifted by helicopter.
The United States military said both crew members were rescued within approximately two hours and were in stable condition. The cause of the helicopter incident remains under investigation. Reuters described the operation as the first rescue of its kind involving a Navy surface drone.
Altekar is the cofounder and chief technology officer of Saronic Technologies. According to the company, he leads the development of autonomous systems and software architecture, including work involving perception, navigation, machine learning, command systems and systems integration.
Saronic says Altekar previously worked as an early engineer at defence technology company Anduril and contributed to programs including the Royal Australian Navy’s Ghost Shark drone submarine. The Corsair rescue provides a real world example of how autonomous vessels may increasingly support maritime emergency operations.
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